CALL – Innovation procurement brokers

Specific Challenge:

This call aims to

  • help innovative SMEs and start-ups grow and develop by allowing them to address public demands through the use of public procurement;
  • create adequate links between government, research institutions and the private sector by adding the buying potential of large buyers or other aggregators of public procurement to the mix. This should open up opportunities to participating SMEs and start-ups to develop new products, services and to grow or scale up their operations;
  • contribute to the creation of an innovation-friendly business environment and the overall competitiveness of the European economy.

Public procurement of innovation5 (PPI) broadly refers to any public procurement that has one or both of the
following aspects:

  •  buying the process of innovation;
  •  buying the outcomes of innovation.

General objectives
The general objective of this call for proposals is to establish an Innovation Procurement Broker that will bring together and facilitate commercial links between:

  • public buyers,
  • suppliers of innovation (with a special focus on SMEs and start-ups),
  • investors, and
  • researchers.

Eligible 
In order to achieve the objectives of this call for proposals (as indicated above), the applicant shall act as Innovation Procurement Broker. In the proposal, applicants must describe the activities to be carried out as outlined below. Moreover, applicants are free to propose additional activities if duly justified and in line with the objectives of this call for proposals.

Consortia must have at least 2 members from at least 2 eligible countries. At least one member of the consortium has to be a public authority (European, national, regional, local).

The coordinator of the consortium shall be a public body.

Eligible consortia must be composed entirely of organisations and countries defined as eligible applicants

TIMETABLE
Stages Dates
a) Deadline for submitting applications 21 November 2017 – 17:00 h Brussels time
b) Evaluation period* December 2017 – January 2018
c) Information to applicants* February 2017
d) Signature of grant agreements* April 2018
e) Starting date of the action* May 2018
* indicative

BUDGET AVAILABLE AND FUNDING OF PROJECTS
The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is EUR 600.000,00.
The maximum grant per project will be EUR 600.000,00.
EASME expects to fund one proposal.
The grant is limited to a maximum reimbursement rate of 90% of eligible costs.

Check here for more info.

Source: The European Commission