VInnovate potential beneficiaries must be located in a VInnovate member region, and every VInnovate applicant will have to comply with requirements of the regional/national instrument to which the beneficiary is applying, as well as VInnovate criteria described below.
The project consortium can be eventually complemented with additional partners (“associated partners”) not funded through instruments activated in VInnovate (i.e. instruments connected under VInnovate mechanism)
Each project consortium will be composed of VInnovate beneficiaries (excl. “associated partners”) complying with the following criteria:
Potential applicants (especially SMEs) can receive support towards elaborating possible proposals in the form of activities organised by VI Pilots. All potential applicants are invited to contact one of the VI pilot leads listed on the relevant pilot webpages in order to be informed about possible activities established by the pilots:
VInnovate applicants are requested to send a filled out project fit form (1 form per consortium/project) by the 30th of September 2024 (23:59 Brussels time) at the latest to the following address: [email protected] . Results of the assessment will be provided in less than 10 working days.
Such results are indications about the alignment between the project characteristics and the VInnovate project eligibility criteria. The assessment does not evaluate the quality of the project idea. The results of the assessment should therefore by no mean be considered as a confirmation or indication of funding.
The ‘Project Fit Form’ needs to be filled out and signed by the consortium partners, and sent to the VInnovate secretariat, by the interregional project coordinator.
Such step can be facilitated upon request by the VI Participating regions listed on this page, and by the VI pilot leads.
An assessment of the project fit form is made by the VInnovate secretariat in no more than 10 working days. This assessment focuses only the VInnovate eligibility criteria and on ensuring that there is no major inadequacy identified between the partners, their activities and the targeted regional funding instruments. The assessment will not evaluate the quality and provided justifications. Only those projects for which the project fit form was assessed positively can then submit the regional proposals.
Any project fit form (dully completed and signed) will have to be submitted before 16.09.2024 (23:59 CET).
Applicants can elaborate the ‘regional proposals’ at any moment in time. However, in order to be eligible, only projects having received a positive assessment of the project fit form, can proceed with the submission of associated “regional proposals” in regional/national agencies, following the requests and procedures at regional/national level.
Regional proposals will have to be submitted by 30.10.2024 (23:59 CET). Each applicant must attach to the regional proposal, a draft consortium agreement (unsigned).
Such consortium agreement will have to be signed by all consortium partners when they receive the positive funding decision (see steps 6 and 7).
A project will be funded if all regions involved have selected the project for funding. If discrepancies in evaluation decisions occur, this will automatically impact the list of ‘projects selected at regional level’, and de-facto the list of projects selected for funding at VInnovate level.
Based on the outcomes of the consensus meeting, each regional/national agency formalises its funding confirmation, on 16th December 2024. Applicants are informed by the regional/national agencies of the results on 18th December 2024. The VInnovate Secretariat then also contacts all beneficiaries, through a communication to the entire consortium. Such dual communication enables the VInnovate secretariat to address the ‘interregional’ aspects (in particular the draft consortium agreement) and the regional agencies to request for specific information.
The consortium agreement is to be signed after the funding decision has been communicated and before applicants sign their contracts with the respective funding agencies. Matters related to funding will be handled according to the respective national/regional agencies ‘rules. The complete set of signatures on the consortium agreement is a prerequisite for funding. Projects will be monitored according to the rules of the respective country/region. Hence, technical as well as financial reporting will be required according to national/regional rules as well. Arrangements will be made during the funding negotiation process.