RESIST: Training Open Call for SMEs working in Mobility, Transport and Automotive Ecosystem

This open call for Training Financial Support for Third Parties (FSTP) is part of the RESIST project.

The RESIST project aims at supporting SMEs in their adaptation to extreme crisis situations as well as to the overall challenges due to beforehand existing and ongoing transformation processes of the Mobility, Transport, Automotive ecosystem. 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.

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.

RESIST’s activities focus on the Mobility, Transport, Automotive ecosystem, a crucial ecosystem for Europe’s industry.

Objective and Scope

• The objective of this call is to support trainings services 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 Training FSTP.

MOOCs

• (Massive Open Online Courses) as a condition for obtaining funding for a training course.
• By requiring MOOCs enrolment, they are setting a standard for preparation and engagement, ensuring that all applicants are adequately prepared and fully aligned with the objectives of the RESIST project goals, ultimately contribution to the success and impact of the training programs and twin transitions of European SMEs.
• RESIST Consortium prepared 10 MOOC listed below.
  • Understanding digital transformation. Guidelines for SMEs in the MTA ecosystem
  • Infrastructure for the digital transformation
  • Data and information management
  • Digital strategy and competencies
  • Use of AI in manufacturing
  • Introduction to cybersecurity
  • Energy savings
  • Decarbonisation in the industry
  • Cybersecurity for employees
  • Circular economy fundamentals
• Completion of the MOOCs should demonstrate the participant’s motivation and readiness to engage with the applied training course. The MOOCs must be completed before the start date of the submission and the certificate is mandatory attachment for this submission. The certificate will be issued automatically by the platform upon successful completion of the MOOC.

Financial Support

• Total funding available: 15 000€
• Maximum funding per SME: 250€ online training and 750 € physical training
• Applicants have the possibility to participate in different RESIST open calls during the RESIST project. The maximum amount to be granted per SME in the framework of the RESIST project shall not exceed €60.000,00 in total even in the case of multiple granted financial support scheme types (lump sums) to the SME during the lifetime of the project.
• This refers to all the calls (and their respective cut-off dates) in case an SME applies to the subsequent calls as well. It is the responsibility of the beneficiary to check that the requested funding sums do not exceed this limit. Beneficiaries must declare in their application:
  • That they do not exceed the €60.000
  • That there is no double funding for other Euroclusters or other EU programmes.

Eligible Activities and Expected Impact

• RESIST will provide financial support to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and very-small businesses (VSBs) for training services. Applicants can apply to be funded under the Training FSTP call. Applications can be submitted for one of the following Training actions:
  • FSTP for online training
  • FSTP for physical training
  • The maximum contribution by the open call for training activities is 750 €.
• Place of the training:
  • They invite participants to partake in training sessions, whether they are held online or in person, regardless of the location. Please be aware that any costs related to travel and accommodation will not be reimbursed under this program.
• Expected impact:
  • Training activities for SME employees are the basis for the industrial green and digital transition as they contribute to raising awareness of linked benefits, opportunities, and needs. Re-upskilling the workforce is also necessary to ensure the best use of these new solutions, in product design as well as on an operational level, and to transport the objectives of the EU Green Deal, the SME Strategy for a sustainable and Digital Europe, EU Circular Economy Action Plan, and other strategies into European SMEs.

Eligibility Criteria

• Company activity
  • This call is open to European small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), start-ups and very small 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
• SME 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.

For more information, visit RESIST Eurocluster.