Linee Guida INNOMED-UP - Inglese
Linee Guida INNOMED-UP - Inglese
Linee Guida INNOMED-UP - Inglese
INNOMED-Up
A_A.2.2_0172
1.1. BACKGROUND
INNOMED UP - Promoting UPcycling in Circular Economy through INNOvation and education for creative
industries in MEDiterranean cities - is a project financed by the ENI CBC MED 2014-2020 Programme that
intends to propose a strategy for Mediterranean cities, where Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) SMEs
create Circular Economy (CE) clusters locally and participate at cross border innovation networks thus
promoting urban and social inclusion.
In particular, the project tackles the production of waste in Mediterranean Cities by helping them adopt
Circular Economy solutions. In order to do so, the cities need to create a resilient ecosystem that can give
rise to new cooperative networks among SMEs and other actors that can contribute to the circularity of the
urban environment. These include R&D centers, public institutions, NGOs, people, etc that can collectively
develop innovative business models that reintroduce waste as a part of the value chain.
To this end, INNOMED-UP proposes to work with the Cultural and Creative Industries to shift local urban
economies towards a circular production and consumption paradigm including optimal use of material
resources, innovation enhancement for SME, knowledge transfer among Med-cities, social inclusion and
citizens’ engagement.
By the end of the project, the information collected will help to define the INNOMED-UP model for the
Mediterranean area proposing a circular strategy for the Mediterranean, whereby cities can develop their
own CE strategies and action plans, and ideas, designs and knowledge are exchanged between countries,
and materials are recycled and upcycled at the local level in local clusters. The model will be tested at the
local level in order to incorporate each city characteristics and refined so as to promote the clustering
capacity of CCI SMEs at the local level through specific clustering roadmaps and smart tools.
To produce selected innovative products, a grant will be awarded to selected CCI SMEs. The total amount of
the Grant will be 5000 euros to produce each product. The new innovative products will be designed by
local CCI SMEs that will participate in the pilot clusters, using materials from the pilot testing of the smart
tools (Bicycle and Garbage Bin). Some CCI SMEs may propose innovative services instead of materials. They
will have to design them precisely.
2. Innovation vouchers
vouchers will give the possibility to participating CCI SMEs to develop activities at transnational cross-border
level through the project INNOMED-UP (2BEN, 2PP2, 2PP3, 6PP4, 3PP5, 15PP6). For the purposes of this
output, an innovation project is defined as one that transfers knowledge of a scientific, technological or
innovative nature that is new to the SME. The new knowledge will be used by the CCI SME to implement
operational instruments (equipment and software) in favour of CCI SMEs innovation within the concept of
circular economy.
The grants will accredit non-refundable direct financial support to CCI SMEs that seek for funding in order to
adopt circular practices in their production line through specialised , innovative equipment at
transnational cross-border level. 2 SMEs will be awarded reaching 5000 euro respectively on criteria
determined below.
Access to cross-border mentorship is crucial for the growth and innovation of SMEs in the Mediterranean
and consequently for the economic success of Med-cities. INNOMED-UP is planning to support existing CCI
SMEs or spin-offs and start-ups that will result from the project to establish cross-border mentorship
schemes. Among other goals, the mentorships will help SMEs to upgrade their innovation capacity and
attract foreign finance.
The project will offer mentorship schemes for CCI SMEs in MPC that seek for cross-border cooperation.
SMEs will be granted 5000 euros for industrial research & experimental development in high tech
systems, or other collaborative schemes with third institutions in order to integrate high-technology and
innovate on Circular Economy principles . For the SMEs selection, predetermined criteria will be described
below. (2BEN, 2PP2, 2PP3, 5PP4, 5PP5, 5PP6)
This sub-grant is meant to support the SMEs in gaining intellectual inputs like new technology,
methodology, business plan, export market research.. etc’
Size of sub-grants
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following amounts:
There will be a prefinancing of 30% upon the contract signature; 40% upon presentation of 1st pilot results;
and remaining 30% at final presentation of a sellable upcycled product.
Innovation vouchers
There will be a prefinancing of 30% upon the contract signature and the remaining 70% after the purchase
of the equipment
There will be a prefinancing of 30% upon the contract signature and the remaining 70% after the
submission of the deliverables from the mentorship.
Any installments or final balance payment should be linked to justification and expenditure verification,
reported based on the real costs incurred and paid.
The project sub-grant, will not exceed the ceiling of 200.000 euros in state-aid over a period of three fiscal years,
according to the de minimis rule set by the regulation (EC) 1407/2013.
