Are you an innovative business? Does the opportunity to develop new products and relationships with business partners across mainland Europe appeal to you?If so, EEDA's Framework 7 Support package could offer you a helping hand.
What is it?
Creating new products and services that convincingly out-perform competitors' offerings is seldom cheap or simple. And that's why smart firms are using new approaches to build business development networks.
Boasting a budget of over £50 billion, Framework Programme 7 (FP7) is the European Union's biggest initiative for funding collaborative research and development projects across Europe. Moreover, it could provide your businesses with a unique opportunity to build those pan-European supply chains while developing new products for international markets.
FP7 project proposals should be developed by a collaboration of organisations, which may include small to medium-sized enterprises, larger businesses and research institutions. Furthermore, there should be representation of at least three separate EU countries within the consortium.
Involvement in such collaborations can offer your business rich rewards including control over of a wealth of intellectual property borne out of the project, easy-access to highly knowledgeable and skilled partners, as well as the opportunity to develop and promote new products to international customers.
What support is available?
EEDA's FP7 support package can help your business access this wealth of funding in a number of different ways:
Helping you to lead and coordinate a proposal submission - by providing grants of up to 50 per cent to help you cover the costs of forming consortiums and building high-quality project proposals
Helping your business to participate in FP7 projects already being managed by other organisations - by profile matching your business' qualities and skills against the requirements of other proposal-submitting organisations
Helping your business, having already won an FP7 proposal - by providing grants of up to 50 per cent to fund the costs of training and coaching that your business requires to deliver an FP7 project. In addition, training opportunities are available to your business if you have written regional, national or European Commission research and development proposals. This will help you to understand and adhere to rigorous European Union standards.
Am I eligible?
You are able to enter if you are a research and development-focused business located in the East of England (Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk)
This grant is run by the Regional Development Agency - East of England Development Agency (EEDA).
For further information and application details please visit the EEDA website