Companies Should Not Write off Applying for Euro Funding
Whenever I mention applying for European Funding to clients they tend to smile and shift uncomfortably on their seats. The general perception is that is has nothing to do with them and if it was, the work involved would not warrant the potential benefits.
Yet, when we consider that 70% of national legislation comes from the European Union, showing the EU is very much part of our every day lives, should we not at least investigate benefiting from the millions of Euros currently available to apply for, especially as the UK funding avenues are narrowing every day?
I attended an European Funding seminar this week in Birmingham and the majority of delegates were from West Midlands Universities or Research organisations yet the message was that they should be reaching out to small and medium sized enterprises, so much so that a minimum application percentage from SMEs has been set at 15%.
So I thought a quick few lines of advice on how to proceed might help:
1. If you work in fields where research is a necessity, you should be considering applying for European FP7 Funding which is one of the biggest research programmes in the world.
2. If you want to get involved in post research programmes because your idea is nearly finalised but you could benefit from input from other organisations, you should be considering the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme where the "in-word" at the moment is RESOURCE EFFICIENCY
3. If you want to get involved in such schemes but don't have the time then maybe now is the time to consider taking on a part time person or a student from local Universities/Colleges to devote their time to it !!!
4. These schemes are not for companies who want to move fast but it is for companies who have good ideas and feel they can contribute to a "bigger picture".
5. The really good news is that there is up to 75% funding, you can use your own time for match funding and they are desperate to support SMEs.
6. Still interested but also think it's too much work? You don't have to lead on a project, you can join as a partner organisation as there has to be a minimum of three companies from three separate countries with typical projects being run by around seven companies.
7. Is there help available? Knowledge Transfer Networks have been established by the Technology Strategy Board to stimulate Innovation - they can help and they show partner requests on their website. Beta Technology is one of the official National Contact Points for European Funding and they will help you with your applications. EU Connects is a West Midlands organisation set up to hellp companies from the West Midlands to apply for European Funding. The BIC can help you too.
8. Contact details for all these organisations can be found on our website in the "Business Support Guide" under Business Support - just log on as a Member to access them.
9. Need some guidance? Send me an e-mail at sandra.butterworth@thebic.co.uk
10. Still unsure? Give me a ring on 0845 8458020.
