The SME Instrument in Horizon 2020 Dr Greg

The 'SME Instrument' in Horizon 2020 Dr Greg Ambroziewicz Deputy Head of Unit , Executive Agency for SMEs (EASME)

Investor/funding landscape for SMEs seed/start-up 2 nd big round follow-on Phase 1 -10 M€ 0. 1 -1 M€ 5 -20 M€ private equity 20+ M€ growth/sales SME instrument cash flow R&D funding „death valley“

Who are we looking for? ü SMEs § single companies (consortium possible) § Established in EU or 'associated countries' ü Disruptive, innovative idea at demonstration stage ü Clear ambition to grow at EU/global level ü Knowledge of the market and of competitors ü Convincing commercialisation plan ("close to market")

SME Instrument Phase 1 Feasibility study + Initial business plan = € 50. 000 + 3 days coaching ca. 6 months

SME Instrument Phase 2 Innovation actions + more developed business plan = € 0. 5 -2. 5 Mio. + 12 days coaching 12 -24 months

SME Instrument Phase 3 § EU Quality label § Facilitate access to risk finance § Networking with Financiers/clients § Link to public procurement § Training, fairtrades, … Parallel to Phase 1&2, no direct financial support

How do we select? --- Our Objective: Stringent and fast! ü Remote Evaluation process ü Min. 4 experts from business development, finance/investor, technology (88% from private sector) ü Short, standardised feedback ü Only one application per company allowed for all phases!

Evaluation criteria Three criteria: 1. Possible economic impact 2. Excellence in innovation 3. Implementation incl. Sub-contracting in Phase 2 Phase 1 threshold: 13/15, Phase 2 threshold: 12/15 Ø Current success rate: 6 -9%!

Evaluation: IMPACT Convince evaluators that your project will make money and create jobs • • • Market (will to pay) - targeted users Market conditions – competition – Market share Commercialisation plan EU/global dimension Knowledge protection Jobs created in Europe

Evaluation: EXCELLENCE Convince evaluators that your innovation is excellent • • • Innovative product/process/service Viable & Disruptive technology Added value Better than existing solutions Commercial potential Understanding of risks and opportunities

Evaluation: IMPLEMENTATION Convince evaluators that you will make it • • • Credibility of the work plan Right Resources internally Right Partners and stakeholders Team organisation Realistic time frame

Hints and tips When applying: • Look carefully at the programme target • Make sure your proposal is balanced and covers all aspects of each evaluation criteria • Write to convince evaluators to invest Try a 3 minute pitch • Put concrete realistic figures Show market size, market share, sales price, Show 3 years projections of sales volumes, turnover, jobs created • Invest in a caching title and a good abstract

Lessons learnt Unsuccessful proposals were: Ø Too much project-oriented, not enough focus on business opportunity Ø Company profile missing Ø competitive solutions not mentioned (Market situation) Ø not really new to the market, not disruptive (no “game changer") Ø Commercialisation concept missing; TRL to low, no innovation

Prepare the Grant Agreement ü Time to Grant: 3 -6 months! ü No negociation! (incl. Subcontracting) ü The Process is… …a fully electronic and standardised process ü Self-assessment of SME status ü for-profit SMEs established in the EU or associated countries

Once you have signed… …make your work visible! ü Proudly display EU support (no flag= no money!) ü Share your stories with us ü Connect with us on social media ü Come to our events Our communication toolkit for you: https: //ec. europa. eu/easme/en/communication-toolkit

You report we pay!

Polish SMEs in SMEIs

SMEI phase 1 – 2879 beneficiaries 62 from PL i. e. 2, 1 %

SMEI phase 2 – 1038 beneficiaries 8 from PL i. e. 0, 77 %

SMEI phase 2 – 1038 beneficiaries 8 from PL i. e. 0, 77 %

Polish SMEs in SMEIs

Next deadlines Continuos application process with 4 cut-offs per year 2018 for both phases Phase 1 § 08 Feb 2018 § 03 May 2018 § 05 Sep 2018 § 07 Nov 2018 Phase 2 § 10 JAN 2018 § 14 March 2018 § 23 May 2018 § 10 Oct 2018

And if you fail…. . . improve and apply again!

Thank you very much for your attention! @H 2020 SME http: //ec. europa. eu/easme/ Showcases of companies supported by the SME Instrument: http: //ec. europa. eu/easme/en/sme-instrument/showcase