JumpStart – Funding for London SMEs

Posted on April 24, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

JumpStart

Managed by: London Development Agency

What is it for? Support for innovative business projects‚

Who can apply? London based SMEs‚

 

What is available? Various – see below

Details

The aim of Jumpstart is to encourage organisations to improve the productivity and efficiency of their businesses through the introduction of an Innovative product and/or service. The projects are targeted at organisations that have a specific innovative project idea that addresses significant barriers to their business. The JumpStart Programme is designed to address three areas of activity where additional focus and attention is needed and will provide sufficient impact:

Connect: funding is provided for innovation partnerships between SMEs and knowledge centres. Connect aims to address the imbalance caused by the failure of London´s businesses to engage and exploit the knowledge and resources which is readily available in colleges, universities and centres of creativity and research.

Inspire: will break down barriers to innovation for London´s minority businesses by supporting the developments that will inspire, unlock opportunity and foster innovation, creativity and enterprise in London´s diverse minority business.

Engage: focuses on strengthening innovation and knowledge to improve networks across London and the promotion of the capital as an innovative centre.

The Programme offers:

  • Up to 50% of project costs with a maximum of £10 000 for London-based Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to connect with Higher education Institutes (HEIs) or Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs);
  • Up to £100 000 to inspire London´s minority business communities to improve access and uptake of innovation;
  • Up to £1 million to strengthen and enhance new and existing networks to promote London as a centre for Innovation and strengthen engagement of businesses in innovation.

More info: London Development Agency

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SPIE Photonics Europe – 16-19 April 2012 – Free Entry!

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

A presentation on the new European Commission framework programme Horizon 2020 will lead off talks at the upcoming SPIE Photonics Europe international congress on materials, nanotechnology, biophotonics, semiconductors, lasers, multimedia, and imaging. Offering more than 1,400 technical presentations, a free-admission exhibition, Photonics Innovation Village competition, and numerous networking events, the meeting will be held at the Square Brussels Meeting Centre 16-19 April.

“Photonics Europe brings together different disciplines, technologies, and perspectives from across Europe and around the world” said Francis Berghmans (Vrije Universiteit Brussel). “Many of the toughest issues facing optical and photonics technologies today have been selected as the basis of its programmes. These current research issues will drive the development of new products for years to come.”

Berghmans is one of four General Chairs of the event, along with Ronan Burgess (European Commission), Jürgen Popp (Institute of Photonic Technology Jena), and Peter Hartmann (SCHOTT AG). Hugo Thienpont (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) is Honorary Chair.

Technical presentations are organised into 18 conferences on topics in optics, photonics, and imaging such as

  •     Metamaterials
  •     Photonic crystal materials and devices
  •     Biophotonics
  •     Nanophotonics
  •     Silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits
  •     Lasers and amplifier technologies
  •     Optical sensing and detection
  •     Organic photonics.

 

Hot topics speakers will provide overviews of important developments in photonics across multiple disciplines. Presenters are:

  •     Thierry Van der Pyl, EC Information Society and Media Directorate, on the role photonics research and innovation will play in the new Horizon 2020 funding programme
  •     John Dudley, Université de Franche-Comté, on breakthroughs in nonlinear optics
  •     Kyriacos Kalli, Nanophotonics Research Laboratory at Cyprus University of Technology, on next-generation fibre lasers
  •     Andreas Tünnermann, Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena, Institute of Applied Physics, and Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, on advances in high-power fibre laser systems
  •     Demetri Psaltis, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, on optofluidics for solar energy
  •     Lihong Wang, Washington University in St. Louis, on photoacoustic tomography
  •     Finlay Colville, Solarbuzz, on manufacturing of silicon solar cells and thin-film panels
  •     Berit Wessler, OSRAM, on solid state lighting.

 

Opportunities for industry

An industry programme will provide an overview of opportunities in photonics markets as well as a report from the recently formed ASPICE (Action to Support Photonic Innovation Clusters in Europe), organised to enhance collaboration and success among national clusters and platforms across Europe.

Industry-focused workshops include:

  •     Integrated approaches to study of historical glass, sponsored by the New Archaeological Research Network for Integrating Approaches to Ancient Material Studies (NARNIA)
  •     Properties of optical glass and special optical materials, presented by SCHOTT with Peter Hartmann as lecturer
  •     Plasmonics in the Infrared workshop, sponsored by the FP7 project PLAISIR
  •     Advanced opto-electronic simulation, from devices to photonic integrated circuits, presented by Lovalite and Lumerical.

 

Preregistration ― free to technical conference attendees ― is required for the industry workshops.

Leading photonics companies will showcase their latest equipment and systems in the three-day exhibition featuring optical components, lasers, fibre optics, detectors, sensors, and cameras. Conference attendees may visit the exhibition Monday through Wednesday, and exhibition-only visitors may attend on Tuesday 17 April.

