AEC EUROCLUSTER (ARCHITECTURE, ENGINEERING AND CONSTRUCTION EUROCLUSTER FOR FUTURE BUILT ENVIRONMENT) - Euroclusters projects open call offers financial support to AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) SMEs in three support schemes.  

Eligible applicants

• SME status according to EU definition (see here))
• Registered in one of the EU27 Members states or country participating in the Single Market Programme. Check the list of eligible SMP countries here.
• Activities focused on one of the prescribed technical or industrial fields
• Self-declaration: Company isn’t banned from EU funding and no support of any other EU programme was used to implement the respective activities.
• Company must be registered at least 6 months before submission deadline

Supporting shemes, activities to be supported, duration, funding available

1. Project innovation

Scope: Receive funding to develop a novel product, service, or technology until market readiness based on a proven concept that addresses a digitalisation or sustainability challenge in the built environment or related value chains. Applications must include at least 1 signed agreement with a potential future market actor interested in testing/acquiring technology/product developed.

Duration: 12 months (fixed)

Total budget for call scheme: 300.000€,

Expected number of beneficiaries: 5 SMEs

Financial support per SME: 60.000€ (lump sum)

Eligible costs: Direct staff costs, Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services)

2.Technology adoption

Scope: Receive funding to advance and integrate existing technologies or processes from other sectors (or not fully exploited so far) in your organisation and operations. Applications must include measures for change management referring to the expected impact of the adopted technology.

Duration: 6 months (fixed)

Total budget for call scheme: 660.000€,

Expected number of beneficiaries: 11 SMEs

Financial support per SME: 60.000€ (lump sum)

Eligible costs: Direct staff costs, Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services)

3.Training

Scope: Get reimbursed for training services using innovation methods (Design Thinking, Lego Serious Play, CANVAS, or similar) in order to become aware and create solutions to problems and needs in resilience and twin transition.

If selected for funding, applicants will need to propose a trainer from a predefined pool of certificated trainers or bring their own trainer suggestions.

Duration: 6 months (fixed)

Total budget for call scheme: 60.000€,

Expected number of beneficiaries: 10 SMEs

Financial support per SME: 5.000€ (lump sum)

Eligible costs: Direct staff costs, Subcontracting costs, Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods, works, and services).

Submission of proposals

All applications have to be elaborated in the English language. To submit your application, please send:

✔        The application form, duly filled in, in Word or PDF format

✔        The necessary attachments (LOI for project innovation, technology provider offer for technology adoption, for all support schemes an excerpt from commercial register)

✔        The video link (optional)

to aeceurocluster [at] sgg.si ()

Please make sure that we receive your e-mail with complete application documents between 30/04/2023 and 30/06/2023. Neither changes of application after submission nor submissions after the deadline will be considered. All timely applications will be collected and after the deadline distributed to the evaluators for review.

Evaluation of proposals

Eligible proposals will be evaluated by 2 experts in the AEC EUROCLUSTER consortium from a country different from the one of the applicant. In case your application passes eligibility check, the technical evaluation follows.

Project Innovation evaluation criteria

Impact: Overall impact of project for AEC sector, Industrial relevance of project, Quality of exploitation plans and market potential, Relevance of project to call objectives (digital and green transition & value chain resilience): 5 points max (Impact criterion has double weight = 10 points max!)

Concept: Technical feasibility, Level of innovation and technological risks, Technical capacity and expertise: 5 points max

Implementation: Organizational and management competences, Clarity of roles and completeness of tasks, Quality of work plan:5 points max

Resources: Allocation of appropriate resources to the project, Justification of proposed resources: 5 points max

Maximum total: 25 points

Technology Adoption evaluation criteria

Impact: Overall economic impact of project for company, Increase of digital maturity/technology advancement, Clear description of process changes and improvements in the company and, if relevant, market impact of the project, Relevance of project to call objectives (digital and green transition & value chain resilience): 5 points max (Impact criterion has double weightt = 10 points max!)

Concept: Company readiness to adopt the technology, Level of innovation and relevance for selected domains, Clear change management plan: 5 points max

Implementation: Organisational and management competences, Clarity of roles and completeness of tasks, Quality of work plan: 5 points max

Resources: Allocation of appropriate resources to the project, Justification of proposed resources: 5 points max

Maximum total: 25 points

Training evaluation criteria

Impact: Overall impact of training for personnel, product or process, Positive effects of training results for company or market, Relevance of project to call objectives (digital and green transition & value chain resilience): 15 points max

Concept and Implementation: Level of innovation and ambition, Broadness of involvement of staff and/or partners: 10 points max

Maximum total: 25 points

Addition: For quality assurance training is only eligible if it’s implemented by a trainer with at least 2 years of professional experience with open innovation training in a business environment using Design Thinking, Lego Serious Play, CANVAS or similar methods. You can suggest a trainer already in your application. If you are awarded for funding and don’t have a trainer in mind we will offer you access to our “pool of trainers”, which is a selection of a least 2 trainers per AEC EUROCLUSTER partner country who fulfil the requirement.

Further information

The call text, Guide for Applicants, and application forms can be downloaded at AEC EUROCLUSTER coordinator`s website https://www.sgg.si/eng-aec-eurocluster/  More information can be requested by contacting project coordinator Vladimir Gumilar at aeceurocluster [at] sgg.si (), or other AEC EUROCLUSTER project partners. Contact details are in the Guide for applicants.

Euroclusters FSTP digital economy advanced technologies