Cluster criteria:
Innovation vouchers
SMEs owners:
o SME is located in targeted city/province
o SME owner age is above 18
SMEs Products:
Lead Applicant
(1) In order to be eligible for a grant, the Lead Applicant must:
Indicate the relevant criteria with due regard for the objectives of this call for sub-grant proposals,
complying with the principles of transparency and non-discrimination.
● be a legal person or a natural person and
● be established in Athens, Tunis, Hebron, Irbid, Prato, Palermo
● be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the
co-applicant(s), not acting as an intermediary [and]
(2) Lead applicants, co-applicants, and, in case of legal entities, persons who have powers of
representation, decision-making or control over the lead applicant, the co-applicants and the affiliated
entities are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion
according to article 52.2.vi of the ENI CBC Implementing Rules1, personal details (name, given name if
natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of
representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and
exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or
the execution of a grant contract.
In the declaration included in the sub-grant application form, the lead applicant must declare that
himself and the co-applicant(s) are not in any of these situations.
The lead applicant may act individually with co-applicant(s)
If awarded the sub-grant contract, the lead applicant will become the sub-grantee, who is the main
interlocutor of the project beneficiary / partner awarding the sub-grant. It may represent and act on
behalf of any other co- sub-grantee (if any) and coordinates the design and implementation of the
action.
[Co-applicant(s)]
Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are
eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
Co-applicants must sign the mandate in the grant application form.
1
EC Regulation 897/2014.
Definition
An action is composed of a set of activities.
Duration
The initial planned duration of an action may not exceed 5 months.
Sectors or themes
● Circular Economy
● Creative Economy
● Creation of new business models
● New collaborations in “industrial symbiosis”
● Initiatives related to Historic Centers revitalization and urban sustainability/ resilience
Location
Actions must take place in [one or more of] the following cities: Athens, Tunis, Hebron, Irbid, Prato, Palermo
Types of action
• Production of an innovative product which will include cost of human resources, and external
services ( cost of materials)
• Acquisition of specialised innovative equipment or software (Equipment and Supplies) that will help
them to adopt circular practices in their production line.
• Access to cross-border mentorship for industrial research & experimental development in high tech
systems, or other collaborative schemes with third institutions in order to integrate high-technology and
innovate on Circular Economy principles (external services). The mentorship received will be supportive
to produce innovative services, products or integrate high-tech procedures (digital tools, software) into
SMEs production. This sub-grant is meant to support the SMEs in gaining intellectual inputs like new
technology, methodology, business plan, export market research.. etc’
Types of activity
Pilot innovative products
● Purchase of new equipment or software, and operational tools to enhance the circular production
● Adopt & integrate circular practices into production line through specialised, innovative equipment
● Acquisition of new scientific, technological, and innovative knowledge which could be transnational
or cross-border
● Industrial research
● Experimental development in high tech systems
● Participation in collaborative schemes with third institutions to integrate high-technology and
innovate on Circular Economy principles .
● Marketing plan, business plan, IPR registration.
Visibility
Subgrant applicants must comply with the objectives and priorities and guarantee the visibility of the EU
financing (see the Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU External Actions).
● The lead applicant may not submit more than 2 applications under this call for subgrant proposals.
● The lead applicant may not be awarded more than 2 sub-grant under this call for subgrant proposals.
● The lead applicant may not be a co-applicant in another application at the same time.
● A co-applicant may not be the co-applicant in more than 2 applications under this call for proposals.
● A co-applicant may not be awarded more than 2 sub-grant under this call for proposals.
The sub-grant may be awarded with the form of reimbursement of a specified proportion of the eligible
costs actually incurred by the sub-grantee.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are not eligible:
2
For details on VAT and tax provisions set in Financing Agreements (FA), the potential applicants may refer to the specific national provisions.
Modalities for the submission of the subgrant applications are defined by the project partner Municipality
of Prato issuing the call.
As an example:
Applications (i.e. the application form, the budget and the declaration by the subgrant applicant) must be
submitted in a sealed envelope by registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery (a signed and
dated certificate of receipt will be given to the deliverer) to the address below:
Postal address: Ufficio Protocollo del Comune di Prato, Piazza del Pesce n. 9
Address for hand delivery: Ufficio Protocollo del Comune di Prato, Piazza del Pesce n. 9
Applications sent by any other means4 (e.g. by fax or only by e-mail) or delivered to other addresses will be
rejected.
