Multilateral call for solutions for COVID-19 echo period – life without a vaccine

Call description

This call for solutions for the COVID-19 Echo Period is for organisations in the following countries (based on mutual consent between participating national funding bodies):

• Austria (Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft – FFG)
• Canada (National Research Council Industrial Research Assistance Program – NRC IRAP)
• Denmark (Innovation Fund Denmark – IFD)
• France (Bpifrance)
• The Netherlands (Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland – RVO)
• South Africa (Department of Science and Innovation, implemented by Technology Innovation Agency – DSI / TIA)
• Spain (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnologico Industrial – CDTI)
• Turkey (Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu – TÜBİTAK)

Timeframe

Opening of the call — 15 April 2020

Eureka application deadline — 15 May 2020

Eureka label and funding decision — 30 June 2020 (latest)

Signature of the Consortium Agreement — 28 July 2020 (latest)

Project start — 3 August 2020 (latest)

Project duration — up to 12 months

Project results implementation — within 6 months of project completion (with a preference for quicker launches)

Special focus

Participants are invited to submit research and innovation project proposals aiming to provide short to medium-term responses to COVID-19 specific needs.

These may include (but are not limited to):

• Infection prevention and protection
• Sanitation technology
• Diagnostics and testing
• Therapeutics, vaccines and medicines
• Disease-tracking technology, analytical solutions for health systems
• Smart technology for COVID-19 patients
• Smart technologies and support systems for critical production and supply chains under lockdown
• Safe mobility: migration data and trends, regional risk monitoring, protection of isolated and risk groups, safe use of public transports
• Education technologies and digital workplace.

Eligibility criteria

In order to apply to the present call, the partners must meet the following qualifications:

• The consortium should include at least two organisations independent of each other from at least two of the participating countries.
• Funding assistance follows each national funding body’s (NFB) funding regulations.
• The project partners must express their willingness to cooperate, on a win-win/fair basis in the development of a new product, industrial process or service.
• The product, process or service must be innovative and there must be a technological risk involved.
• The project must have a civilian purpose.
• The project should benefit all involved partners in a well-balanced consortium.
• The project should have an obvious advantage and added value resulting from the technologic cooperation between the participants (e.g. increased knowledge base, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure, etc.).
• The duration of the project may not exceed 12 months.
• Projects are expected to start by August 3 2020. Participants must discuss with their NFB about the expected start date of their activities. NFB regulations may apply.
• Product, service or process implementation or market launch should happen no later than 6 months after project completion.

Each participating NFB may apply additional eligibility criteria based on their national regulations. Applicants are strongly advised, prior to submitting the application, to contact their NFB to discuss their project idea, and verify their and their project’s eligibility.

Partners from other Eureka countries or countries outside of the Eureka network can also participate, but funding must be secured within the deadlines of the call.

Submission

Operating principles:

• Eureka applications are submitted on a continuous basis until 15 May 2020.
• NFBs will evaluate their participants’ Eureka applications and funding applications on a continuous basis until 30 June 2020 or until their budget for this call is entirely allocated to approved proposals, whichever comes first.

There are two stages to the submission and assessment process.

All partners must complete the Eureka project application form online. It must be completed online by 15 May 2020 by 17:00 Central European Summer Time (CEST). The form must be completed in English.

The project consortium is strongly advised to read the form carefully, follow the guidelines and complete all necessary elements in the form as requested. You can contact your Eureka National Project Coordinator (NPC) to get support in preparing the form.

Each Eureka application will be evaluated by the national Eureka offices of the countries involved in that application.

If required by their NFB, project participants will submit a related national funding application – taking into account all relevant national procedures and submission rules. Submission deadlines might differ between the participating NFBs. See the additional documents for this information.

The basis for the national evaluation is the general Eureka eligibility criteria, national eligibility criteria and evaluations, the Eureka application form with annexes and if required a national application form.

Successful applications are put through for a Eureka label.

Funding details

Funding will only be provided to projects that are positively evaluated by all relevant participating NFBs. Funding of project partners is subjected to budgetary availability and national funding conditions stipulated by each NFB.

A Consortium Agreement (CA) shall be signed between the project partners covering the execution of the project, the ownership and use of IPR arising from its activities, and the commercialisation of the project’s results. It shall follow the relevant laws of the countries participating in the project.

Unless otherwise specified by all NFBs in support of a given project, a signed CA is mandatory before the actual start of the project. The CA should at least include the ownership and use of know-how and IPR settlements.

The NFBs named below will provide access to public investment for the selected projects. The support will be given to each partner by its respective NFB in accordance with their national laws, rules, regulations and procedures in effect, on a non-exchange of funds or soft loan basis, and subject to budgetary availability for each NFB. For country specific funding rules and information, read the attached documents.

Austria (FFG): Flexible grants

Canada (NRC-IRAP): Non-refundable contribution to project costs of max. 600,000 dollars per project

Denmark (IFD): Grants from 50,000 to 300,000 euro per project

France (Bpifrance): Repayable advances from 50,000 to 3 million euro per project

South Africa (DSI): Grants of up to 150,000 euro per project

Spain (CDTI): Flexible mix-loan grants

Turkey (TÜBİTAK): Flexible grants

The Netherlands (RVO): Grants of up to 100,000 euro per project

NB: The budgets are indicative. You must consult your national funding body for further details.