How to fund your SME project? EU funding Information session organised by Europe Direct Central Region

GRTU Executive Elaine Zammit has attended an EU funding information session organised by Europe Direct Central region, one of the three Europe Direct Information Centres situated in Malta and Gozo. This event focused on various funding schemes that would assist in financing SME projects.

The funding programmes presented during the information session which targeted SMEs are listed below:

Interreg Med 2014-2020 programme

This programme will mainly focus on alliances that will create exchanges, increase communication and share knowledge and experiences between the projects.

This scheme centres on the development of a new and innovative public intervention to reach three successive phases which are:

• A phase of study and development of strategies and policies;
• A phase of testing, to validate the hypothesis developed;
• A phase of transferability and capitalisation of results at the transnational level.

The funding programme will have three different modules which are defined by:

• Module 1: Studying
• Module 2: Testing
• Module 3: Capitalising

A project can be composed by one or several modules depending on its strategy and main objectives, expected results, competences and experience of the partnership.

The projects must also fall under three priority axis. These include:

Priority Axis 1: Promoting Mediterranean innovation capacities to develop smart and sustainable growth.

Specific Objective 1

• To increase transnational activity of innovative clusters and network of key sectors of the MED area;
• Total amount for this call in S.O.1 is €24.3 M (ERDF).

Priority Axis 2: Fostering low-carbon strategies and energy efficiency in specific MED territories: cities, islands and remote areas.

Specific objective 2.1:

• To raise capacity for better management of energy in public buildings at transnational level.
• Total amount for this call (ERDF) €8.6M.

Specific objective 2.2:

• To increase the share of renewable local energy sources in energy mix strategies and plans in specific MED territories (islands and rural areas).
• Total amount for this call (ERDF) €8.6M

Specific objective 2.3:

• Increase capacity to use existing low carbon transport systems and multimodal connections among them.
• Total amount for this call (ERDF) €9.8M

Priority Axis 3:Protecting and promoting Mediterranean natural and cultural resources.

Specific objective 3.1:

• To enhance the development of a sustainable and responsible coastal and maritime tourism in the MED area.
• Total amount for this call is (ERDF) €13.7M

Specific objective 3.2:

• To obtain biodiversity and natural ecosystems through strengthening the management and networking of protected areas.
• Total amount for this call is (ERDF) €11.45M

The first call will be open on 17^thJune 2015 and the call envisaged to remain open for 4 months.

ENPI CBC MED Programme 2014-2020

This transnational cooperation programme aims to foster a fair, equitable and sustainable economic development; improve social and territorial development for cross-border integration; Valorise participating countries’ territories and value.

The overall objective of the programme is to:

• Promote economic and social development;                    
• Address common challenges in environment.

Thematic objective 1: Business and SMEs development

The main aim is to create economic opportunities and jobs to reduce high rates of unemployment through the following priorities:

• Supporting innovative start-ups;
• Euro-Mediterranean value chains;
• Diversification of sustainable tourism.

Thematic objective 2: Support to education, research, technological development and innovation

Innovation is essential for the competitiveness and productivity of Mediterranean economies and is to be enhanced via the following priorities:

• Technological transfer and commercialisation and research results;
• Supporting SMEs in accessing research and innovation through clustering.

Thematic objective 3: Promotion of social inclusion and fight against poverty

This priority will address:

• Providing young people with marketable skills;
• Supporting social and solidarity economic actors.

Thematic objective 4: Environment protection, climate change adaptation and mitigation

This theme seeks to achieve a more sustainable Mediterranean region by enhancing efficiency in waste, water and energy management, together with the conservation of coastal areas through these priorities:

• Efficient water and waste management;
• Renewable energy and energy efficiency
• Integrated Coastal Zone management.

Through this programme you will be able to partner up with not only entities from EU Member states but also from other countries such as:

First calls for project proposals will be launched in the early months of 2016.

Italia-Malta programme

The aim of this programme is geared towards strengthening cooperation between Malta and Sicily. The programme contains four priority axis:

Priority Axis 1:

• Strengthening the development of Research & Innovation with 30% of the programme budget amounting to circa €13M.

Priority Axis 2:

• Facilitating the creation of new businesses and SMEs;
• Facilitating the mobility of labour and the creation of new jobs.

Priority Axis 3:

• Protecting natural heritage, more specifically protecting the marine and terrestrial biodiversity;
• Developing technological systems aimed at mitigating anthropological and natural risks with a particular reference to marine disasters.

Priority Axis 4:

• Providing technical assistance for the management of the programme (these funds are available primarily for the Managing Authority and the FPD).