Applications can be submitted from August 1st 2024 until November 1st 2024 at 13:00.
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INTRODUCTION
The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) announces the Call for Proposals for the «Creation and Initial Development of Startups with International Orientation (PRE-SEED)» Programme within the framework of the «RESTART 2016-2020» Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI) and invites potential beneficiaries to submit relevant Project Proposals (Proposals).
The present Call will be co-financed by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), in the frame of the Operational Programme «ΘΑλΕΙΑ» 2021-2027 under Priority 1: «Competitive, Smart and Digital Economy» and the Specific Objective (1i): «Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies».
GENERAL CALL INFORMATION
| Pillar | ΙΙ. SUSTAINABLE RTDI SYSTEM | |
| Programme | Creation and Initial Development of STARTUPs with International Orientation | |
| Call Identifier | PRE-SEED/0824 |
|
| Funding Source | European Regional Development Fund | |
| Call Budget | 1.200.000 Euro | |
| Maximun Funding Per Project | 119.999 Euro | |
| Publication Date | 01 August 2024 | |
| Deadline |
01 November 2024, time 13.00 |
|
The English version of the Call, even though an official translation endorsed by the Research and Innovation Foundation, is provided for information purposes only. Only the Greek version of the Call is legally binding and shall prevail in case of any divergence in interpretation.
OBJECTIVES
The objective of the «Creation and Initial Development of Startups with International Orientation (PRE-SEED)» Programme is to support the creation and initial development of innovative Startups which aim to develop innovative products and services with global market penetration prospects.
DESCRIPTION
The Programme aims to support startups which are in the stage of developing their business idea and/or they are at the early stages of their product or service development.
Products/services are expected to have a high level of innovation and differentiation, in comparison to existing or competitive solutions and will address certain needs and/or improve the experience and quality of life of users. Enterprises should have reliable and justified plans for the penetration into the international markets.
Enterprises which demonstrate the financial/commercial and technological feasibility of their innovation and potentially could be viable and profitable, will be supported. The support to products/services which have the ability to create new and/or disrupt existing markets is highly desirable.
The team members of the startups are expected to have the appropriate and complementary technical, scientific and business knowledge and skills and to demonstrate their commitment to the operation and development of the company and the implementation of the proposed plan.
It is clarified that for the purposes of the Programme, Startups are considered companies with a technological orientation and potential for high growth, which are established with the aim of developing a product/service that the founders of the company seek to make available to the international market. Through the Programme, the RIF provides the incentive to the founding teams of the startups to focus on the companies’ activities to explore, evaluate and develop the innovative business idea, create an initial product / service and conduct preliminary efforts towards the commercialization of the product / service.
Funding is expected to cover, amongst others, the initial stages of the operation of the company, the recruitment of personnel in a way to strengthen the capabilities of the founding team, the development of a prototype, the preparation of market research, the identification of the appropriate business model, the preparation of a business plan, the related activities of the team to secure the intellectual property, investors search, etc.
BENEFICIARIES
Research Organisations, Enterprises, Other Private Sector Organisations
SPECIFIC RESTRICTIONS AND CONDITIONS FOR PARTICIPATION
The Host Organisation (HO) of a project must be a Startup company, as specified in the Chapter 1.2, Section III, of the RESTART 2016-2020 Work Programme.
It is noted that if a proposal is submitted by a group of natural persons, the registration of the company should be completed until the signing of the Contract.
Research Organisations, Enterprises, or Other Private Sector Organisations may participate as Partner Organisations. Partner Organisations shall support the Host Organisation in accomplishing the project's technological objectives and specifically only for the implementation of experimental development activities, relating to the prototype development, pilot operation, testing and validation of the company’s product/service.
The budget of the Partner Organisations, should not exceed 20% of the total project budget.
It is noted that, participation of a Large Enterprise in a RESTART 2016-2020 Programme project is possible after the justification, through the proposal, of the incentive effect that the funding will have for the Large Enterprise, as specified in the Chapter 1.2, Section III, of the RESTART 2016-2020 Work Programme.
In the frame of the present Call for Proposals an enterprise may receive funding as Host Organisation (ΗΟ), only in one (1) Project.
Funding of startups as HOs, which were funded by the RIF as HOs in the frame of previous Calls for Proposals under the PRE-SEED and SEED Programmes, is not allowed.
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
For the Host Organisation, Startups Activities are allowed which indicatively can be the following:
- Prototype Development.