A highlight of the exhibition will be the fifth Photonics Innovation Village ―a look at creative new photonics-based products, the young innovators who are developing them, and research programmes encouraging the transfer of optics and photonics research into products. Organised by B-PHOT, the Brussels Photonics Team at Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the competition this year includes 16 products from throughout Europe. Awards sponsored by Brussels-Capital Region will be given for the top products.

Networking and more

Activities designed to provide students with networking opportunities and to develop vital career skills include a student chapter leadership workshop, student chapter exhibition, networking lunch with experts, and professional development program.

Among other networking opportunities at Photonics Europe are the SPIE Fellows luncheon, a Women in Optics networking luncheon, evening poster receptions, and a welcome reception at the Royal Museum of Art and History.

For more on SPIE Photonics Europe visit http://spie.org/photonics-europe.xml.

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Horizon 2020 – FAQ for the FP8 Programme

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

Q: What are the key features of Horizon 2020 and its Rules which will make it simpler to participate in?

A: Simplification in Horizon 2020 will target three overarching goals: reducing the administrative costs of the participants; accelerating all processes of proposal and grant management and decreasing the financial error rate.

These general objectives will be achieved along several dimensions:

  • Structural simplification, which is provided through a simpler programme architecture, bringing together all research and innovation funding in one programme. This includes a single set of participation rules covering all components of the programme.
  • Simpler funding rules, which will make the preparation of proposals and the management of projects easier. At the same time, they will reduce the number of financial errors.

T he following approach is proposed:

  • Simplified reimbursement of real direct costs, with a broader acceptance of beneficiaries’ usual accounting practices;
  • The possibility of using unit personnel costs (average personnel costs) for beneficiaries for which this is their usual accounting method, and for SME owners without a salary;
  • Simplification of time-recording by providing a clear and simple set of minimum conditions, in particular abolition of time-recording obligations for staff working full time on the EU project;
  • Only two reimbursement rates for all types of participants: 100% for research activities, 70% for piloting and demonstration;
  • One single flat rate of 20% to cover indirect costs, instead of the current four methods for calculation;
  • Continuation of the system of unit costs and flat rates for mobility and training actions (Marie Curie);
  • Output-based funding with lump sums for whole projects in specific areas.

Revised control strategy, which takes into account the policy objective of achieving a new balance between trust and control and reducing the administrative burden:

  • On the ex-ante side, the guarantee fund will cover all actions under Horizon 2020, leading to fewer ex-ante financial capacity checks and a reduced number of certificates on financial statements;
  • Ex-ante financial capacity checks in Horizon 2020 will be required only for coordinators (i.e. abolition of the threshold of EUR 500000 for other partners), reducing thus further the number of ex-ante checks;
  • Voluntary ex-ante certification of accounting methodologies of organisations using unit personnel costs will be offered, as means for preventing errors and for providing ex-ante assurance;
  • The focus of the ex-post audits will shift from a minimisation of the residual error rate towards risk-based audit and fraud detection. The overall number of ex-post audits will be limited with the Commission considering that as general guidance, a maximum of 7% of participants in Horizon 2020 would be subject to audit over the whole programming period.

As a result, the Commission deems it possible to reduce the average time to grant in Horizon 2020 with 100 days as compared to the current situation.

Further simplification of research and innovation funding will result from the revision of the Financial Regulation (e.g. no declaration of interest on pre-financing, eligibility of VAT, limitation of extrapolation of systematic errors).

The whole set of practical arrangements for proposal and project implementation will also be revisited and streamlined. This includes the detailed provisions on the content and shape of proposals, the processes for turning proposals into projects, the requirements for reporting and monitoring, as well as the related guidance documents and support services. A major contribution to reduced administrative costs for participation will come from a single user-friendly IT platform for all interactions with participants, based on the FP7 Participant Portal.

Q: What is the rationale for applying the same funding rate for all types of participants?

A: The current situation under FP7 is defined by a complex matrix of funding rates, methods for determining indirect costs, activities and categories of legal entities (according to the legal status granted after validation by the services of the Unique Registration Facility). This complexity is difficult to explain, leads to long delays (in particular in the grant negotiation phase), hampers the expected flexibility in project implementation, and requires permanent maintenance of the legal status information, with a complex system for handling amendments.

Having a single reimbursement rate for all types of participants (together with a single flat rate for indirect costs) will considerably reduce:

  • the length and complexity of guidance documents and the number of requests addressed to the help-desks;
  • the administrative costs, in particular for coordinators having to manage the previous complex system (as changes to consortium composition, distribution of work packages etc. will not entail difficult budget operations as it was now the case due to the variety of reimbursement rates and indirect cost methods applied by different organisations in the consortium);
  • the time-to-grant, as the validation of legal entities (particularly SMEs) and establishment of budgets of collaborative projects by the consortia will be simpler;
  • the number of financial errors (an analysis of errors identified during audits of FP7 suggests that around 25-35% of them would be avoided by the simplification measures proposed, and the error rate can then be expected to fall by 1.5%, i.e. from close to current 5% to around 3.5%)

Q: Why does Horizon 2020 put more emphasis on using financial instruments (equity and debt) to support SMEs and other participants?

