Community

The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic (TA CR) is the key research funding organization (RFO) of applied research, development and innovation in the Czech Republic. TA CR is the coordinator of the GO – SME project, it leads WP1,  task dedicated to the sustainability of the project (T2.4) and WP4 covering the ethics requirements of the project. 

TA CR's main goal is to enlarge the scope of funding and activities for SMEs and to learn how to better tailor TA CR's services for them.

TA CR is a national public authority established by the Act on the Support of Research and Development (Act. No. 130/2002 coll.) in 2009. 

The main tasks of TA CR are

• preparation, management and administration of programmes of applied research, experimental development and innovation,

• evaluation and selection of project proposals,

• administration of financial support for applied research from national budget,

• control of project implementation through mentoring, monitoring and audits,

• evaluation of the successful fulfilment of programme objectives, and control of their results,

• support through advice (legal, financial and IPR (Intellectual Property Rights)),

• cooperation support between research organisations and private sector,

• negotiations with institutions within the Czech Republic and the European Union to ensure fair terms of public support for applied research and innovation, 

• cooperation with similar foreign counterpart institutions. 

Among TA CR partners and stakeholders relevant for the programmes preparation are the ministries and their governmental departments, national public authorities, professional associations and chambers and many more. Among project beneficiaries are research organizations, universities, SMEsuniversities SMEs and other legal entities (NGOs, municipalities, etc.).

Even though TA CR is a relatively new agency with 11 years of experience with R&D funding, the Agency has been trying to play an active role on the international scene. It is part of TAFTIE – European Association of leading national innovation agencies and it has chaired TAFTIE in 2017. TA CR has been involved in more than 12 Horizon 2020 projects. TA CR is also part of  CSA and ERA-NET Cofund projects proposals. 

Startup Europe Regions Network (SERN) was created under the EC Initiative Digital Agenda with the objective of strengthening the European business environment, via developing a bottom-up “movement” in Europe.

Since 2015, SERN has been committed to supporting startups and the development and implementation of regional policies. It focuses on fostering startup growth and entrepreneurship in Europe. It does so with a specific purpose: to reinforce the links between regional authorities, development agencies, universities and associations who build and scale up startup ecosystems. SERN activities focus on mapping and promoting support activities to start-ups, and mobilizing regional efforts to address relevant barriers to start-ups’ growth. It has an extensive network of actors, including innovation agencies and tech parks.

SERN Goals

• Promotion of support activities, and joint learning, across Europe to Start-ups and Entrepreneurship;

• Collection of best practices across Europe, highlighting the best regional practices;

• Mobilization of regional resources to address relevant barriers to startups’ growth.

Research, innovation and education – the DLR, Project Management Agency has been providing an array of services to assist key decision-makers from government, science, industry and education for over 40 years. Our approx.1000 employees develop practical strategies, manage funding programmes and projects, assist in dialogue processes and support knowledge transfer and utilisation on behalf of our clients. As part of DLR, the Project Management Agency is a key contributor to DLR’s ‘Science, Innovation and Education’ field of operations.

The department “European and International Cooperation” hosts both the EUREKA office and the International Bureau of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. We are thus well prepared to contribute both to the planning and the evaluation of novel methods to conduct close-to-market support projects at an international level.

DLR hosts the International Service Facility for the European Commission. This gives access to a wide range of stakeholders in research and innovation in countries all over the world. Furthermore, DLR is partner and coordinator in several INCO-Nets, widening possibilities for dissemination of the call(s). DLR currently coordinates ENRICH USA. At national level, DLR coordinates the network of German NCPs for H2020 and runs, among others, the NCP for the SME instrument. DLR also supports the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in implementing the German mandate in several international organisations dealing with R&I issues, namely the Strategy Forum for International Cooperation (SFIC) and the OECD.

DLR will be responsible fro task 2.3 on Communication, dissemination and exploitation activities. DLR Project Management Agency has a long track record as coordinator or participant in EU funded STI support projects. One of these task is to conceptualise and organize the measures targeted at dissemination of call information, e.g. in ERA-Nets and JPIs. The DLR staff involves scientific staff, but also professionals in communication, such as graphic design and online activities.

