The Action aims to connect research and innovation with entrepreneurship, strengthen the competitiveness, productivity and extroversion of Greek enterprises in international markets and facilitate the transition to quality innovative entrepreneurship, increasing domestic added value.
‘Research – Innovate’ constitutes an Action of Strategic Importance under the Competitiveness Programme (NSRF 2021-2027).
The Action is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund through the Competitiveness Programme (NSRF 2021-2027) and is implemented by the Special Management and Implementation Service in the Sectors of Research and Innovation.
See the Action’s website: erevno-kainotomo.gr/espa2127
Online Submission Start Date for all interventions: Thursday 06/06/2024 at 12:00
Online Submission End Date:
- For Intervention Ι on Tuesday 30/07/2024 at 15:00
- for Intervention ΙΙ on Friday 20/09/2024 at 15:00
- for Interventions ΙΙΙ and IV the Call will remain open until the available budget per region category is exhausted with the latest being Wednesday 27/11/2024 at 15:00
Action Budget: €300,000,000
- €66,000,000 for transition regions: Attica and South Aegean.
- €234,000,000 for Less Developed Regions: North Aegean, Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, Central Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Crete, Western Macedonia, Ionian Islands, Central Greece, Peloponnese.
Maximum budget for Funding Applications per Intervention:
- Intervention I: Research and Development by enterprises: €800,000
- Intervention II: Partnerships between enterprises and research organisations: €2,000,000
- Intervention III: Utilisation of research results: €2,000,000
- Intervention IV: Seal of Excellence for enterprises: to the limit of the approved implementation budget by Horizon Europe
The requested budget of an enterprise – a potential beneficiary in a funding application cannot exceed three fifths (60%) of the highest turnover achieved in one of the three (or less if the enterprise does have three) accounting periods of the year preceding the submission of the funding application.
The above limit excludes funding applications for Intervention IV: Seal of Excellence for enterprises.
Beneficiaries
- a) Enterprises and Other entities treated as enterprises.
- b) Research organisations and Other entities treated as research organisations.
In order to participate in the Action, enterprises must have at least one (1) full (annual) accounting year (Intervention IV enterprises are excluded from this term), have been legally established and their operation must be based in Greece or in another EU Member State, either as legal persons (e.g. SA, LLC, GP, LP, private company, coop) or as individual enterprises.
Problematic enterprises and enterprises for which an EU recovery of aid decision is pending are excluded.
Every stand-alone enterprise (at TRN [tax registration number] level) may cumulatively participate as a potential beneficiary in up to five (5) funding applications in Interventions I, II and III, throughout the duration of the Action.
Enterprises must contribute at least 30% towards the project budget.
In order to participates in the Action, every research organisation participates as a single entity, i.e. at TRN level and is represented by the ELKE [Special Account for Research Grants], for entities that have an ELKE. In the event that different School Departments of the same HEI (universities) or different institutes of the same research center or different sectors of the same HEI or different laboratories of the same HEI or Institute participate in a project as a research organisation-partner, the relevant university or research organisation with a single budget calculated at the research organisation level and with a place of implementation is declared to iSAMIS
There is no limit to the number of proposals that a research organisation can participate in.
It is noted that the Action beneficiaries should have registered in the Register of Real Beneficiaries of Article 20, Law 4557/2018 (Series I, 139), as in force, prior to the funding application submission date, provided they are required to be registered in the Register.
Interventions
Funding applications that will be subsidised as part of the Action may be submitted either by individual small and medium-sized enterprises, or by groups of enterprises, or by partnerships between enterprises and research organisations and should relate to research and innovation projects, fall under one of the four (4) interventions and concern the 8 areas of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2027 (NSSS).
- Research and Development by enterprises
Intervention I addresses existing enterprises that have at least one (1) full (annual) accounting year. Potential beneficiaries are either a small and medium-sized enterprise (individual SMEs), or groups of enterprises, in which there is at least one SMEs. In addition, one (or more) entity(ies) that are treated as enterprises and fall under Other entities may participate in the group of enterprises.
- Partnerships between enterprises and research organisations
Intervention II concerns partnerships of existing enterprises – which have at least one (1) full (annual) accounting year – with research organisations with enterprises as the main recipients. In the context of the intervention, the partnership shall comprise at least one small-medium-sized enterprise and at least one research organisation. Furthermore, the partnership may be participated by one (or more) entity(ies) that belong to Other entities and are treated as research organisations or as enterprises.
In particular, in the context of the intervention:
In partnerships of two or three or four partners-entities, one needs to be an SME.
In partnerships of more than four partners – entities, two need to be enterprises and at least one should be an SME.
III. Utilisation of research results
Potential beneficiaries of Intervention III are existing individual small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have at least one (1) full (annual) accounting year.
- Seal of Excellence for enterprises
Potential beneficiaries are Greek, small and medium-sized enterprises that received the Seal of Excellence for research and development projects under the EU ‘Horizon Europe’ Programme, but did not receive funding due to the exhaustion of the available budget.
Eligible Expenses
Eligible expenses for the Action are the costs referred to in Article 25 paragraph 3 of Reg. (EU) no. 651/2014, as in force, for research and development projects, they concern
a specific category of research and development and include:
- a) Direct costs for personnel costs
- b) A uniform rate of 40% of eligible direct personnel costs shall be used to cover the remaining costs of the project.
The costs for intervention IV – Seal of Excellence for enterprises are determined in accordance with ‘Horizon Europe’ programme which are accordingly adjusted to the above eligible cost categories
The cost eligibility starting date shall be the date of submission of the funding application.
The maximum duration for the completion of the physical and economic object of the research project cannot exceed thirty-six (36) months from the date of notification of the evaluation results’ decision of approval, with the ability to extend this period by a period that is equal to one third of the initial duration. The duration of the Intervention IV proposals shall be equal to that of the ‘Horizon Europe’ programme.
Application submission procedure
The funding application must be submitted online via the Integrated State Aid Management Information System
Applications that are not submitted online shall be not receive aid. No applications may be submitted after the expiry of the deadline for electronic submission of Applications for Funding.
