The grants open and its budget for this call are:
Innovate grant
Scope: This instrument is aimed at the innovation for SMEs to become more resilient with an increased portfolio of new-to-firm products and services to adapt to VUCA environment, increasing their capacity to respond and adapt easily in case of value chain disruptions.
Goal: to identify and bring to market new-to-firm products and/or services to make SMEs more resilient against value chain disruptions.
Duration: 4 months (fixed)
Total budget for 1st call: 140k€,
Expected number of beneficiaries: 7 SMEs,
Fixed financial support per SME: 20k€ (fixed)
Fix and exhaustive list of activities eligible for funding:
-Technical assessment and viability, technical requirements for different target markets, compliance studies, prototype development including materials/services, technical prototyping, technical testing and market testing, prototype/system integration design and development, including materials, technical testing and market testing, dissemination actions to promote market launch.
-Business plan for exploitation of the innovation (compulsory).
Eligible costs: Staff costs, other costs such as supplies and small prototype services, subcontracting (if duly justified) and indirect costs (flat rate of 7% of total costs).
Green and digital grant
Scope: This instrument is aimed at the adoption of processes and technologies by SMEs to become more competitive and resilient with focus on green and digital transition to ensure the sustainability and connectivity of the value chain. While this grant will not fund technology acquisition, the goal is to raise awareness with small pilots to test and adapt business processes to facilitate the twin transition, particularly technologies that can drive both simultaneously.
Goal: to assess technologies and adopt business processes to enable the green and digital transition to make SMEs more competitive, ready for a resilient future and for global growth.
Max. duration: 4 months
Total budget for 1st call: 250k€,
Expected number of beneficiaries: 10 SMEs in 5 projects,
Consortia required: 2 SMEs from different eligible sectors
Maximum financial support per SME: 35k€,
Fixed financial support per consortia (project): 50k€
Fix and exhaustive list of activities eligible for funding:
-Digital and green assessments, viability studies, technical feasibility, prototype development including materials/services, technical prototyping, technical testing and market testing, prototype/system integration design and development, including materials, technical testing and market testing, digital training.
-Business plan for exploitation of the adopted processes (compulsory).
Eligible costs: Staff costs, other costs such as supplies and small prototype services.Subcontracting (duly justified). Indirect costs (flat rate of 7% of total costs).
**Note: purchase and installation of advanced technologies is not eligible
Global grant
Scope This instrument is aimed at facilitating the internationalization of SMEs to become more resilient and globally competitive with facilitated access to third markets to ensure supply and production with a broader customer portfolio to facilitate overcoming regional value chain disruptions. SMEs must targe one of the prioritized target countries by xBUILD-EU.
Eligible target country: Middle east selected countries: Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.
Goal: facilitate internationalization of SMEs in selected target countries.
Max. duration: 4 months
Total budget for 1st call: 150k€,
Expected number of beneficiaries: 6 SMEs,
Fixed financial support per SME: 25k€
Fix and exhaustive list of activities eligible for funding:
-Internationalization strategy review, assessment of market opportunities, compliance studies, technical assessment and viability, technical requirements for different target markets, internationalization custom agendas for B2B meetings, export assessment, training and capacity building.
-Business plan for internationalization operations (mandatory).
-Travel to target market for a business mission.
Eligible costs: Staff costs up to 15k€, other costs such as travel costs up visit the selected third country for B2B meetings with counterparts and promotional materials for going international (i.e., translated leaflets, catalogues, etc.) up to 4k€. Subcontracting to conduct custom market assessment, identification of opportunities in the third country, database of contacts, prepare custom agendas and meetings, introductions to their country potential stakeholders, etc. with a maximum of 15k€. Indirect costs (7% of total budget).