A: The two main EU financial instruments currently supporting research and innovation have been very successful. For debt, the Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF) combines EU budgetary resources and EIB funding to share the risks associated with investing in projects: EUR 1 billion comes from the FP7 budget, and another EUR 1 billion from the resources of the European Investment Bank. RSFF loans are available to public and private sector promoters of any size and ownership from the Member States and the countries associated to FP7. By mid-2011, funding for 91 projects worth over EUR 9 billion had been approved. A specific facility for SMEs will start up in early 2012. For equity, the High-Growth and Innovative SME Facility (GIF) under the CIP invests in specialised funds that provide venture capital for SME financing. Managed by the EIF, the GIF covers both early and growth-stage investments. By the end of 2010, some EUR 222 million had been committed to 19 funds supporting a target fund size of some EUR 1.5 billion.

Greater use of financial instruments will help leverage yet further private research and innovation investments, including venture capital investments for innovative, high-tech companies, and in particular SMEs. In Horizon 2020, financial instruments will be expanded in both scope and scale. A debt facility will provide loans and guarantees, and an equity facility will provide finance for early and growth stage investments. Their aim will be to support the achievement of the R&I objectives of all sectors and policy areas crucial for tackling societal challenges, enhancing competitiveness and fostering sustainable growth. They will be implemented via a mandate to, or a partnership with, the European Investment Bank group and/or other international financial institutions and national intermediaries.

Summery of current Key Horizon 2020 Financial Plans:

  • Reimbursement via eligible direct costs continues
  • Use of usual accounting practices is strengthened
  • Possibility to use average personnel costs in some circumstances
  • Time-recording will have specific rules
  • Proposed Funding rates for activities:
  • Research activities – 100%
  • Piloting and demonstration – 70%
  • Indirect Costs / Overheads will be a flat rate of 20%
  • Lump Sums funding method to be introduced
  • Guarantee Fund to Continue
  • Ex-ante financial capacity checks only to apply to Coordinators
  • Less Audits

Please note that all Horizon 2020 information is still labelled as “draft”. I will keep you updated as soon as more information is available from Brussels.

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Emerging Technologies – Electroencephalography (EEG)

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. EEG measures voltage fluctuations resulting from ionic current flows within the neurons of the brain. In clinical contexts, EEG refers to the recording of the brain’s spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time, usually 20–40 minutes, as recorded from multiple electrodes placed on the scalp. In neurology, the main diagnostic application of EEG is in the case of epilepsy, as epileptic activity can create clear abnormalities on a standard EEG study.A secondary clinical use of EEG is in the diagnosis of coma, encephalopathies, and brain death. EEG used to be a first-line method for the diagnosis of tumors, stroke and other focal brain disorders, but this use has decreased with the advent of anatomical imaging techniques with high (<1 mm) spatial resolution such as MRI and CT. Despite limited spatial resolution, EEG continues to be a valuable tool for research and diagnosis, especially when millisecond-range temporal resolution (not possible with CT or MRI) is required.

Derivatives of the EEG technique include evoked potentials (EP), which involves averaging the EEG activity time-locked to the presentation of a stimulus of some sort (visual, somatosensory, or auditory). Event-related potentials (ERPs) refer to averaged EEG responses that are time-locked to more complex processing of stimuli; this technique is used in cognitive science, cognitive psychology, and psychophysiological research.

EE, and the related study of ERPs are used extensively in neuroscience, cognitive science, cognitive psychology, and psychophysiological research. Many EEG techniques used in research are not standardized sufficiently for clinical use.

A different method to study brain function is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Some advantages of EEG over fMRI include:

  • Hardware costs are significantly lower
  • EEG sensors can be used in more places than a bulky, immobile fMRI machine can
  • EEG has higher temporal resolution – milliseconds, rather than seconds
  • EEG is relatively tolerant of subject movement (in fMRI the subject must remain completely still)
  • EEG is silent, which allows for better study of the responses to auditory stimuli
  • EEG does not aggravate claustrophobia
  • EEG does not involve exposure to high-intensity (>1 Tesla) magnetic fields (as in MRI)

In addition, EEG does not involve exposure to radioligands (unlike positron emission tomography)

Disadvantages of EEG relative to fMRI include:

  • Significantly lower spatial resolution
  • ERP studies require relatively simple paradigms, compared with block-design fMRI studies

Simultaneous EEG recordings and fMRI scans have been obtained successfully, though successful simultaneous recording requires that several technical difficulties be overcome, such as the presence of ballistocardiographic artifact, MRI pulse artifact and the induction of electrical currents in EEG wires that move within the strong magnetic fields of the MRI.

