Call for proposals

Horizon 2020 - Industrial Leadership - “Improving access by innovative SMEs to alternative forms of finance” ALTFI-01-2017

 

Objective and description

A new call for proposals has been published under the Horizon 2020 Programme within the pillar “Industrial Leadership”, under the priority Open Innovation, within the call for proposals “Improving access by innovative SMEs to alternative forms of finance” - ALTFI-01-2017.

 

Sources of finance for innovative SMEs should be as diverse as possible in order to cater for their varying needs at different stages of the firm life-cycle and the innovation process. However, more needs to be done to improve such SMEs' access to alternative forms of finance such as peer-to-peer lending, venture debt and convertible loans, equity finance provided by crowdfunding or business angels, and factoring and trade finance.

 

In particular, there is a need to:

·         Sensitise and improve capacity of financial suppliers such as National Promotional Institutions, Banks and enablers, such as National Central Banks, national innovation agencies providing finance about the potential of alternative finance.

·         Facilitate the exchange of best practices amongst Member States and Associated Countries about regulatory and other measures aiming to make it easier for innovative SMEs to diversify their sources of finance.

·         Make it easier for niche and specialist providers of alternative finance to market themselves to innovative SMEs seeking such forms of finance.

·         Develop ways of matching such SMEs to alternative finance schemes and their providers.In particular, developing information architectures across the European Union taking into consideration the potential of technology innovation in finance.

·         Improve the availability of financial and credit information about innovative SMEs to alternative lenders and investors.

·         Improve innovative SMEs' awareness and understanding of the types of alternative finance available according to their circumstances and development phase.

 

Programmes should aim to:

·         Develop a capacity-building strategy and consequent implementation plan that makes use of techniques (tailored for both women and men) such as awareness raising campaigns, coaching, mentoring, workshops, courses, training materials (in particular through social media) as well as knowledge transfer of best practices.

·         Validate the implementation plan by stakeholders including innovative SMEs, alternative finance providers and public authorities.

·         Execute the implementation plan.

·         Review the impact of the implementation plan and possibly adapt the scheme in the light of experience.

 

Expected Impact:

·         Increased use of alternative forms of finance by innovative SMEs.

·         Emergence and growth of alternative finance options available to innovative SMEs in Member States and Associated Countries where such options are less available or developed at present.

·         More cooperation between different suppliers of finance in order to crowd in existing EU, national and regional financing structures targeting innovative SMEs.

·         Replication in Member States and Associated Countries of successful approaches to encouraging the take-up of alternative finance by innovative SMEs.

 

Eligible applicants

The topic refers to Coordination and Support Actions (CSA) and thus eligible can be at least one legal entity established in an EU Member State or Horizon 2020 associated country.

 

Budget and duration

The indicative total budget is EUR 2,500,000.

 

The Commission expects to fund between 1 and 3 proposals.

 

The expected funding rate is 100%

 

The project duration should be a maximum period of 24 months.

 

Deadline for proposals’ submission

The deadline of the topic is 7 September 2017, 17:00 (Brussels local time).

 

Further information

Please find attached the call documents. For the proposal standard template, please visit the link below.

 

More information:

https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/altfi-01-2017.html

 

Kind regards,

Flora

 

Flora Stavropoulou
Intern

European Office of Cyprus

Rue du Luxembourg 3, 2nd floor

B-1000, Brussels

Tel/Fax: +32 (0) 2 280 22 85

E-mail: eoc.brussels2@ucy.ac.cy

 

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