Call for Applications: Empowering SMEs willing to Innovate Existing Solutions

The activity will provide financial support to the selected SME (in case of a single applicant) or to the SME and the end-user (in case of small consortia). In addition, the selected applicants will receive support services provided by EIT Manufacturing during the implementation of their project and after the end of it, aiming for a successful commercialization of the results.

The solution shall fit at least one of the following topics:

• Optimising production processes and increasing resources efficiency through digital solutions
• Socially sustainable and human-centric manufacturing
• Environmentally sustainable manufacturing through circular business models and new technologies

Based on the specific context and needs of the new target market, SMEs will have to innovate their solutions, testing new ideas and approaches with some degrees of experimentation.

Budget and Funding

• The total maximum EIT funding allocated to this call is 400.000 EUR. EIT Manufacturing is expecting to fund a maximum of 4 activities.
• The maximum EIT funding per proposal is:
  • Single applicant (SME): 60.000 EUR
  • Small consortium:
    • SME: 60.000 EUR
    • End-user: 40.000 EUR
• Duration: This call is open to proposals with duration of 12 months.

Expected Outcomes & Impacts

• Proposals should demonstrate that the new solution will contribute to one or more of the following expected outcomes:
  • Enhance overall factory efficiency
  • Shift to flexible manufacturing and rapid response to changes and need for adjustment
  • Improve decision-making, prediction and anticipation of needs in energy and resource use
  • Develop effective human-machine interaction
  • Increase workplace safety and performance.
  • Facilitate the recycling, reuse and transformation of resources
  • Enable and scale a circular business model
• Proposals should set out a credible pathway to contribute to one or more of the following expected impacts:
  • Increase competitiveness of manufacturing companies in the global economy.
  • Create new value streams thanks to circular economy.
  • Reduce waste of resources and environmental burden through optimised production processes.
  • Create safer, more accessible and inclusive work environment that increase employees’ well-being.
  • Make manufacturing seen by a large part of society as an attractive, clean, safe, and high-status job.
  • Decarbonise manufacturing industries, in compliance with the Green Deal strategy.

Eligibility Criteria

• Applicants must be established in one of the following countries at the time of proposal submission:
  • the Member States of the European Union, including their outermost regions: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden.
  • The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) linked to the Member States.
  • The countries associated with Horizon Europe and the low- and middle-income countries.
• Each proposal can be submitted by:
  • A single applicant (SME)
  • Small consortium (SME + industrial end-user)
• A Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) is a category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. It consists of enterprises that employ fewer than 250 persons and have either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million, or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.

For more information, visit EIT Manufacturing.