Deadline: 30 September 2016
The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME), under the powers delegated by the European Commission, has launched a call for proposals with a view to concluding grant agreements to accelerate the transfer of innovative technological solutions to sea basin economies, under Blue Technology grant Programme.
This call is launched in accordance with the 2016 Work Programme for the Implementation of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF).
The action covered by this call for proposals forms part of the EMFF Work Programme, whose implementation is partially delegated to the Executive Agency for Small and Medium sized Enterprises.
Programme Objectives
Based on the needs set out above, this call for proposals focuses on the following objectives:
- maximising synergies between existing strategic roadmaps for research, technology and innovation at sea basin level;
- coordinating funding for priority investments;
- making the best use of existing financial instruments at EU level (e.g. Horizon 2020, ERDF and EFSI, EIB) and at national/regional levels.
Budget Available
- The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is EUR 2.520.000.
- It is estimated that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of between EUR 600.000 and EUR 800.000 would allow the objectives of this call for proposals to be addressed appropriately.
Award Criteria
A maximum of 100 points will be awarded for the quality of the proposal. The required minimum overall score is 60 points and a minimum score of 50% is required for each criterion.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be legal entities. They can be public or private bodies. In the event of private bodies, they must be properly constituted and registered under national law. In the event of international organisations29, they must be constituted under international law.
- To be considered a public entity, the body in question must fulfil all of the following criteria:
- The body has been created by a public authority or is governed by private law with a public service mission;
- The public interest of the body must be explicitly mentioned in the relevant legal or administrative act(s);
- The body is financed totally or to a large extent (more than 50%) by public sources;
- In the event that the entity stops its activities, all rights and obligations including financial rights and obligations will be transferred to a public authority.
- Applicants must be active in the field of research and innovation, and/or in regional cooperation and/or in the implementation of National/Regional Research and Innovation Smart Specialisation Strategies and/or in the blue economy and related sectors (such as marine renewable energies, blue biotechnology, coastal tourism, aquaculture, maritime transport, shipbuilding and ship repair, shipping, offshore oil and gas, fisheries or aquaculture).
- The following non-exhaustive list provides examples of potential applicants:
- cluster organisations 30 or business network organisations;
- public authorities (national, regional);
- research centres and centres of excellence;
- innovation agencies;
- public or private, small, medium or large enterprises;
- non-profit organisations (private or public).
- Proposals must be submitted by a consortium (partnership) of minimum 3 legal entities.
- One of these must act as the consortium coordinator, while the others will act as partners. The consortium coordinator has to be established in an EU Member State bordering the sea basin targeted by the proposal.
- The consortium must comprise at least 3 cluster organisations and/or business network organisations all of which are providing or channelling cluster and network support services, in compliance with the definition of innovation clusters given in the “Framework for State aid for research and development and innovation”31. Each of these minimum 3 cluster organisations and/or business network organisations must be located in a different EU Member State.
How to Apply
Applicants are required to submit an online application form available on the website.
For more information, please visit EU-Blue Technology Grant.
