EraSME Project
About EraSME
EraSME is a network of ministries and funding agencies in Europe which are owners or managers of national and regional funding programs for cooperative research projects between Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) and Research and Technology organisations (RTOs) across Europe. Against the background of growing competition in global markets, EraSME supports SMEs in their transnational innovation activities, helps them to acquire technological know-how, extend their networks across Europe and bridge the gap between research and innovation.
What can EraSME do for you?
Twice a year EraSME issues calls for proposals for transnational cooperative research projects between SMEs and RTOs with the objective to develop innovative products, processes or technical services. The calls follow a bottom-up approach, i.e. research topics are not pre-defined and can be decided by applicants themselves. Funding is made available through national and regional programmes according to the ERA-NET principle.
EraSME enables consortia of SMEs and RTOs (not mandatory) from at least 2 European countries to work together in transnational projects. Thus the EraSME calls for proposals are in an intermediate position between SME support at national / regional and European level.
What is an EraSME Project?
Projects can be funded if they fulfil the rules of the corresponding national/regional funding programs.
Generally EraSME Projects have to be Research and Development activities with significant technical risks to realise new or improve significantly existing products, processes or technical services. The clearly describable project outcome has to show real market opportunities.
Consortia of EraSME Projects are as small as possible and as big as necessary. They consist of at least 2 SMEs from two different participating countries/regions with complementary technical expertise which is needed to realise the project aim. Additional SMEs and RTOs who have technical skills that are needed for the projects can be funded. Partners from not participating countries or partners that can not be funded in the national/regional programs (e.g. large companies) can also participate in the project if they can finance their part on their own or manage to get funded in another way.
Every partner in the consortium has to have a distinct part in the development (no redundancy) corresponding to his technical expertise.
What is no EraSME Project?
Projects that only set up networks without a concrete technical development, the development of new standards, norms or labels, projects without technical risks, the pure transfer of existing technology to a new field of application without real technological challenges and generally projects that have no concretely describable outcome and are supposed to only produce paper (except for new machines/processes to produce paper) are not funded in EraSME.
Why work in an EraSME project?
Participation in an EraSME project allows SMEs and RTOs to develop a new state of the art, build new partnerships, benefit from know-how and resources that might not be available in their country or region and get an insight into the market in other countries. EraSME features high success rates and short time to contract as compared to other initiatives on European level. The EraSME funding agencies support applicants in finding partners for their project ideas. Due to the low threshold for transnational cooperation, EraSME can also be a starting point for other transnational activities.
Unbureaucratic Support
As familiar national and regional funding programs form the basis of support, collaboration with European partners in EraSME projects is unbureaucratic. Personal contact between applicants and funding agencies facilitates advice for proposal submission and flexible solutions to problems that might arise during a project.
Application and Evaluation
The partners in a project file one common proposal form. The proposal describes the whole transnational project, which is made up of two or more national sub-projects. At the same time the partners file national/regional applications according to the corresponding programs. The proposals are evaluated in a synchronised procedure by the involved funding agencies. After a project is approved for funding, each partner receives budget from his national/regional funding agency.
History
EraSME was initiated in 2005 as an ERA-NET.
Until 2010 it was supported by the European Commission’s 6th and 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development. Since January 2011 EraSME is a self-sustained network coordinated by the German AiF Projekt GmbH with financial means from the German Ministry of Economics and Technology.
Contact
EraSME is coordinated with financial support of the German Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) by the AiF Projekt GmbH.
For general administrative questions or suggestions contact
Mr. Felix Richter
AiF Projekt GmbH
Tschaikowskistraße 49
13156 Berlin
Germany
Tel: +49 (0)30 48163 493
f.richter@aif-projekt-gmbh.de
For questions concerning funding conditions, prospects for your project idea or general consultancy for application please contact your local funding agency.