European Commission - Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs

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Single RTDI State Aid Action "RESEARCH - CREATE - INNOVATE" (DRAFT)

Region
ELLADA
Title of measure
Full title in national language:
Ενιαία Δράση Κρατικών Ενισχύσεων ΕΤΑΚ "ΕΡΕΥΝΩ - ΔΗΜΙΟΥΡΓΩ - ΚΑΙΝΟΤΟΜΩ" (ΣΧΕΔΙΟ)
Duration:
2017 to 2020
Policy objectives Plus
2.1. R&D cooperation projects between academy and industry
4.1. Direct funding to business R&D and innovation
4.5. Knowledge transfer and cooperation between firms (incl. technology acquisition)
Presentation of the measure:

The Single RTDI State Aid Action "RESEARCH - CREATE - INNOVATE" support measure is funded by the Operational Programme Competitiveness, Entrepreneurship and Innovation 2014-2020 (EPAnEK).
The measure aims to support research and innovation, technological development and demonstration at operating enterprises for the development of new or improved products, the development of synergies among enterprises, research and development centres and higher education sector as well as to support the patentability of research results and industrial property. In that context, the main objectives of the measure are:

  • Economic development based on knowledge and sustainable specialisation;
  • Integration of new knowledge and innovation to existing and new products, services, production systems and value chains;
  • Connection of academic research with market needs and economy.
In order to achieve these objectives, resources and efforts should focus on specific sectors of economic activity and intervention fields where there is business and research excellence capacity according to the national RTDI strategy. These sectors are:
  • Information & Communication Technologies (ICT);
  • Health & Pharmaceuticals;
  • Agrifood;
  • Environment & Sustainable Development;
  • Materials - Construction;
  • Energy;
  • Tourism, Culture & Creative Industries;
  • Transport & Logistics; and
  • Other emerging technologies.
The impact of the measure will be estimated based on business expenditure on R&D (BERD) as a percentage of GDP and on patent applications.
The total public funding is €280,000,000 and will be implemented in three rounds. The regional allocation of the total public funding is presented in the following Table.
 
Table 1 - Regional allocation of public funding in €
Regions Public funding
(in €)
Less developed regions (Anatoliki Makedonia, Thraki, Kentriki Makedonia, Ipeiros, Thessalia, Dytiki Ellada) 151,200,000
Regions in transition (Dytiki Makedonia, Ionia Nisia, Peloponnisos, Voreio Aigaio, Kriti) 42,000,000
More developed region (Attiki) 72,800,000
Region in transition (Sterea Ellada) 7,000,000
More developed region (Notio Aigaio) 7,000,000
Total 280,000,000
 

The maximum duration of each project is 36 months. 
Eligible for funding are individual enterprises, group of enterprises and partnerships of enterprises with research institutions. Eligible costs include basic research and development activities, innovation promotion actions and support energies in three intervention categories:

  • Research and development by SMEs;
  • Partnerships of enterprises with research institutions; and
  • Exploitation of research results.
Keywords:
Applied business research
Knowledge transfer
Science-industry cooperation
Budget, source and type of funding
Year2017201820192020
National public funds 6867000129710002060100020601000
Regional public funds
EU Structural Funds 24633000465290007389900073899000
Private funds
Other
Form of funding provided
Grants
Policy learning
To what extent the measure can be considered as a success and worthy of policy learning?:
It is too early to judge the success of the measure (e.g results of first call for proposals still not known).
Evidence of outcomes based on evaluation and other evidence:

The measure is not published yet. 

What are the most important “Do’s and Don’ts” that regional stakeholders should be aware of when launching a similar measure?:

Stakeholders interested in launching such measures at national and regional level should ensure that regional authorities are effectively aware of the overall procedure and requirements and that they are streamlined. 
The terms of reference for participation should be clear. Public funding should be wisely allocated in regions based on their competitive advantages and needs as identified by RIS3 entrepreneurial discovery. Additionally, proposal evaluation mechanisms should ensure that funded projects are market-driven and not research-driven.
Timing and administrative burdens are also critical factors for the success of such programmes. Therefore, appraisal procedures should be short following strictly the set evaluation time schedule. Furthermore, project administration procedures should be clear and simple keeping the administrative burden as low as possible for beneficiaries.
During periods of economic crisis, enterprises, particularly SMEs, have often difficulties in issuing letters of guarantee in order to receive public funding. Therefore, the establishment of a guarantee mechanism for firms could be a catalyst. 

Would you recommend this measure as an example of regional good practice to policy-makers from other regions ?:
Yes