Do you have the next big commercial idea that will disrupt the ICT industry and conquer the world? Are you looking for money for your start-up, without giving up equity? Do you want to find out what Open Disruptive Innovation, FI-WARE or COSME mean? Compared to traditional investors from the private sector, EU funding provides support with minimal strings attached and does not require Entrepreneurs to surrender any ownership of their idea or shares of their start-up. This presentation was part of the workshops sessions in ID-GC 2014 event held in Athens Concert Hall (15 Novermber 2014).

1. EC Funding for startups
Dr. Iraklis Agiovlasitis

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Horizon 2020
The SME Instrument
Erasmus+
Life+
Creative Europe
PCP/PPI
FI-WARE
MCSA
Reflective Societies
RIA/IA/CSA
IMI Access to risk financeParticipant portal

10. 10
http://ec.europa.eu/digital-
agenda/en/about-startup-europe

11. Who can participate?
In general all legal entities:
• Companies of any size
• Companies founded at any time
• In any EU-28 or associated countries
But also
• Universities
• Individual researchers
• Research organisations
• Public bodies (local, regional, national)
• Federations, foundations, network
organisations
• International organsiations

12. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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14. SME Instrument
• 50K – 5 M€
• Disruptive innovation
• 13 topics
FI-WARE
• 5K – 200K€
• Future Internet & Open APIs
• 16 accelerators – 8 topics
FET-OPEN
• 2 – 4 M€
• High risk research projects
• Breakthrough ideas
• Collaborative (3 partners
minimum)
COSME
• Erasmus for young entrepreneurs
Access to risk finance
• Debt
• Equity
Enterprise Europe
Network
• Networking
• Innovation management
• Information about funding
• Free Support Services
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15. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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17. Desired SME profile
• For innovative SMEs with an ambition to develop,
grow and have an international impact
• Focused on established SMEs with high growth
potential
• Single company support (consortia of several SMEs
possible)
• Activities at TRL 6 or above
• No obligation for applicants to sequentially cover
all three phases; still a "linear" process is strongly
encouraged
• 70% funding (exceptions possible)
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TRL 0: Idea. Unproven concept, no testing has been performed.
TRL 1: Basic research. Principles postulated and observed but no experimental proof available.
TRL 2: Technology formulation. Concept and application have been formulated.
TRL 3: Applied research. First laboratory tests completed; proof of concept.
Technology Readiness Levels
TRL 4: Small scale prototype built in a laboratory environment ("ugly" prototype).
TRL 5: Large scale prototype tested in intended environment.
TRL 6: Prototype system tested in intended environment close to expected performance.
TRL 7: Demonstration system operating in operational environment at pre-commercial scale.
TRL 8: First of a kind commercial system. Manufacturing issues solved.
TRL 9: Full commercial application, technology available for consumers.

19. Why participate?
• Rank among the best European
SMEs
• Visibility at a European and global
level
• Business/management coaching
• Networking opportunities
• Support for follow-up financing
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20. The 3 Project Phases
Phase 1 - Concept & Feasibility
Assessment
o €50 000 in EU funding
o Feasibility study
o Initial 10 page business proposal to
be drafted
o 6 months in duration
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21. The 3 Project Phases
Phase 2 – Innovation Project
o Between €0.5 million and €2.5 million
in EU funding.
o Develop project through innovation
strategy
o Draft a more developed, 30 page
business plan
o 1-2 years in duration
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22. The 3 Project Phases
Phase 3 – Market launch
o No stand-alone phase!
o No direct funding
o Extensive support and coaching
o Facilitate access to risk finance
o Additional support and networking
opportunities (EEN)
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23. Call Organisation
• Open call: Submissions can be submitted any time, and will
be immediately evaluated
• 4 cut-off dates per year (March, June, September, December)
for ranking and finance decisions
• Budget: For 2014 5% of the combined budget of SC and LEIT,
overall minimum 7% of these combined budget. Total is
roughly € 3 billion.
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24. Themes for 2014-2015
In 2014 and 2015 the SME Instrument will sponsor SMEs operating within 13
themes:
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• ICT: open disruptive innovation
• Nanotech, or other advanced tech for
manufacturing and materials
• Space research and development
• Diagnostics devices and biomarkers
• Sustainable food production and
processing
• Blue growth
• Low carbon energy systems
• Greener and more integrated
transport
• Eco-innovation and sustainable raw
material supply
• Urban critical infrastructure
• Biotechnology-based industrial
processes
• Mobile e-government applications
(2015 only)
• SME business model innovation (2015
only)