- Market Research.
- Identification of the appropriate Business Model.
- Business Plan.
- Obtaining, validating and defending patents and other intangible assets.
- Obtaining consulting, legal or accounting services.
- Marketing/branding activities.
- Seeking of partners and investors.
For Partner Organisations, only Experimental Research activities are allowed.
DURATION OF PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION
Up to 18 Months
MAXIMUM FUNDING PER PROJECT
€ 119.999
The maximum aid intensity for Enterprises and Other Private Sector Organisations cannot exceed 85%.
It is noted that, Aid Intensity for Partner Organisations is calculated according to the provisions of Chapter 3.2 of the present Work Programme. For Research Organizations, the aid intensity for Experimental Development activities cannot exceed the aid intensity of the Host Organisation which amounts up to 85%.
RESTART 2016-2020 WORK PROGRAMME
All general rules and procedures for the participation of organisations and individuals, the eligible activities and costs, as well as the specific information regarding the Programme «Creation and Initial Development of Startups with International Orientation (PRE-SEED)», as well as the other RESTART 2016-2020 Programmes, are included in the RESTART 2016-2020 Work Programme for the period May 2022-December 2024, which is the main reference document and an important information source for interested parties and can be found on the Research and Innovation Foundation’s IRIS (Innovation Research Information System) Portal (https://iris.research.org.cy/#/documentlibrary).
SPECIFIC CONDITIONS for this call are detailed in the attached Call for Proposals document.
SUBMISSION
Proposals are submitted through the Research and Innovation Foundation’s IRIS Portal (https://iris.research.org.cy).
The Project Coordinator and all local participating organisations in the Project Consortium, should register in advance on the IRIS Portal.
Potential applicants are advised to use the «Guide for Applicants», which contains guidelines and clarifications regarding the Submission procedure and the «IRIS Portal User Manual» which can be found on the IRIS Portal (https://iris.research.org.cy/#/documentlibrary).
The Research and Innovation Foundation encourages in all its Calls for Proposals:
- the participation of women as Project Coordinators, and
- the gender-balanced formation of projects.
The Project Proposal consists of the following parts:
- Part A – General Information & Budget (electronic form (fields) to be completed online through the IRIS Portal).
- Part B – Technical Annex (document to be uploaded as an Annex on the IRIS Portal in PDF format).
- ANNEX I – Curricula Vitae - Mandatory Submission (document to be uploaded as an Annex on the IRIS Portal in PDF format and includes the CVs of the Coordinator and the key personnel of the project team). It is recommended that, CVs are created according to the EUROPASS format and do not exceed 5 pages per person.
- ANNEX II –Call Specific Information to be Disclosed to the Evaluators (document to be uploaded as an Annex on the IRIS Portal in PDF format and includes the Product/Service Wireframe) – Requested only for Projects that fall within the ICT and manufacturing sectors, and/or Projects which include the development of digital applications and/or software.
PROJECT SELECTION
Evaluation Procedure
The Proposals are evaluated in two Stages:
For the Stage Α of the Evaluation, a Preliminary Check and a Remote Evaluation procedure by two (2) experts, which: (a) are specialists in the proposal topic, and/or (b) have good knowledge of the business environment in the proposal field, will be followed, as specified in the RESTART 2016-2020 Work Programme for the period May 2022-December 2024. It is clarified that, in case where all requested documents are not duly submitted at the Proposal submission, then the Proposal will not be forwarded for scientific evaluation.
Prior to the evaluation of each Proposal, and the score assignment according to the evaluation criteria, evaluators will examine the compatibility:
- of the Proposal with the Programme and Call Objectives,
- of the proposed activities with the activities allowed by the Programme/Call, and
- of the Proposal with the «Do No Significant Harm» principle.
In case where the Proposal is not compatible with the above, the evaluator rejects the Proposal and does not proceed with the examination of the evaluation criteria.
Evaluation Criteria/Weighting
The same Evaluation Criteria apply for both Stages (A and B).
1. Excellence - Weight 30%
2. Added Value and Benefit - Weight 35%
3. Implementation - Weight 35%
Selection
Proposals that have been deemed eligible for funding following the evaluation procedure, will be selected for funding. It is noted that, the total funding of approved projects, will not exceed the total Call budget.
RESTART-2016-2020-WORK-PROGRAMME-V16 (May 2022 – December 2024)