Invitalia is the National Agency for inward investments and economic development. It directly promotes foreign investments as well as measures aimed at boosting competitiveness across the Italian economy. Its purpose is to provide a one-stop shop for those eager to expand or set up a new business. Invitalia is configured as a SpA or joint-stock company 100% owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Invitalia plays a major role in the Italian economic scene, focusing on strategic sectors with considerable effects on development and employment. The Agency supports the funding escalator strategy, fostering the overall value of the country’s economy.

Moreover, Invitalia is the Purchasing Body and Contracting Authority for the execution of strategic actions at local level.

As of this year (2020), Invitalia is member of TAFTIE.

Invitalia pursues its mission by managing a portfolio of incentives and financial, overseeing the design and architecture of financial instruments, in cooperation with the Ministries that have financial resources at their disposal linked to specific goals. As an integration to its portfolio of financial instruments, Invitalia provides a wide array of services designed to accompany the potential beneficiaries and/or the operating enterprises through the various stages of investment projects.

Given its role and experience, Invitalia will contribute to the task of the consortium with specific regard to WP2 and WP3.

Operating at the heart of Luxembourg’s innovation system, Luxinnovation (founded in 1984) – the National Agency for Innovation and Research – focuses on stimulating the competitiveness of Luxembourg’s economy by promoting research, innovation, creativity and design. Luxinnovation acts as a facilitator for its clients, mainly companies and public research organisations, which are looking for guidance and funding opportunities to implement their innovative projects. To accomplish its mission, Luxinnovation builds on strong institutional partnerships with its board, comprising the government, represented by the relevant national ministries, and national business support organisations.

The RDI Support Department focuses on facilitating access to National and International funding streams, promoting networking and collaboration between research actors. Team members are also the National Contact Points for Horizon 2020, National Delegates to the Horizon 2020 Programme Committees, and Experts to the Shadow Programme Committees for Horizon Europe.

The Start-up Team focuses on supporting innovative start-ups, by providing them with the right tools and information about Luxembourg’s attractive business environment for innovative companies. Our tailored services include supporting start-ups with putting together a business plan, developing their go-to-market strategy during our flagship accelerator Fit 4 Start, as well as providing suitable public business grants or access to private investors for start-ups.

The LXI will share its knowledge mainly in WP 3 in improving business skills of the starts-ups and SMEs, the evaluation of feasibility studies, and how to tailor the services to the needs of the SME´s. 

ANI´s Portugal´s National Innovation Agency, is the public entity in charge of knowledge valorisation and transfer between enterprises and knowledge institutions, and is managed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education and by the Ministry of Economy. The connection between these two Ministries is at the core of ANI´s mandate to promote knowledge-based innovation through collaboration and entrepreneurship. It also cooperates with clusters, science parks, incubators, technology centers; acts as interface between business & academia; is member of EEN, and advises government in R&D&I policies.

ANI manages a set of funding programmes and coordinates the participation of the Delegates to the Horizon Europe  Committees, the  Network of  National  Contact  Points  (NCP) for pilar 2 and 3, and the national representatives of the European Technology Platforms (ETP) and Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs). The PT National Contact Points are responsible for providing Information & Support services for Horizon Europe applicants, resulting in a considerable higher success for Portuguese applications which had ANI´s support versus other Portuguese applications.

The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) is a Spanish public organization under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities whose objective is to help Spanish companies to increase their technological profile and competitiveness, either providing them direct funding (around 1000 R&D project/year plus 10 investment funds) or either supporting them to access third parties programmes (i.e. H2020).

CDTI is manned by more than 300 employees, three quarters of which is made up of engineers and graduates. Although the bulk of the infrastructure of CDTI is located in Madrid, the Centre support the Spanish companies abroad in their international technological activities through a network with premises in Japan -SBTO-, Belgium -SOST, Brazil -FINEP-, Korea, Chile, Morocco, China, India and Mexico.

