CircInWater Innovation lump sum
CircInWater Euroclusters project aims to accelerate the development and adoption of water-smart solutions to promote the digital, green, and resilient transitions (triple transitions) of the European industrial ecosystems. For that purpose, the CircInWater Innovation lump sum supports SMEs to develop new products, services, or methods, addressing the water challenges in two industrial ecosystems:
- Agri-food.
- Energy-intensive industries.
Individual SMEs may apply for this lump sum, but collaborative projects of 2-3 SMEs are also encouraged.
Eligible activities
- Development of a prototype.
- Validation of technologies, services, or methodologies in a relevant environment.
- Demonstrating technologies, services, or methodologies in a relevant or operational environment.
- Designing, engineering, and/or testing a pilot.
- Developing a complete and qualified system.
- Designing and/or implementing business case.
Eligibility criteria
Eligible participants:
- be an SME according to the SME definition of the EU;
- be established in one of the eligible countries (see the Guide for Applicants available in the CircInWater submission platform);
- be a member of a cluster organisation registered on the European Cluster Collaboration Platform (ECCP);
- not request for more than €60 000 within CircInWater lump sum schemes (innovation, knowledge, internationalisation).
In collaborative projects, all ‘Project Partners’ must meet all the above Eligibility criteria to submit the application and consider the proposal as eligible.
Eligible projects:
- the project duration does not exceed 12 months;
- the project is developing or implementing a water-smart solution which is between TRL 5 -9.
Funding conditions
The applicants can apply for a minimum grant of €20 000€ and a maximum of €60 000€ covering up to 100% of the eligible costs. The total budget reserved in CircInWater for the Innovation lump sum is €850 000.
The categories of eligible costs for the Innovation lump sum are direct staff, subcontracting, and purchasing costs.
SMEs can apply for the three different CircInWater lump sum schemes launched in 2023 and 2024 (Innovation (current call), Knowledge, and Internationalisation), up to a maximum of €60 000 in total.
Submission
The applications must be submitted using the Application Form in the CircInWater submission platform. Before starting the submission process, applicants should read the Guide for Applicants available on this platform.
Only those proposals fulfilling all eligibility criteria and completing all mandatory fields in the application form will be considered eligible. However, the proposal must be considered eligible to continue and finalise the submission process in the platform.
Timeline:
- Call opening: 29 March 2023
- Deadline for submission: 31 May 2023
- Publication of the evaluation results: 30 September 2023
- Projects start: December 2023
- Projects end: December 2024
Further information
- Applicants can find complete information about the Innovation lump sum in the Guide for Applicants available in the CircInWater submission platform.
- CircInWater contact: info [at] circinwater.eu (info[at]circinwater[dot]eu)
- CircInWater partnership is organising an InfoDay on 13 April 2023 from 9.30 to 10.30am (CET) to present the Innovation lump sum call and answer the questions from attendees. Registration is free but mandatory.