Sponsoring Agency: EEA Grants Portugal
Deadline Available: Available
Deadline Date (mm/dd/yyyy): 05/31/2021
Size of the Fund: USD $50,000 to $500,000
EEA Grants Portugal has announced a Call for Proposals for 2nd Round of Small Grants Scheme #1 – Initiatives for business growth in Startups.
This Open Call aims to finance initiatives for business growth in Startups enterprises to develop, apply and commercialize innovative products and technologies.
The main objective of this Call is to finance initiatives for business growth in Startups enterprises to develop, apply and commercialize innovative products and technologies. This call will also promote cooperation between enterprises and research institutions, in order to foster user-driven research-based innovation.
To improve the sustainable competitiveness of Portuguese enterprises and value creation, a range of sectors will be supported, such as fisheries/aquaculture (innovative products and technologies in fisheries sector), commercial ports, ocean renewable energy sector, maritime industry, including maritime transports technologies, offshore and nearshore infrastructures, robotics, technologies for deep sea resources and mapping, shipbuilding (innovative products and technologies) blue biotechnology and environmental monitoring and surveillance activities. The main objective is to increase competitiveness and sustainability for Portuguese Startups within the focus area of Blue Growth.
Objectives
The projects supported by this call will contribute to increase competitiveness, sustainability and profitability among Portuguese Startups and bring more innovation in their products, services and processes and should contribute to the Programme’s Outcome #1: Increased competitiveness for Portuguese enterprises within the focus is of Blue Growth.
The projects should contribute to some or all of the overall targets to be reached under the Programme’s Outcome #1 (including open “Call#1 – Business Development, Innovation and SMEs” proposal already launched) as follows:
• Estimated annual growth in net operational profit of 5%
• 15 innovative technologies/processes / solutions applied (new-to-theenterprise)
• 10 new products/ technologies commercialized (new-to-the-market)
• 25 new products/ technologies developed.
• 45 jobs created
• 10 new intellectual property rights (Copyright, trademarks, patents) applications submitted.
• Survival rate of Startups shall be 50% measured 1 year from the last day of the eligibility period of projects
By contributing to one or several of these outcome targets, the projects will contribute to the Programme’s Output 1.5: Startups supported for business growth in the Blue growth sector. The targets will be reached by supporting up to 6 Startups with investments in new technologies, processes or services.
Projects will be given additional points (selection criteria) if they are dedicated to developing “user-driven research-based innovation” (TRL2 4 – 9 in accordance with Horizon 2020 guidelines) and the development/implementation of green solutions. Also, projects involving partnerships/bilateral cooperation with entities from the Donor States will be given additional points (but partnerships are not mandatory).
Funding Information
• The total amount available to the present Call is € 1.029.469.
• Maximum Grant Amount for each project: 150.000€
• Minimum Grant Amount for each project: 50.000€
• Grant Rates: The funding rate will not exceed 80% of total eligible project costs.
Types of Projects
The projects supported by this call will contribute to increase competitiveness, sustainability and profitability among Portuguese Startups and bring more innovation in their products, services and processes within the focus are of Blue Growth.
Projects must contribute towards the achievement of some or the entire overall programme’ targets.
The scope of projects eligible for funding under this Call is the following:
• Develop and commercialize innovative technologies, processes and solutions;
• Apply innovative blue technologies/processes/solutions (new-to-the enterprise) which main objective is to increase competitiveness and sustainability of blue economy by greening their activity;
• Business development from early innovation stage up to testing of new technologies and supporting their first presentation to the market (piloting and demonstration facilities – TRL 4 – 9);
• New technologies, processes and solutions that directly or indirectly improve the environmental performance of the economic activities of blue economy, including limiting pollution through purification processes, making available more environmentally friendly products and production processes and technologies more efficient in handling/using of resources or in promoting energy efficiency.
Eligible Sectors
• Fisheries/aquaculture (development of innovative products and technologies in fisheries/ fish farming sector)
• Fish and seafood transformation industry
• Commercial ports
• Ocean renewable energy sector
• Maritime industry, including innovative maritime transport technologies
• Maritime digitalization
• Offshore and/or nearshore infrastructures
• Robotics related to marine and maritime technologies
• Technologies for deep sea resources and mapping
• Shipbuilding and shipping (development of innovative products and technologies)
• Blue biotechnology
• Nautical tourism
• Environmental monitoring and surveillance activities.
The Blue Growth Programme also has a bilateral objective, to enhance cooperation between Portuguese entities and entities from the Donor States (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein).
Eligibility Criteria
• Eligible promoters: SMEs established as legal persons in Portugal are considered eligible applicants of projects.
• Eligible applicants must have been established for at least six months prior to the deadline of application and they must have been in operation for no more than 5 years at the deadline of the call for proposal, which have not yet distributed profits and have not been formed through a merger (Startups).
• Natural persons are not eligible.
• Each promoter may submit one application only, and may participate in up to 2 more as a partner.
• Eligible partners: Any public or private entity, commercial or non-commercial, as well as non-governmental organisations established as a legal person either in the Donor States or Portugal , actively involved in, and effectively contributing to, the implementation of a project, are considered eligible project partners (in accordance with article 7.2.2 of the EEA Grants 2014-2021 Regulation).
More information at: https://www.eeagrants.gov.pt/en/programmes/blue-growth/calls/2nd-sgs-1-initiatives-for-business-growth-in-startups-supported/
