Seal of Excellence Magda De Carli, Acting HoU RTD B5
WHY A SEAL OF EXCELLENCE?
BUILDING SYNERGIES BETWEEN EU FUNDS TO MAXIMIZE QUANTITY, QUALITY AND IMPACT OF R&I INVESTMENTS FOR JOBS AND GROWTH INNOVATION UNION COMMITMENTS LEGAL BASIS:H2020 & ESIF REGULATIONS POLITICAL MANDATE: JUNCKER TO MOEDAS & CRETU
COHESION REGULATION 2014-2020 1. Thematic concentration to maximise the impact of investments -> more developed regions have to spend a minimum of 60-80% ERDF to the first four objectives (including the R&I objective TO1) and less developed regions at least 50% 2. Ex-Ante conditionalities to ensure effective implementation ->Smart Specialisation a strategic approach to economic development through targeted support to R&I - is the Exante Conditionality for the use of the ERDF for R&D&I investments 3. All Operational Programmes contain a part on Synergies (Sect. 8) 4. Synergies friendly rules: Common Strategic Framework (point 4)
ESIF Basics: 11 Thematic objectives
SEAL OF EXCELLENCE: HOW DOES IT WORK?
Excellent proposals receive the SEAL OF EXCELLENCE certificate
The SEAL OF EXCELLENCE: Awarded to ALL qualifying SME instrument PROPOSALS XXXXXXXXXX TITLE XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXX TOPIC XXXXXXXXXXX Xx Legal name xx Xx Legal address xx Downloadable only by the SME/s from 'My area' in Participants Portal Informs Builds reputation Explains Shows Political committment Fraud-proof Accompanying letter
KEY MESSAGES TO SMEs : SMEs usually welcome the seal, BUT Expectations have to be managed: A great opportunity, but process just starting: be patient! No guarantee of 'automatic' alternative funding and/or to the funding intensity of H2020 / No to be used for DOUBLE FUNDING Search pro-actively: only you (SMEs) receive the seal and can use it. if you wish so (no obligation!) Make available to the funder ALL documents at your disposal (Full Proposal, Evaluation Summary Report,...) DIVERSIFY your search for funding, in terms of sources (public (ESIF or own resources) / private) and type (grants / financial instruments)
KEY MESSAGES TO FUNDING BODIES: (Managing Authorities, nat/reg agencies, private foundations, banks, VCs, bus.angels) SoE are excellent projects, not left-overs from Horizon 2020 (strict criteria, international panel, transparent and competitive evaluation) Great opportunity to exploit H2020 first-class evaluation system but not obligatory! Keep the process as simple as possible: no need to re-evaluate the content ESIF can be used, just foresee it in the Selection Criteria! Different support can be provided: grants/loans/guarantee/ general support 'Seal'- under-performing MSs: consider the learning curve and incentive effect! You are not alone: join the COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE!
SEAL OF EXCELLENCE CERTIFICATES: NUMBERS AND DISTRIBUTION
Total submitted Above threshold Funded as % of submitted Funded %of above threshold Above threshold not funded above threshold -not funded %above threshold Update in June 2016 Success rate Phase 1 18/06/2014 2658 317 12% 155 49% 162 51% 6% Phase 1 24/09/2014 1943 237 12% 178 75% 59 25% 9% Phase 1 17/12/2014 2362 320 14% 259 81% 61 19% 11% Phase 1 18/03/2015 1569 251 16% 149 59% 102 41% 9% Phase 1 17/06/2015 2029 342 17% 128 37% 214 63% 6% Phase 1 17/09/2015 1872 336 18% 122 36% 214 64% 7% Phase 1 25/11/2015 2055 316 15% 175 55% 141 45% 9% Phase 1 24/02/2016 1995 330 17% 174 53% 156 47% 9% Phase 1 3/05/2016 2005 320 16% 166 52% 154 48% Overall Phase 1 18.488 2.769 15% 1.506 54% 1263 46% 8% Phase 2 9/10/2014 578 132 23% 60 45% 72 55% 10% Phase 2 17/12/2014 629 180 29% 74 41% 106 59% 12% Phase 2 18/03/2015 613 230 37% 37 16% 193 84% 6% Phase 2 17/06/2015 962 357 37% 44 12% 313 88% 5% Phase 2 17/09/2015 960 373 39% 33 9% 340 91% 3% Phase 2 25/11/2015 1.090 425 39% 30 7% 395 93% 3% Phase 2 3/02/2016 553 208 38% 47 23% 161 77% 8% Phase 2 14/04/2016 969 450 46% 48 11% 402 89% 5% Phase 2 15/06/2016 1.189 582 49% 56 10% 526 90% 5% Overall Phase 2 7.543 2.937 39% 429 15% 2.508 85% 6% Total 26.031 5.706 29% 1935 34% 3.771 66% 7%
SME INSTRUMENT: HIGHLY POPULAR AND COMPETITIVE SCHEME MANY DESERVING, FEW FUNDED
Phase 2
MAPPING SOE PHASE 1 DISTRIBUT ION
MAPPING SOE PHASE 2 DISTRIBUT ION
800 700 'Seal of Excellence' proposals by Topic Until June 2016 cut-off 680 600 500 400 300 200 100 0 432 82 69 80 203 222 426 59 288 211 309 37 121 4 37 57 207 9 25 106 107 Phase 1 Phase 2
18 SoE awarded proposals to SC6 sme_12 AND inso (until September 2016 cut-off) 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 ES IT UK DE FR DK EE NL PL FI HU NO PT AT BE EL IE LU SE SI SK TR MT SMEInst-12 (Ph1+Ph2) INSO-9 (Ph1+Ph2)
THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
MEMBERSHIP: funding bodies interested in invest in SoE PURPOSE: Exchange of practices, address / solve bottlenecks TOOLS: Intranet (Sinapse)+regular meetings in Bruxelles (next 10/10) In SEPT 2016: 175 members from 25 MSs+Norway and Serbia Members: CY; DK; EE; EL; FI; HR, HU, IE, LT; LV; NL, PL; RO; SE; SI; SK AT (Carintia, Lower Austria); BE (Flander); CZ (South Moravia); DE (NRWestphalia, Berlin, Sachsen-Anhalt, NiederSachsen); ES (Aragon, Asturia, Galicia, Cantabria, Andalucia, Catalonia); FR (Centre, Alsace; Loire; Basse Normandie, Bretagne); IT (Puglia, Umbira, Piemonte, Trentino, Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Calabria, Lazio, Sicilia, Trentino); PT (Azore); UK (Scotland, Northern Ireland - Wales) + HORIZON 2020 Associated Countries (NO, RS) + PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS (IT) ; Commercial Banks Association (CBE)
Achieved, also through Community of Practice RAISED INTEREST and RECIPROCAL KNOWLEDGE by WORKING ON A CONCRETE INITIATIVE! CONCRETE ISSUES -> CONCRETE SOLUTIONS: CALL DESIGN -> Clarity and simplification (DG REGIO) INFORMATION GAP -> Aggregated data per region on request STATE AID * -> Discussion with DG COMP * NB: The funding of Seal of excellence proposals through ESIF and in compliance with State Aid Rules IS ALREADY POSSIBLE! We are trying to make it smoother
ART 25 R&D projects GBER rules for R&D projects: aid intensities Large enterprise Mediumsized Small - Fundamental research 100% 100% 100% - Industrial research -'GBER' 50-65% 60-75% 70-80% - Experimental development - 'GBER' ART 25 25-40% 35-50% 45-60%* - Feasibility studies 50% 60% 70% NB: * 1) Higher percentage applicable in case of wide dissimination or collaboration 2) Eligible cost basis larger than H2020 (no cap in threshold)
MAPPING OF SEAL OF EXCELLENCE SUPPORT SCHEMES
CURRENT 'seal'-friendly actions: Support service package/coaching for 'seal proposals' (ongoing: IE, Spain, France, Lombardy, CZ Republic, Tekes- Finland, Norway, Catalonia; planned: Asturias, Scotland) Targeted calls for 'seal proposals' Phase 1 (already available: Spain, Vinnova-Sweden, Norway, Finland, South Moravia, Lombardy; later: Asturias, Belgium, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Serbia) Calls to support Phase 2 (grant/financial instruments) (available: Italy; very soon and planned: Lombardy, Trento, Czech, Cyprus, Finland, Slovenia ) Collaboration with INVESTHorizon, EIT, PRIVATE INVESTORS up to now more than 200 SoE funded more in the pipeline RAPIDLY EXPANDING BUT LONG PROCESS (FOR PHASE)
MAPPING SOE FRIENDLY ACTIONS
THE ITALIAN CASE: FUNDING PHASE 2 PROPOSALS July 2015: National industrial association took up the task to organize first workshop on Seal Ministry of economic development joined the SoE Community of practice (October 2015 1 st CoP meeting) Alignment of NOP selection criteria to H2020 (end 2015) Design of the first Sustainable Growth Fund call (OP competitiveness); specific provision on SOE projects shared with EC (end 2015, early 2016). SGF first call issued in July 2016. SoE projects to get the maximum score (without any further technical assessment)
The Italian case funding SoE phase2 proposals THE CALL:
REACTIONS TO THE SEAL INITIATIVE
TWITTER: #Sealofexcellence
RE-VAMPED WEBSITE Divided in 4 PARTS addressed to the main players to guide them through the process with tailor-made information WHAT is the SEAL -> basic info on rationale and tools WHO RECEIVES IT -> info and tips for SMEs WHO CAN FUND IT -> info and tips for funding bodies SOON: WHERE THE MONEY ARE -> MAP WITH OPERATING SUPPORT SCHEMES
NEXT STEPS
INFORMATION and COMMUNICATION: role of SME PC SUPPORT AND PROMOTION: of 'seal-friendly' actions on web MONITORING PROGRESS: maximum feedback from MAs & SMEs SIMPLIFY STATE AID APPLICATION TO SoE PROPOSALS ONGOING IMPROVEMENT THROUGH FEEDABCK RECEIVED -> EIC DEVELOPMENT ALONG THIS LINE EXPLORE POSSIBLE EXPANDING TO OTHER ACTIONS: Widening (TEAMING, ERA CHAIR), MSC, ERC proof of concept,..
SYNERGIES and SEAL OF EXCELLENCE WEBSITE: http://ec.europa.eu/research/regions/ MORE INFO: email to: RTD-seal-of-excellence@ec.europa.eu Guide for authorities on synergies between ESIF and Horizon2020 and other EU programmes: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/ other/index.html Horizon 2020 regulations & rules for participation, http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/funding/referenc e_docs.html Evaluation procedure of the SME Instrument http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/funding/ sme_participation.html
Thank you