Category: Public Calls

From 22 January to 6 December 2024 – applications are open for grants to protect intellectual property for small and medium-sized enterprises – under the the Small and Medium Enterprises Fund.

SME Fund, implemented at the initiative of the European Commission European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), the grant scheme is designed to help EU small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) protect their intellectual property rights (IP).

The total funding for 2024 is €20 million, available throughout the year on a first-come, first-served basis. Companies can apply for one or more vouchers at the same time or as part of subsequent applications. There are 4 vouchers available:

• Voucher 1 for the costs of the IP Scan service (testing the potential of the company’s intellectual property);
• Voucher 2. for the costs of registering a trade mark and industrial design through national, regional, European and international protection systems;
• Voucher 3. for national or regional patent application costs, state-of-the-art search services and legal representation costs for drawing up and filing a European patent application;
• Voucher 4. for the costs of registering plant variety protection at European Union level – online registration and examination costs.

Further information on the conditions for applying can be found in: Guidelines for Notifying Parties.

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In order to support applicants for successful implementation of grants from the Fund, the Intellectual Property Office of the Republic of Croatia will organize a thematic Webinar on 30 January 2024 at 10 a.m. "SME Fund 2024 - How to apply and get reimbursed". You can sign up for a webinar via the link. Participation in the webinar is free of charge.

Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds published a call Strengthening strategic innovation partnerships in the industrial transition process to channel support for R&D projects and technology infrastructure development to develop priority niches grouped into regional value chains under S3 thematic areas. The call will co-finance SPIN consortium projects implemented in priority niches and RLVs to develop innovative products and/or services. The call will encourage Croatian entrepreneurs to establish SPINs as a new form of cooperation and one of the key implementation mechanisms for the industrial transition of Croatian regions.

Subject of the call

Encouraging structural changes in regional economies through the development of new products and services in higher value-added niches, i.e. enabling entrepreneurs to diversify their businesses and develop new products within the priority niches of the Adriatic, Pannonian or Northern Croatia RLVs and encouraging them to address key social challenges of these regions.

Financial allocation

The total available grants under the Call are: 100.000.000,00 EUR.

The minimum grant amount that can be awarded to a project proposal is: 500.000,00 EUR, and the maximum amount that can be allocated to each project proposal is 3,000,000,00 EUR.

Eligible applicants

Entrepreneur – legal or natural person designated under the Consortium Agreement as the holder of the Strategic Innovation Partnership – SPIN of the Consortium, which is a micro, small, medium or large enterprise.

The eligible applicant must have its registered office or branch office in Pannonian, Adriatic or Northern Croatia, at the latest by the date of conclusion of the Agreement, by which the beneficiary acquires the right to aid.

The SPIN consortium shall include at least three undertakings, of which at least two shall be SMEs, having their registered office or branch in the territory of Adriatic, Pannonian or Northern Croatia. All entrepreneurs, members of the SPIN consortium must be from the same region. The SPIN consortium may include one or more research and knowledge dissemination organisations (R&DOs) registered in the Republic of Croatia.

Eligible activities

1. Research and development activities which must necessarily include industrial research, experimental development activities and a feasibility study
2. Investment activities in testing and experimentation infrastructure

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More information is available here.

EmpoWomen launches its first public call for women entrepreneurs deep tech startups in EU countries that are currently under-represented.

EmpoWOMEN a Collaborative Initiative Sploro in partnership with Tech Ukraine, Startup Wise Guys i Business Angels Europe. It aims to overcome obstacles faced by women in the field of research and innovation in order to improve equality in deep tech entrepreneurship. Dedicated to making a significant change offers an exclusive program for the growth of women-led companies in countries that are currently less represented.

Selected companies will have access to a six-month support program and top mentors, an exclusive investment readiness program with business angels, vouchers for various events and financial support of up to €45,000 in grants

The call is open on 8 January 2024, and the application deadline ends on 8 March 2024.

Information on the application process and other details can be found in the guidelines for applicants at: https://empowomen.eu/wp-content/themes/expowomen/assets/files/guide-for-applicants.pdf.

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If you are interested in this form of support, you can apply through links.

On 2 January 2024, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development reopened Public call for registration of service providers in the Catalogue of Service Providers of the Call for Vouchers for Digitalisation.

With the Catalogue of Service Providers, the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development wishes to facilitate access to eligible service providers for entrepreneurs who will apply for the ‘Vouchers for Digitalisation’ call, thereby speeding up the process of awarding vouchers, which is why it invites entrepreneurs with the appropriate knowledge, experience and capacity to enrol in the Catalogue of Service Providers.

Applications from service providers for enrolment in the Catalogue will be received by 2 February 2024 at 11 a.m. to the e-mail address: katalog@mingor.hr.

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Follow more information here.