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Themes Call id 2014 Call id 2015
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 1 Phase 2
High risk ICT innovation
ICT-37-2014-1
90 projects €4.5m
ICT-37-2014
~26 projects €40m
ICT-37-2015-1
90 projects €4.5m
ICT-37-2015
~26 projects €40m
Nanotech, or other
advanced tech for
manufacturing and
materials
NMP-25-2014-1
43 projects €2.2m
NMP-25-2014
~13 projects €19m
NMP-25-2015-1.
47 projects €2.4m
NMP-25-2015
14 projects €21m
Space research and
development
Space-SME-2014-1
17 projects €0.8m
Space-SME-2014-2
~5 projects €7.5m
Space-SME-2015-1
18 projects €0.9m
Space-SME-2015-2
~13 projects €7.7m
Diagnostics devices and
biomarkers
PHC-12-2014-1
132 projects €6.6m
PHC-12-2014
~38 projects €53m
PHC-12-2015-1
90 projects €4.5m
PHC-12-2015
~26 projects €40m
Sustainable food
production and
processing
SFS-08-2014-1
18 projects €0.9m
SFS-08-2014
~5 projects €8m
SFS-08-2015-1
18 projects €1.7m
SFS-08-2015
~10 projects €15m
Seas and oceans (Blue
growth)
BG-12-2014-1
6 projects €0.3m
BG-12-2014
1-2 projects €2.6m
BG-12-2015-1
10 projects €0.5m
BG-12-2015
2-3 projects €4m
Low carbon energy
systems
SIE-01-2014-1
67 projects €3.4m
SIE-01-2014
~20 projects €29m
SIE-01-2015-1
74 projects €3.7m
SIE-01-2015
~22 projects €31m
Greener and more
integrated transport
IT-1-2014-1
72 projects €3.6m
IT-1-2014
~21 projects €32m
IT-1-2015-1
78 projects €3.9m
IT-1-2015
23 projects €34m
Eco-innovation and
sustainable raw material
supply
SC5-20-2014-1
~34 projects €1.7m
SC5-20-2014
~10 projects €15m
SC5-20-2015-1
38 projects €1.9m
SC5-20-2015
~11 projects €17m
Urban critical
infrastructure
DRS-17-2014-1
14 projects €0.7m
DRS-17-2014
4 projects €6m
DRS-17-2015-1
14 projects €0.7m
DRS-17-2015
~4 projects €6.5m
Biotechnology-based
industrial processes
BIOTEC-5a-2014-1
8 projects €0.4m
BIOTEC-5a-2014
~2 projects €3.3m
BIOTEC-5b-2015-1
5 projects €0.2m
BIOTEC-5b-2015
1 project €2m
Mobile e-government
applications
- -
INSO-9-2015-1
8 projects €0.4m
INSO-9-2015
~2 projects €3.5m
SME business model
innovation
- -
INSO-10-2015-1
22 projects €1.1m
INSO-10-2015
~6 projects €9m

26. Evaluation process
• Remote evaluation
• No consensus meetings
• Short standardised feedback
• No negotiations
• Only one application per company allowed for all phases
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27. Evaluation criteria
• Possible economic impact
• Excellence in innovation
• Commercialisation potential
• SME potential achieving the envisaged
results
• Evaluation can be stopped if proposals fail
to achieve a threshold for 'impact'
criterion
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28. Lessons learnt
Most of the non-selected proposals were:
• Too much focused on the project and not enough on the
business opportunity;
• Not convincing when describing the company (you have to
explain why your company will succeed and not your
competitor);
• Not providing enough information on competing solutions;
• Having a too low level of innovation, planning to develop a
product that already exists on the market;
• Proposing just an idea without any concept for its
commercialisation;
• Just trying their luck (the SME Instrument is not a lottery!).
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29. 2 things to remember
• Disruptive innovation
• Size and age matter!
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http://ec.europa.eu/easme/
en/horizons-2020-sme-
instrument
More Info

31. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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http://www.fi-ware.org
More Info

38. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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39. FET
Interdisciplinary
Novelty
S&T targeted
Foundational
High-Risk
Long-term vision
Uncorrelated
Research projects
FET-Open
Early Ideas
Exploring
novel ideas
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40. • Collaborative project
• 3 partners from 3 European countries
• 'Open is open': all technologies, no topical scope.
• High risk-high gain research
• An end-to-end light and fast scheme:
o Deadline free, open 24/7
o 15 pages proposal
o 1 step submission, 1 stage evaluation
o FET specific evaluation criteria
• Instrument
o Research and Innovation Action (RIA)
Cut-off dates:
30/09 & 31/03
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http://ec.europa.eu/digital-
agenda/en/fet-open
More Info

42. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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Coming early 2015
Calls will be launched locally

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http://www.erasmus-
entrepreneurs.eu/
More Info

45. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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http://www.access2finance.eu
More Info

49. 1. The SME Instrument
2. FI-WARE
3. FET-Open
4. COSME
5. Access to risk finance
6. Enterprise Europe Network
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51. One-stop shop for
European SMEs
Practical help from local organisations
Listening to SMEs
Almost 600 partner
organisations in
54 countries

52. Enterprise Europe Network
One-stop shop for European SMEs
Since its launch, the Network has:
• Helped 7 000 companies to sign business, technology or
research partnerships
• Brought 90,000 companies to international brokerage
events and company missions
• Answered 375,000 questions on EU issues
• Attracted more than 1 million people to events

53. I need a business partner in
another country…
How do I get
European funding?
What does this EU law
mean for my business?
How do I find a new
market abroad?
How can I sell my innovative
ideas and technology?

54. Events
• Gamesmatch@gamescom
o Κολωνία, 13-15 Αυγούστου 2014
• ICT Proposers day
o Φλωρεντία, 9-10 Οκτωβρίου 2014
• Horizon 2020 Brokerage
o Ντύσσελντορφ, 30-31 Οκτωβρίου 2014

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Innovation management
Διαδικτυακή
αυτοαξιολόγηση
Benchmarking
Report
Συμβουλευτική
προσέγγιση
Συνεχής
βελτίωση

56. http://www.enterprise-hellas.gr
Enterprise Europe Network - Hellas

58. EKT: National Documentation Centre
Access to content
http://www.epset.gr
PhD Theses
http://www.didaktorika.gr
Metrics (www.ekt.gr/metrics):
-R+D Indicators
National Contact Point
-Horizon 2020
-COSME

60. agiovlasitis@ekt.gr
@hercagio