If beneficiary/partner, prefers email submission, this could be specified as a participation method, with a
professional email, that should be used for application submissions. Applications can also be sent by
e-mail at the address: comune.prato@postacert.toscana.it
3
Natural persons who apply for a grant (if so allowed in the guidelines for applicants) do not have to provide an organisation data form. In this case,
the information included in the grant application form is sufficient.
4
Applications might also be submitted through a secure e-submission system, provided that it ensures no access to any member of the staff of the
project beneficiary before the opening session of the proposals.
Scoring:
The evaluation grid is divided into Sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between
1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.
Evaluation table:
Cluster criteria:
Material used related to identified geographic focus resources (No=1, 20%=2, 40%=3, 0
60-80%=4, 100%=5)
Cluster operating and supply chain plans (No plan=1, preliminary plan = 2, plan is set but 0
without management frame = 3, plan is set with management frame but without detailes
=4, plan is comprehensive = 5)
Cluster use of smart tools, and data collection type and use (No use = 1, Partial use =3, 0
Full use = 5)
Business model:
Product outcome, market needs, marketability and business potential (No plan = 1, 0
preliminary plan without details= 2, partially detailed plan = 3, clear and full plan = 4,
outstanding and comprehensive plan = 5)
A proposal for the potential financial results, including costs and expenses and estimated 0
market size of first 3 year operations (No plan = 1, preliminary plan without details= 2,
partially detailed plan = 3, clear and full plan = 4, outstanding and comprehensive plan =
5)
Communications and market access plans (No plan = 1, preliminary plan without details= 0
2, partially detailed plan = 3, clear and full plan = 4, outstanding and comprehensive plan
= 5)
Entrepreneur criteria:
Previous experience of cluster leader or cluster team (No experience = 1, less than 1 yesr 0
= 2, 1-3 years= 3, 3-5 years =4 , more = 5)
Total 0
SMEs owners:
SMEs Products:
High quality at local level (No quality certificates or standards =1, Internal quality standard 0
or Formal quality certificate = 3, Internal quality standard and Formal quality certificate =
5)
Potential for expansion in local/regional market (No sales increase in last 2 years =1, Sales 0
increased by 1-15%=2, Sales increased by 16-30%=2, Sales increased by 31-50% =3, Sales
increased by 51-70%=4, Sales increased over 70%=5)
CCI value and aspects are considered (No CCI products=1, Some products are within CCI=3, 0
All products are within CCI = 5)
Business plan:
A proposal for the potential financial results, including costs and expenses and estimated 0
market size of first 3 year operations (No plan = 1, preliminary plan without details= 2,
partially detailed plan = 3, clear and full plan = 4, outstanding and comprehensive plan = 5)
Procurement plan: inputs list, estimated costs, initial prices offers, potential suppliers (No 0
procurement plan = 1, Procurement plan is poor or above budget = 2, Procurement plan is
clear and within budget=5)
Total 0
Collaborative scheme
Clear value of collaboration for SMEs in innovation and high-tech in CE principals (Final 0
output is not related to CE or CCI sectors=1, Final output is partially related to CE and CCI
sectors = 3, Final output is highly related to CE and CCI sectors =5)
Measurable final research goals (No clear final deliverable = 1, Clear final deliverable but 0
hard to be measured =3, Clear final deliverable and can be measured = 5)
Intervention cost is within grant budget (No and SME can't cover additional cost =1, No 0
and SME can cover additional cost =3, Yes= 5)
Collaboration can be finalized within project timeline (No= Killing factor, Yes= 5) 0
Total 0
After the evaluation, a table will be drawn up listing the applications ranked according to their score. The
highest scoring applications will be provisionally selected until the available budget for this call for proposals
is reached. In addition, a reserve list will be drawn up following the same criteria. This list will be used if
more funds become available during the validity period of the reserve list.
It will by default only be performed for the applications that have been provisionally selected according to
their score and within the available budget for this call for proposals.
Any rejected application will be replaced by the next best placed application on the reserve list that falls
within the available budget for this call for proposals.
If the above mentioned supporting documents are not provided before the deadline indicated in the
request for supporting documents sent to the applicant, the application may be rejected.
Applicants that have been rejected and estimate that irregularities occurred during the selection process,
may submit a written appeal to : t.bigagli@comune.prato.it
Provisional Timeline
DATE TIME
1. Deadline for requesting any clarifications from 5 days before the 17/08/2022
the project Lead Beneficiary / partner submission deadline
2. Last date on which clarifications are issued by the 3 days before the 19/08/2022
project Lead Beneficiary / partner submission deadline