The Action aims to utilise research results, integrating them into national and international value chains to enable them to contribute to the competitiveness of Greece’s economy, the development of the local workforce, and the improvement of national innovation indicators.

The object of the Action is the exploitation of research results produced by Greece’s Public Research Bodies (Universities, Research Institutes) in the priority areas of the RIS3 national strategy.

Budget: €25,000,000

The Action is co-funded by the EU European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and national funds.

Eligible Bodies

• Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in collaboration with other HEIs and/or Research Institutes that are potential beneficiaries of this Invitation.
• Research Institutes as per Article 13A of Law 4310/2014, except for case B, either alone or in collaboration with HEIs and/or other Research Institutes that are potential beneficiaries of this Invitation.

Basic Participation Requirements

The requirements for Bodies to participate in this invitation, regardless of whether they participated in the previous invitations of the 2014-2020 period or not, are:

1. a) The existence of a Technology Transfer Unit/Office which, regardless of its experience, must operate based on operating Policies and Procedures approved by the Body.
2. b) The adoption by the Body of the necessary Policies that will determine the manner in which the Body manages issues related to the development of research/technology transfer. These Policies must be set out in the Body’s Rules of Procedure, whether published in the Government Gazette or approved by the competent instrument of the Body.
3. c) The participation of the Body in a ‘Network’ consisting of at least three members. Each network will be coordinated by a Body that participated either as a ‘coordinator’ or as a ‘mature body’ in the ‘Funding for the Operation of Technology Transfer Structures and Actions – Axis II’ Action, which was implemented during the 2014-2020 programming period, as these bodies have more experience in implementing Technology Transfer actions that can be shared with the other members of the Network.
4. d) The submission by the Body of an Operating Plan of the Technology Transfer Unit/Office, for the funding period since this Invitation, which will provide for the staffing and resources the Unit will need for the implementation period, the Technology Transfer actions to be implemented by the Unit/Office, and the indicators pertaining to the operation of the Unit/Office, shall be outlined as defined in the Invitation.

Funding amount

The funding amount each body will receive shall be determined based on the following:

• The size of the organisation based on the number of faculty members (for Universities) or the number of researchers (for Research Centres)
• The ongoing research (based on the number of publications per faculty member/researcher and participation in competitive European research programmes)
• The maturity of the Technology Transfer Office (based on its participation or not in Axis I or Axis II of the previous relevant invitation and the number of personnel of the Technology Transfer Unit/Office).

The Invitation of the Action will specify the detailed terms and conditions for funding.

Eligibility of Expenses

Funding for the Action will cover three key categories of activity of Technology Transfer Units/Offices, namely:

1. Technology Transfer Actions (third-party remuneration, intellectual property rights registration fees, proof-of-concept development costs etc.).
2. Organisation and Staffing of Units/Offices and potential Partnered Technology Transfer Networks (employee salaries, consulting/legal services, software/licenses, office equipment, networking costs, promotion costs etc.).
3. Information, Educational and Training Actions (third-party remuneration, accommodation expenses, training fees etc.).

Potential beneficiaries of the programme are entitled to publish Invitations for Expression of Interest for the ‘Competitiveness’ Programme “2021-2027” with the necessary publication formalities, from the date of Pre-publication of the Invitation.

The date of Pre-publication of the Invitation, 9 April 2024, is the starting date for the Act and the eligibility of expenses.

Submission and Evaluation of Applications for Funding

Interested parties must submit a Plan of Operation for the Technology Transfer Unit/Office or Network in the form of a Business Plan together with their proposal, which shall include:

• Provisions regarding the Technology Transfer activities each Body and/or Network will perform within a four-year period
• Documentation of the personnel needs of the organisational structure and the necessary funds (e.g. managers’ fees, overheads, transport fees).
• Implementation budget with four-year operating plan for each Technology Transfer Unit/Office.
• Documentation demonstrating sustainability of the Technology Transfer Unit/Office for a four-year period following conclusion of the project.

Each body will initially receive up to 85% of the approved budget. The remainder will be disbursed after an interim evaluation of the Managing Authority, based on the indicators determined in the Invitation and according to the goals as stated in the above business plan.

Applications for funding will be evaluated comparatively.

The deadline for submission of applications will be determined in a future Ministerial Decision.

Communication 

Interested parties may direct any comments and observations by e-mail to:

ttos2021-2027@gsrt.gr with the title: Support for Technology Transfer Structures in Greece-Comments and Observations.

To see the Pre-publication of the Action, click here

For more details press here