Grants for European SMEs, Start-ups and Mid-cap Companies

Through different funding schemes and support services, the project helps SMEs identify partners and initiate projects to make processes and production more sustainable and flexible through green engineering and digitalisation, but also opening alternative markets.

SMEs in the Mobility, Transport, Automotive ecosystem include companies from the vehicle production, from manufacturing, and from the digital sector. Vehicle production includes passenger cars, vans, HGV, buses, shuttles, tractors, construction machines, but also trams, trains, or forklifts. Cooperations can be found with manufacturing and digital SMEs.

RESIST, short for “REsilience through Sustainable processes and production for the European automotive InduSTry”, is an initiative co-financed by the Single Market Programme (SMP COSME), through the “Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery” call of the European Commission.

Objectives

• The objective of this call is to support internationalisation actions undertaken by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and very-small businesses (VSBs) from EU Member States and SMP (Single Market Programme) countries. Therefore, RESIST provides financial support to SMEs, start-ups and VSB through international travel FSTP.

Funding Information

• The total amount of financial support for approximately 15 SMEs, start-ups and VSB in this call is up to 30,000 EUR.

Eligible Funding

• Successful proposals shall receive the requested financial contribution based on the real costs of the action, with a limit of 2,000 € per travel.
• Eligible costs:
  • Conference fees
  • Transportation costs (airplanes, trains, buses, etc.)
  • Fees for attending a training, matchmaking or other events related to the above and the spirit of the call
  • Accommodation and subsistence costs
• All eligible costs shall meet the following criteria:
  • Be actually incurred by the participant (no estimated/imputed/budgeted costs)
  • Be incurred during the open call period
  • Be identifiable, verifiable and recorded in the beneficiary’s accounts in accordance with the applicable accounting standards and usual cost accounting practices
  • Comply with the applicable national laws on taxes, and be reasonable and justified and comply with the principle of sound financial management (in particular regarding economy and efficiency)

Eligible Activities

• RESIST will provide financial support to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and very-small businesses (VSBs) for internationalisation acceleration activities. Applicants can apply to be funded under the international travel FSTP call. Applications can be submitted for one of the following internationalisation actions.
• Eligible activities for International Travel FSTP:
  • Attend conferences in a target market
  • Attend trade fairs in a target market
  • Attend exhibitions in a target market
  • Attend in-person trainings or events on internationalisation
  • Participate in an in-person matchmaking events
  • Bilateral meetings with potential customers or suppliers (B2B, B2C, C2C)
• Please note that funded activities under the international travel FSTP call do not include booth fees at conferences or exhibitions. In addition, internal events organised in the framework of the RESIST Eurocluster initiative will be out of the scope of this cascade funding.
• Beneficiaries should use the international travel FSTP maximum 6 months after they obtain it.
• The activities to be supported by the open call cannot exceed 20 days.

Targeted Markets

• The international travel FSTP can be used to finance upcoming internationalisation activities organised in any third countries. Eligible applicants must be established in one of the countries associated with the Single Market Programme.
• Activities taking place in the following target countries: Mexico, the United States of America, Canada, China, North Africa (especially Morocco), and the United Kingdom will be encouraged based on previous connections of the Partners in the project. Those countries are of importance to the MTA, manufacturing, and ICT sectors. Applicants who want to use the international travel FSTP for activities taking place in those countries will be awarded 2 bonus points during the evaluation process.
• Bonus points will be awarded irrespective of the type of internationalisation activity only if applicants choose to go to one target country. However, the bonus points will only be applicable when the chosen target country aligns with the stated objectives of the applicants’ internationalisation plan.

Expected Impact

• The financed internationalisation actions should facilitate the participation in different types of events, trainings, and meetings to support the beneficiaries in the implementation of their internationalisation strategies. They should help facilitate contacts with clients, suppliers, or potential collaborators from target countries to strengthen the beneficiaries’ networks.

Who can apply?

• Company activity: This call is open to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and verysmall businesses (VSBs) from the Mobility, Transport, Automotive ecosystem. As a non-exhaustive list, these sectors embrace vehicle production, from manufacturing to digital. Vehicle production includes passenger cars, vans, HGV, buses, shuttles, tractors, construction machines, but also trams, trains, or even forklifts.
• Eligible countries: Companies established in EU Member States and SMP countries
• SMEs criteria: An SME will be considered as such if it complies with the European Commission’s Recommendation 2003/361/EC. As a summary, the criteria defining an SME are:
  • Headcount in Annual Work Unit (AWU) less than 250;
  • Annual turnover less or equal to €50 million OR annual balance sheet total less or equal to €43 million.

Eligibility Criteria

• The applicant must have the financial capacity to carry out the actions described in their proposals and to properly manage the financial support granted to them. Each applicant must be in alignment with the following situations:
  • Is no bankrupt or being wound up, is not having affairs administrated by the courts, has not entered into an arrangement with creditors, has not suspended business activities, is not the subject of proceedings concerning those matters or is not in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
  • Is in compliance with its obligation relating to the payment of social security contributions and the payment of taxes, in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which it is established;
  • Is not subject to a conflict of interest in connection with the grant.

For more information, visit ECCP.