1. Procurers of innovation?
Boarding in the
Horizon 2020
SME Instrument
How to connect
Innovative SMEs &
Procurers of innovation?
Dr.Bertrand Wert
EASME – Project adviser
@bertrandwert
Horizon 2020 Space Information Days 2015 in Warsaw
Paris 28/10/2015

2. Why the SME Instrument?... …To get accros the Valley of Death…
© Charles D. Wessner PhD

3. SME Instrument - A recipe for success
It's not about writing a good proposal It's about defining a good project… …And ultimetly convincing the evaluators

4. SME Instrument target SME with innovative ideas – single company ok
Ambition to grow and have a global/EU impact
Established SMEs with high growth potential
Clear European dimension
For profit SMEs of the EU and associated countries

5. SME Instrument target
Technology readiness level 6 or above

6. SME Instrument phases

7. Phase 1 - Concept & Feasibility Assessment
The 3 Project Phases
Phase 1 - Concept & Feasibility Assessment
€ in EU funding
Feasibility study
Initial 10 page business proposal to be drafted
6 months in duration

8. Phase 2 – Innovation Project
Between €0.5M & €2.5M of EU funding
Develop project through innovation strategy
Draft a more developed 30 pages business plan
1-2 years in duration

9. Phase 3 – « Commercialisation »
No stand-alone phase!
No direct funding
Business coaching
Facilitate access to risk finance
Additional support & networking opportunities
SMEs “Business Club”

10. Themes for 2014 & 2015 High risk ICT innovation
Nanotech, or other advanced tech for manufacturing and materials
Space research and development
Diagnostics devices and biomarkers
Sustainable food production and processing
Blue growth
Low carbon energy systems
Greener and more integrated transport
Eco-innovation and sustainable supply of raw material
Urban critical infrastructure
Biotechnology-based industrial processes
Mobile e-government applications (2015 only)
SME business model innovation (2015 only)

11. Why participating? Rank among the best European SMEs
Get visibility at European & global level
Receive high-quality business coaching
Benefit from networking opportunities
Get support for follow-up financing
The SME Instrument aims to identify European growth champions and to showcase and support the excellent innovation potential of European small companies. It does not aim to substitute or compensate the lack of national or regional activities to boost innovation capacity. What we intend to stage is champions league. Don’t select any application which is not at that level.
Besides the competition among the very best European companies and the visibility this provides - and we can provide through the SME Agency and our various support networks - the impact of the SME Instrument shall come from the combination of financial support with a number of services, like leadership development (through business coaching) and various links to parallel or subsequent networking and finance possibilities.

12. First lessons learnt Unsuccessful proposals were
Too much focused on the project, not on the market opportunity
Without convicing description of the company
Without enough information on competing solutions
Not innovative enough
Without commercialisation concept (TRL too low)
Just trying ones' luck
Unsuccessful proposals were
too much project focussed, not enough business opportunity oriented
Description of company not convincing (why would this company succeed and not the competitor)
No information on competing solutions
Innovation content too low; product exists already on the market (just incremental improvement)
Just ideas, no proof of existing commercialisation concept (TRL far too low)
Just trying ones luck

13. Unsuccessful proposals were
too much project focussed, not enough business opportunity oriented
Description of company not convincing (why would this company succeed and not the competitor)
No information on competing solutions
Innovation content too low; product exists already on the market (just incremental improvement)
Just ideas, no proof of existing commercialisation concept (TRL far too low)
Just trying ones luck

14. Resubmissions 3478 (25%) unique applicants resubmitted at least once
584 got funded after resubmission (16%)
The overall success rate in SME Instrument is 8%
There is a clear learning factor and applicants resubmitting have double chances to get funding

15. SME Instrument Champions League
Map of beneficiaries available on the EASME website
The participation of Belgian companies is so far fairly limited, not more than a handful applications per phase and cut-off.
And if I break this down by region and look into Wallonia it is even less.
I wouldn't like to come forward with an analysis at this stage but could imagine that the discussion we will have now could provide some suggestions on how to change this (or not?)

16. Branding & Marketing

17. Why working together: innovative SMEs & procurers of innovation?
Work in progress…
Why working together: innovative SMEs & procurers of innovation?
1. "SME instrument" / SMEs interests to link with procurers
Finding first clients/lead customers
2. Procurers' interests to work with "SME instrument"
Being able to prepare and stimulate the market
Lock-in effect

18. Linking SME & procurement support
Work in progress…
Linking SME & procurement support
For Innovative SMEs need to
Train/prepare SMEs we invested in to bid to public tenders
For procurers of innovation need to
Know better what is available or not 3market consultation"
Stimulate the market at European level to prepare a procurement: e.g. Maires européens pour le climat
Avoide any potential lock-in effect by "dominant" suppliers
Inspiration from the US SBIR programme: procurers using grants to prepare a procurement of innovation

19. SME instrument as market stimulation at EU level
Work in progress…
SME instrument as market stimulation at EU level
Initiative des Maires européens pour le climat
Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Copenhaguen, Rome, Athens, Bucarest, Lisbon, Stockholm, Warsaw, Vienna, Lyon, Bordeaux, Sofia, Ljubljana, Geneva

20. http://ec.europa.eu/easme/sme/ More information Join us Join me
Join me
@bertrandwert
@H2020SME