Open Call: EIT RIS Straight to Market (S2M) Programme

Deadline: 19 September 2024

The European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) is inviting applications for the RIS Straight to Market programme to support small and medium-sized companies (SMEs), start-ups and scale-ups to bring to market new food products in the process of development or being highly improved at a nutritional/sustainable level.

The strong market-oriented aim of this call will be combined with the engagement with consumers, through co-creation workshops in which their needs and expectations will be heard, and feedback on product is given to validate the added value in terms of nutritional improvement for consumers.

Mission

Healthier Lives Through Food
- Increasing the availability of food products with improved nutritional profile to consumers.
- Increasing the availability of food products with reduced levels of salt, sugar, or trans and saturated fats to consumers.
- More consumers using innovative products or services that help to change or personalise their diet in line with relevant national dietary guidelines.
Net Zero Food System
- Reduction of CO2 in the food system (measured in tonnes).
- Reduction of other significant environmental impacts in the food system (usually measured in CO2 equivalent tonnes).
- An increase in the number of products on the market that use food waste or side-streams.
- An increase in the use of food waste or side-streams in food production.
- An increase in products on the market that use alternative or new ingredients and improve environmental impact outcomes.
Fully transparent, fair, and resilient food supply
- Reduction in the estimated cost (€) burden attached to food insecurity and food safety issues.
- Adoption of packaging and/or technology improving transparency, traceability or security across the food system.

Programme Goals

They seek innovative food products that are new or highly improved at a nutritional/sustainable level, including improvements in ingredients, packaging, nutritional profiles, labelling, and innovative features (with exception of changes in branding or packaging visuals), to support their successful reach to market. The product should align with EU policy priorities and EIT Food’s impact framework, focusing on reducing obesity, NCDs, promoting alternative food sources, minimizing food waste, and enhancing environmental sustainability and personalizing or changing diet in line with relevant Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for Europe.
The objective is to test and launch in the market at least 1 new food product per company, in alignment with EIT Food’s Impact Framework regarding new food products:
- Reduction in relative risk of obesity & Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) prevalence in target populations due to known dietary factors
- Products on the market derived from alternative sources
- Reduction in food waste & food loss
- Improvement in food system contribution to outcomes under EU Circular Economy Monitoring Framework and Improved environmental impact of agrifood systems

Duration

All activities of the 2024 edition of RIS Straight2Market have to be finished and delivered by December 1st 2024, with exception of product market introduction, expected to be delivered by 30th July 1st 2025 and Technical and comercial/sales report, including sales invoices, communication and dissemination report, expected to be delivered by December 1st 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

Open to startups, scale-ups, and SMEs from targeted RIS countries, including EU Member States (Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain), Horizon Europe Associated Countries (Turkey), and Outermost Regions (Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands).
Startup, scaleups and/or SMEs
Applications will be accepted from organizations having the status of legal entities in Southern European RIS countries mentioned above.
Be a SMALL sized company as defined in the EU recommendation 2003/361 (between 3 and 49 employees and less than 10 million turnover or balance sheet).
Comply with requests for documents during due diligence/validation.
Proposal Eligibility
- To eligible proposals must:
  - Be complete, in time and with all mandatory supporting documents uploaded in English:
  - Propose 1 near-to-market food product, commercially viable and with proven added-value for the consumer, with increased healthy/sustainability properties
  - Commit to deliver at least one Marketed Innovation launched on the market including documented and valid sales revenue of at least 10.000 EUR (ten thousand euros) by June 2024;
  - Contribute to the EIT Food Missions;
  - Align with one or more EIT Focus Areas.