Partnerships for circular value chains between mainstream businesses and SMEs in social economy
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The Single Market Programme (SMP) covers the single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics. Specifically, the programme brings together aspects in order to streamline, exploit synergies and provide a better flexible, transparent, simplified and agile framework to finance activities aiming at a well-functioning sustainable internal market.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This topic implements an action mentioned in the ‘European Social Economy Action Plan’ aiming at increasing and reinforcing circularity partnerships amongst SMEs active in the social economy and mainstream (for-profit) businesses. B2B partnerships can be established along a specific value chain, within sectors such as waste stream, and across sectors. These could also involve public-private partnerships with public authorities, research institutes and be, for example, organised as clusters, circular hub or other form of partnerships.
By promoting and supporting such partnerships, this topic intends to strengthen the position of social circular enterprises (SCEs) in circular economy value chains. This can enable innovation for circular products and services in the ‘proximity and social economy’ ecosystem, improve circular processes as well as promote new business and organisational models. This action will contribute to the transition to a decarbonised economy which generates less waste.
Besides direct support to SCEs, this topic also aims to boost the development of transnational partnerships trough knowledge sharing, capacity building and joint actions through transnational collaboration. In particular, this topic will support consortia to jointly research and develop practices with a focus on boosting circular processes, services and products at local and regional level.
Detailed Call Description
In particular, its objectives aim at:
- conducting market, product and service research and innovation activities to adapt to new market and competitive realities in the field of circular activities;
- increasing the recognition of inclusive, associative, participatory and cooperative business models in the field of circular activities;
- finding access to circular value chains at the level of a given territory through partnerships among local business actors and community engagement;
- boosting consumer demand in terms of circular products and services offered by SCEs;
- testing new service approaches in the market for SCEs.
Under this topic, applicants are encouraged to focus on one or more specific sector(s) or waste streams (e.g. Waste of Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), textiles, consumer goods, food, construction materials, plastics, bio-based materials etc.) and the choice must be clearly explained in the proposal.
Applicants are invited to describe on which aspect(s)/phase(s) of the circular cycle the project will focus on and why, see graph in the call document, p. 14.
Priorities envisaged under this topic will focus on:
- Facilitate access to new markets for SCEs and fostering B2B collaboration on circularity (local, regional national and cross-border);
- Local sectoral market research helps to identify economic opportunities linked to one or more potential circular streams, value chain opportunities and challenges, competitive advantage and business partnerships in a certain geographic context (local, regional, national or European). Such research also helps to design sectoral strategies for sectoral support organisations or circular clusters hubs and other types of multiple-actor partnerships;
- SCEs improve their market position and attractiveness for collaboration, e.g. by enhancing their organisational and innovation capacity, by obtaining labels15 and certifications and identifying relevant standards for future business collaboration;
- New circular services and products to be tested and scaled by SCEs.
Optionally projects could focus on:
- support the creation of circularity hubs or clusters to promote and develop long term circular partnerships and a joint circular strategy;
- support the use of technologies that are adapted, developed, tested and widely used to accelerate circular offer and processes of SCE.
Projects supported will ensure the sharing and replication of good practices in a transnational context, where relevant.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
90%
Project budgets (maximum grant amount) are expected to be: €1.000.000 per project
This does not however preclude the submission/selection of proposals requesting other amounts.
The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- Environment and Climate Change
- Research, Technological Development and Innovation
- Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness
Eligibility for Participation
- Businesses
- International Organisations
- Legal Entities
- NGOs
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
- Training Centres
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
- be legal entities (public or private bodies)
- be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
- EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)
- non-EU countries:
- listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme (list of participating countries)
Consortium composition
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities), which complies with all following conditions:
(a) Geographical representation:
- at least six independent entities from at least three different eligible countries;
- from at least three of the following groups of countries (groups are defined to ensure geographical balance and involve countries with different levels of GDP per capita):
- Group 1: EU countries with GDP per capita above EU average: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Sweden.
- Group 2: Southern EU countries: Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain
- Group 3: Central/Eastern/Balkan EU countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
- Group 4: non-EU SMP countries: EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme (list of participating countries)
(b) Type of entities:
- at least one social economy ‘enabling organisation’ (intermediary) per participating country involved in the consortium; the organisation can be operational at national, regional or local level
- at least one and maximum two ‘social economy enabling organisations’ active at EU level
- the following partners must be added to the consortium:
- For every participating country in the consortium, one ‘mainstream sectoral federation or business support organisation’ with experience in the circular economy, (intermediary), being operational at national, regional or local level
- one ‘mainstream sectoral federation or business support organisation’ representing or supporting businesses and with experience in the circular economy (such as sectorial member federations and associations or networks) at EU level.
Both criteria: geographic representation and type of entities must be fulfilled in order for the application to be eligible.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry
Industry and Technology Service
Address: 1421, Nicosia, Cyprus
Email: sit@meci.gov.cy
Contact Person:
Spyros Triantaphyllidis
Telephone: 22867333
Email: striantafyllides@meci.gov.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: EISMEA-SMP-COSME-ENQUIRIES@ec.europa.eu