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European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA)
  • Call for proposals
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Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery (SMP-COSME-2024-CLUSTER)

Details

Status
Open
Reference
SMP-COSME-2024-CLUSTER
Publication date
Opening date
Deadline model
Single-stage
Deadline date
5 February 2025, 17:00 (CET)

Description

Euroclusters web banner

Objectives

The Euroclusters will contribute to the implementation of the European Commission’s New Industrial Strategy for Europe, as well as its updated Strategy that was published in May 2021 and the SME Strategy for a sustainable and digital Europe adopted in March 2020, by building resilience and accelerating transition to green and digital economy. Euroclusters will also support the implementation of the Green Deal Industrial Plan for the Net-Zero Age and its initiatives (Critical Raw Materials and Net-Zero Industry Acts), and the European Economic Security Strategy to ensure the security of the EU value chains.

The main objective of this call for proposals is to support innovation and adoption of new processes and advanced technologies for strategic autonomy, to build capacity in the most critical areas of the relevant ecosystem(s) and to reinforce transformation into a greener, more digital, and resilient economy.

This call is expected to contribute to the following other supporting objectives:

  • to establish networks and strategic partnerships to improve the resilience of the EU industrial ecosystems by developing and strengthening value chains in the EU Single Market;
  • to provide training to foster upskilling and reskilling of the workforce and attracting talents;
  • to go international to boost access to global supply and value chains. 

The call is divided into two strands

  • Strand 1 focuses on net-zero technologies and critical raw materials: this strand covers value chains within or across industrial ecosystems aiming at ensuring access to a secure and sustainable supply of net-zero technologies[1], including by scaling up the manufacturing capacity of net-zero technologies and safeguarding supply chain resilience or/and at starting or expanding the extraction, processing or recycling of strategic raw materials, or the production and scale-up of materials that can substitute strategic raw materials in strategic technologies[2];
  • Strand 2 covers value chains not covered in Strand 1 

[1]     Annex of Regulation (EU) 2024/1735 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 June 2024 on establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe’s net-zero technology manufacturing ecosystem and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Net-Zero Industry Act).

[2]     Strategic raw materials are listed in Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2024/1252 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 April 2024 establishing a framework for ensuring a secure and sustainable supply of critical raw materials and amending Regulations (EU) No 168/2013, (EU) 2018/858, (EU) 2018/1724 and (EU) 2019/1020 (Critical Raw Materials Act). ‘Strategic technologies’ means the key technologies instrumental for the green and digital transitions as well as for defense and aerospace applications as defined in Article 2 of the same Regulation.

Each project application must address only one of these two strands.

Eligible applicants

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:  
    • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
    • non-EU countries: listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme (list of participating countries)
  • be or represent a cluster organisation (see definition in the call documents), a Single Market Programme (SMP) cluster network, or other types of organisations supporting green and digital transitions and building EU resilience.

Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least three applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities), which complies with the following conditions: 

  • minimum three cluster organisations (as defined in the call text) or cluster networks from at least three different EU Member States; 
  • at least half of the partners in each consortium (Eurocluster) must be cluster organisations or cluster networks registered or having submitted a registration on the ECCP by the submission deadline of this call for proposals;
  • the applicant consortium must include at least one partner established in a less advanced region of an EU Member State (as defined and applied in the Cohesion policy regulation 2021-2027: GDP per capita <75%). 

Budget and project duration

Available budget: EUR 42 000 000

Number of projects to be funded: 16 (with at least 8 projects for Strand 1).

Maximum project duration: 36 months

Important for submission

When applying to the call, on top of mandatory standard Application Form Parts A & B, you must upload the following mandatory annex:

Annex 5 to Part B - Eligibility checklist

Info session

On 14 November 2024, EISMEA will host an online informative session on the call "Joint Cluster Initiatives (EUROCLUSTERS) for Europe’s recovery (SMP-COSME-2024-CLUSTER)". For more information and registration, visit the info session event page.

Contact

Questions on the call?

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EISMEA-SMP-COSME-ENQUIRIESatec [dot] europa [dot] eu