EUREKA NEWS

European Commission looking for advisers on SME support-component of Horizon 2020

The European Commission is in search of experts from the SME world at large to become part of its different advisory groups on Horizon 2020, the European Union's future funding programme for research and innovation of which Eurostars will be an integral part.

A dedicated group of experts is intended to promote and accompany the specific measures for SMEs under the Programme. This group will consist of experts from SMEs, SME representative bodies or associations, and other highly-qualified individuals with extensive experience with working with SMEs. Their joint expertise will cover all aspects of successful innovative SME management, including intellectual property rights, research and development, business management and technology transfer.

DG Research and Innovation with its call aims to reach especially those SME experts who have operational experience with managing innovation and translating innovation into new services, products or business processes that have proven their success on the market. Similarly, the Eurostars Programme is also constantly looking for experts with concrete market experience to assess project applications.

'EXPERTS HAVE UNITL 6 MARCH 2013 5:00PM TO REGISTER.'

The experts sought after should be particularly familiar with opportunities and barriers to innovation in SMEs, and with the structuring of innovation projects in an SME setting. In addition, they preferably have a proven track-record in working with SMEs undergoing rapid expansion brought about by high-risk innovation activity. Last but not least, they also have a sense of what makes a good business opportunity and how to capitalise on it.

The experts will start their work during spring of this year to provide advice in time for the first Horizon 2020 calls, which are expected to be launched by the end of 2013. Individuals and actors wishing to be considered for the first advisory groups have until 6 March 2013 at 5 p.m. Brussels local time to register. The call for expressions of interest will stay open for the lifetime of the Horizon 2020 programme in order to accommodate the renewal of groups at the end of each mandate.

Individuals can express their interest, acting either in a personal capacity, as representatives of collective interest groups or as representatives of organisations. Details of the criteria on which selection will be based, including the profile of experts, are set out in the call. The full text and guidance on how to register can be found through the following link: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020-experts.