CDTI has wide experience in European R&D landscape at operational level firstly as participant, as we have taken part in more than 50 projects during FP7 and H2020, including ERANETS, CSA and NCP networks, and secondly, as professional support service in our daily work as NCP, where we give support to approx. 1500 proposals/year to participate in H2020 Societal Challenges and LEIT, including both the SME instrument and the FTI. 

These two elements give us a strong knowledge-base with respect to H2020 in general and SMEs in particular and the needed elements to consider when SMEs aims to access EU funding and global markets.

In the last years, CDTI is also progressing in designing and implementing new ways to support SMEs in the strategic use of the EU programmes funds as a way to increase their competitiveness in the longer term, thanks to our increasing involvement within TAFTIE (the network of innovation agencies in Europe). In this respect, we have recent experiences at EU and national level in supporting SMEs in their strategic plan towards international innovation as well as their access to the market.

In terms of direct funding:

• CDTI delivers more than 1000 R&D projects every year, typically making use of partially non refundable loans, either using own funds or ERDF funds. This pipeline includes individual projects, and collaborative projects (either at national or international level) based on the active involvement of the Centre in Eureka, Iberoeka, bilateral or ERA-NET programmes and in Eurostars 1 and 2 as funding body.

• CDTI co-invests in several VC vehicles including a seed fund, a midcap for growth fund and several public private corporate-led thematic funds in ICT, energy, environment, industrial technologies, bio and health.

In terms of accessing third parties’ programmes:

• CDTI manages the Spanish participation in international programmes of technological cooperation such as the one from European Space Agency (ESA), the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (CERN), the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), Hispasat, Eumetsat and Spainsat, pursuing the achievement of industrial contracts with a high technological content by Spanish companies 

• CDTI acts as delegate and NCP for the H2020 Societal Challenges and Industrial Leadership programmes with the objective of maximizing the participation and success of all types of Spanish entities within these pillars of H2020.

IESE Business School (IESE) is widely recognized as one of the world's leading international business schools, continually ranking among the top positions in the most prestigious international financial publications like the Financial Times and The Economist. Top 3 in Executive Education in the world for the past four years according to the above newspaper.

IESE has a global reach through its campuses and programs. The school presently has campuses in Barcelona, Madrid and New York, along with offices in Munich (Germany) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). IESE has also been the impetus behind the creation of a network of 18 associated business schools in Asia, Africa and Latin America. More than 2,000 executives participate in IESE programs each year and the school’s alumni community includes more than 50,000 professionals from over 100 countries working around the globe. IESE is strong in several key areas involved in this proposal:

Teaching and training, besides its current teaching, IESE holds special programs targeting entrepreneurs in an international context: “Venture and Growth Academy” programs have been delivered in Spain, Denmark, Sweden, Italy, Portugal, United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Czeck Republic, Poland and Bulgary.

Networking, possessing a wide reach among alumni, non-alumni and relevant institutions in the business world that contribute to engagement, reach to small and medium sized mid-caps and dissemination.

Matchmaking for investment. IESE’s angel network is the most dynamic angel network in Spain with more than 30 million euros invested in 158 starups. IESE is an active member of European angel networks associations such as EBAN (European Business Angel Network) and BAE (Business Angel Networks) and currently holds the Presidency of the Spanish association of angel networks. For the past four years the network has been investing in more than 20 startups every year, in particular in 29 in 2016.

Support to entrepreneurs: IESE has been a pioneer in offering services to entrepreneurs and start-ups. It is particularly active in facilitating the access to finance and knowledge to alumni and non-alumni entrepreneurs through the venture capital fund FINAVES and the Business Angel Network. These last being the leading angel network in Spain with more than 16 million euros invested in 85% non-alumni related startups. IESE is an active member of European angel networks associations such as EBAN (European Business Angel Network) and BAE (Business Angel Networks) and currently holds the Presidency of the Spanish association of angel networks.