Deadline: 15-Nov-22
Are you an innovative SME with the ambition to compete in new international markets? Do you need to test the technical, commercial, legal, and socio-economic feasibility of your innovation in a new market? If yes, then EU Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Innowwide gives you insights beyond conventional market studies, selecting sales channels, and export aid.
The EU Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Innowwide is co-funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe framework programme.
A market feasibility project includes preliminary technical, market, legal and/or socioeconomic assessments intended to validate the feasibility of your international and innovative business solution (product-, process- or service-market combination) within new and emerging global value chains.
Market feasibility projects must:
- Feature product- (or process-, or service-) market development by an innovative SME from a European Union Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country with at least one local partner (e.g., a supplier, customer, end user, research provider or complementary technology developer), initially as a subcontractor for the market feasibility project. The expected outcome must have a high impact in the target country (pilot market).
- Include a variety of activities to identify and assess key local technical and market framework conditions in the target country that may favour or impede the effective deployment of your innovation.
- Market feasibility projects may:
- Be the preliminary phase of a future international R&I project with local counterparts in the target country that you intend to carry out in the short or medium term. This future cooperation project may be oriented towards the development, improvement or research of new applications for your proposed innovative solution (product, process or service), including frugal innovation.
- Market feasibility projects are not:
- unilateral or
- exclusively business trips, workshops, matchmaking events or promotional activities.
Funding Information
- Six-month project duration
- The maximum funding rate is 70% of a funding amount fixed at 60,000 euro, so your total eligible project costs must be at least 86,000 euro.
- The funding to each SME market feasibility project coordinator will be processed as follows:
- An advance payment of 70% (42,000 euro) provided at the beginning of project implementation;
- The remaining 30% (18,000 euro) transferred at the end of the market feasibility project, upon delivery and acceptance of a complete Final Report.
What they will fund?
The first Innowwide call for market feasibility projects will fund:
- At least 25 projects with partners in North or South America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. Your innovative solution must be from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and directed towards the target country.
- Up to 25 projects with partners in Africa. Your innovative solution can be either from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and directed towards an African country or from an African country and directed towards an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country (in the latter case, the company in the EU or Associated Country applies and receives the funding on behalf of the African company, and then carries out the market feasibility project in EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country for the African innovation company).
Funded Activities
- Co-creation and technology uptake preparatory work (innovation and technology transfer services)
- Frugal innovation and the preparatory phase of a future international R&I project with the local strategic subcontractor
- Analysis of the IP environment: Identification and assessment of the legal (and related technical and financial) IP environment in the target country, legal, technical (certification and alike) and commercial (royalties or duties) constraints or advantages for IP registration and defence
- Technology scouting and novelty verification: Inventory and study of legal, technical and commercial situation of existing, registered and potentially legally conflictive technologies in the target market
- Technology valuation: Technology market value calculation by experts (valuation and pricing through discounted cash flow, market comparison, benchmarking, rating and ranking, etc.)
- Technology legal situation analysis: Due diligence of the technology legal situation in the target country (legal evaluation and actions to ensure overall technology freedom to operate and legal protection in the target country)
- Technology protection and valorisation strategy design: Design, planning and preliminary implementation of measures to valorise existing technologies (licensing, venturing or partnering)
- Certification and homologation compliance verification: Compulsory regulatory technical certification, testing and benchmarking activities
- Technology partnership matchmaking
- Small-scale proof of concept (trial and assimilation, further R&I preparatory work)
- Market research (desk and field studies
- Business opportunities early survey detection (pre-conceptualisation)
- Qualitative analysis (consumer analysis: segments, preferences, patterns, motivations, opinions, attitudes, values, culture, etc.)
- Product commercial research (local customer experience oriented: concept, design, supply, use, etc.)
- Market quantitative analysis (real, potential or tendencies)
- Competition analysis (market share, positioning, value propositions, value chains, etc.)
- Analysis of potential partners for distribution and marketing
- Analysis of potential suppliers
- PESTLE (political, economic, sociological, technological, legal and environmental issues) and market barriers analysis
- Compliance verification
- Administrative and legal freedom to operate or due diligence verification
- Business related social and cultural best practices identification and implementation planning
- Business prospection trips – limited and justifiable within your market feasibility project
- Trade fairs, conferences, info days or networking and matchmaking events
- Joint workshops or meetings with potential partners
- Workshops with partners to prepare international R&I projects
Geographical Coverage
- The first EU Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Innowwide call is global, with a reserved number of market feasibility projects with partners in African countries.
- Market feasibility projects must:
- be submitted by an SME from an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and
- include an independent partner entity (main subcontractor for the market feasibility project), legally established in a target country.
Eligibility Criteria
- Innovative SMEs, including young companies and startups from any sector:
- Established in an EU Member State or a Horizon Europe Associated Country
- Looking to compete and start business in new and emerging markets around the world
- Engaged in an economic activity (selling products or providing services on the market at a given price)
- Meeting eligibility, financial viability and ethical criteria
- Self-employed, partnerships and associations or any other entity different from the above mentioned will not be eligible for EU Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Innowwide funding.
- Only one proposal per applicant SME per call is allowed.
- To be eligible, your application must include market and technical activities and can include (but not exclusively) business development and promotion activities.
Conditions for Applying
- You are an SME in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country with a partner based in a country in North or South America, Asia-Pacific or the Middle East. OR
- You are an SME in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country with a partner based in an African country. OR
- You are an SME in an EU Member State or Horizon Europe Associated Country and you are submitting an application on behalf of an African company that you provide services to.
For more information, visit https://www.eurekanetwork.org/open-calls/innowwide-2022-call-01
