France and Spain call for projects

Timeframe

Call launch: 1 March 2021
Deadline for submission of international applications: 15 June 2021
Eligibility feedback to applicants: 25 June 2021
Final results announcement: November 2021
Eureka label (estimate): November-December 2021

Scope

Bpifrance (French Public Investment Bank) and the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology, EPE (CDTI) in Spain are announcing this call for proposals for joint R&D projects, focusing on developing innovative products and applications in all technological and market areas. Applicants are expected to develop ready for market solutions or projects that have strong market potential for France and Spain. 

Although this call invites projects in ALL thematic areas or application domains, special focus is given to the following domains:

• Transport (including automotive and aeronautics)
• Agrofood technology
• Energy
• Environment

Funding

France

ADI (Aide pour le développement de l’innovation) requirements:

• Two or more industrial partners (a foreign company and a French company).
• No country or partner representing more than 75% of the total budget of the project.
• French companies must have fewer than 2000 fulltime equivalents (FTE).
• Duration: maximum of 36 months.

• Eligible costs: Industrial research and experimental development (industrialisation and commercialisation costs are not eligible).
• Funding amount: from 50,000 euro up to 3 million euro (submitted to financial analysis of the company and financial conditions).
• Funding is given in zero interest rate loans or repayable advance reimbursable in case of technical success.

Beforehand, French companies can also request financial support to set up their partnership:

• DIAG Partenariat Technologique International: grant of up to 30,000 euro for 50% of your costs related to prospecting partners, feasibility studies, etc. Any payment is subject to a signed consortium agreement.

If selected, French companies will have to submit a funding application form to their Regional Office as well as a consortium agreement in the English language that regulates the terms of cooperation between all partners.

Spain 

CDTI will finance the industrial research and/or technological development activities of Spanish companies. Applications must be submitted within 20 working days after receiving communication of your eligibility. Universities and research centres can take part as subcontractors.

Funding conditions for Spanish partners may vary depending on the nature of the project and the beneficiaries. Read more.

A funding decision is expected within 3 months after submitting an eligible funding application.

It is mandatory that project activities do not start before submitting the funding applications to CDTI. For further information, please contact CDTI.

Applicants may request a Eureka label without public financing (e.g. self-funding is also applicable).

Eligibility criteria

Eureka has limited eligibility criteria for organisations participating in a Network projects consortium:

• Your project idea must represent international cooperation in the form of a specific project.
• The project must be directed at researching or developing an innovative product, process or service with the goal of commercialisation.
• The project must have a civilian purpose.
• Your consortium must include at least two independent legal entities from a minimum of two Eureka countries.

This call for projects has additional criteria for organisations to be eligible to receive funding: 

• The partners should include at least one French and one Spanish company. Participation of research institutes/ universities and other organisations is welcome as self-funded participants or subcontractors according to each country’s funding regulations.
• Organisations from other countries may also participate, but they will not be funded by CDTI or by Bpifrance.
• The French and Spanish partners must express their will to cooperate to the development of a new product, industrial process or service. The product, process or service must be innovative and there must be a technological risk involved.
• The project should have an obvious advantage and added value resulting from the technological cooperation between the participants from the countries (e.g. increased knowledge base, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure etc.).
• The project should demonstrate the contribution of all participants and the project must be significant to them.
• The participants are required, prior to obtain the Eureka label, to have signed a consortium agreement.

Any partner whose cooperative R&D project is consistent with these criteria can apply for this call for projects in accordance with the national laws, rules, regulations and procedures in effect.

Evaluation

Impact

• Is the market properly addressed (i.e. size, access and risks)?
• Is the value creation properly addressed (i.e. employment opportunities and environmental and societal benefits)?
• What are the competitive advantages of your project (i.e. strategic importance, enhanced capabilities and visibility)?
• Are your commercialisation plans clear and realistic (i.e. return on investment, geographical and sectoral impact)

Excellence 

• What is the degree of innovation? (i.e. is the proposed product, process or service state-of-the-art? Is there sufficient technological maturity and risk)?
• How is the new knowledge going to be used?
• Is your project scientifically and technically challenging for consortium partners?
• Is the technical achievability and risk properly addressed?

Quality and efficiency of implementation

• What is the quality of your consortium (i.e. balance of the partnership and technological, managerial and financial capabilities of each partner)?
• Is there added value through international cooperation?
• Is your project management and planning realistic and clearly defined (i.e. methodology, planning approach, milestones and deliverables)?
• Is your cost structure reasonable (i.e. costs and financial commitment for each consortium partner)?

Overall perception

Experts will list three positive and negative points to your application and finally state whether they recommend your project for public investment.

Your national funding body may carry out a further evaluation (performed by the national project coordinator and technical experts) according to national rules before allocating funds to successful applicants.

Monitoring

Applicants will be requested to provide information during the lifetime of the project at international level to make sure the project has been developed as expected. Additionally, they will have to provide information regarding the impact of the project once it has been finished.

Apply

1. Contact your national funding body using the form below to discuss your project idea, financial viability, eligibility and national procedures.
2. Create an account on our application portal (one per consortium) and select the funding opportunity you want to apply to.
3. Using the portal, complete one application form per consortium (in English) and invite other consortium partners to fill in a partner form.
4. Upload a GANTT chart (one per consortium), a signed and completed co-signature form (which you can download from the platform) and any additional required annexes. 
5. Your application will be checked for completeness and eligibility before being reviewed using a standard evaluation procedure. If successful, your project will receive a Eureka label.
6. Your national funding body may carry out a further evaluation (performed by the NPC and technical experts) according to national rules before allocating funds to successful applicants.
7. The final step is to complete and sign a consortium agreement (CA). We recommend that you seek legal advice when drafting your CA.

In addition to the Eureka application steps, all project partners are required to submit a related national funding application to their respective funding agencies, taking into account all relevant procedures and submission rules.

France

Project partners that want to receive funding from Bpifrance need to submit a national application, including a detailed project plan and budget.

We recommend that French partners contact Bpifrance before applying to get advice on the national application. The funding applied is Aide au Développement de l’Innovation, described here: https://www.bpifrance.fr/Toutes-nos-solutions/Aides-concours-et-labels/Aides-a-l-innovation-projets-individuels/Aide-pour-le-developpement-de-l-innovation 

Your national application shall be submitted through Bpifrance’s normal application portal. 

Spain

In Spain, participants will have to submit a formal R&D international project aid application through CDTI’s website including the Eureka application form (in English) and the draft consortium agreement. Additional documents in Spanish language, containing detailed information on the Spanish participants, could be requested depending on the specific type of funding requested by the company.

Downloadables