EEG also has some characteristics that compare favorably with behavioral testing:

  • EEG can detect covert processing (i.e., processing that does not require a response)
  • EEG can be used in subjects who are incapable of making a motor response
  • Some ERP components can be detected even when the subject is not attending to the stimuli
  • Unlike other means of studying reaction time, ERPs can elucidate stages of processing (rather than just the final end result)

Limitations

EEG has several limitations. Most important is its poor spatial resolution. EEG is most sensitive to a particular set of post-synaptic potentials: those generated in superficial layers of the cortex, on the crests of gyri directly abutting the skull and radial to the skull. Dendrites, which are deeper in the cortex, inside sulci, in midline or deep structures (such as the cingulate gyrus or hippocampus), or producing currents that are tangential to the skull, have far less contribution to the EEG signal.

The meninges, cerebrospinal fluid and skull “smear” the EEG signal, obscuring its intracranial source.

It is mathematically impossible to reconstruct a unique intracranial current source for a given EEG signal, as some currents produce potentials that cancel each other out. This is referred to as the inverse problem. However, much work has been done to produce remarkably good estimates of, at least, a localized electric dipole that represents the recorded currents.

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R&D tax credits – Every little helps…

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

R&D tax credits are an incentive in the form of tax relief for companies of all sizes to raise their investment in R&D. The tax credits work by allowing companies to deduct qualifying expenditure on R&D activities when calculating their profit for tax purposes.  Alternatively, some companies with under 500 employees can claim cash back.

The Government intends to introduce an ‘above the line’ R&D tax credit, effective from April 2013, and will consult on details at Budget 2012. Under this change the R&D tax credit could be accounted for as a reduction in R&D spend – rather than just being reflected in the tax line of the company accounts. Any unused credit (i.e. if the company is loss making) would be payable to the company (rather than carried forward in losses to be offset once the company is profitable).
For the purposes of R&D tax credits, R&D can be defined as any project to resolve scientific or technological uncertainty aimed at achieving an advance in science or technology.  Advances include new or improved products, processes and services.

For more information, please get in touch.

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Ambient Assisted Living – Technology Strategy Board Funding Call

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

Ambient Assisted Living

Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) will address the needs of Europe’s ageing population, reducing innovation barriers of forthcoming promising markets, and lowering future social security costs.

AAL aims – through the use of intelligent products and the provision of remote services including care services – to extend the time older people can live in their home environment by increasing their autonomy and assisting them in carrying out activities of daily living.

Through funding of applied research and innovation projects, with emphasis on integration of the required technologies and exploring new ways for the inclusion of user needs into relevant products and services, AAL aims to reinforce a consolidated European market for AAL products, environments and services.

AAL 2012 call for Proposals.

Scope of the Call: “ICT-based Solutions for (Self-) Management of Daily Life Activities of Older Adults at Home”, which encompasses important dimensions of the broad topic of Home Care.

Call Opening: 29th February 2012

Closing deadline:  29th May 2012 – 17H00 Central European Time          

Information on the call:  http://www.aal-europe.eu/calls/call-5-2012

Partner search web site: http://ps.aal-europe.eu

Proposal ideas presented during the last Info Day in March 2012 for the AAL JP Call 5 are now available on the AAL website.

Please visit this page if you wish to watch the video presentations, or this page if you just want to read the power point presentations

For more information please contact me directly.

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The Seventh Annual Public Conference of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

The Seventh Annual Public Conference of the European Technology Platform for the Future of Textiles and Clothing will take place from 29 to 30 March 2012 in Brussels, Belgium.
The event will feature presentations from a wide variety of textile research projects funded under the a Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The projects are furthering innovation and knowledge in fields ranging from new fibre and textile material developments to textile functionalisation and processing, new developments in protective textiles and other technical textile markets, new technologies and business models for consumer textile products, textile sustainability, and recycling.
The presentations will show how the European Commission and the European Technology Platform are working to make European research, innovation and networking support programmes more accessible and manageable for industry, especially small and medium-sized companies.
In addition to the project presentations, the conference programme will also feature keynote speeches, panel discussions and a dissemination session on the CROSSTEXNET ERA-Net project.

For further information, please visit:  here

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New Innovation Partnerships – the key to the competitive European Union

Posted on March 3, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

The European Commission suggests redoubling the efforts on innovation, in three key areas for future growth and employment: the supply of raw materials, sustainable agriculture, and active and healthy ageing. To do so, the Commission has set up two new European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) in the sectors of raw materials supply and sustainable agriculture, and has confirmed interest for the active aging EIP pilot, launched in February 2011. The expected outcomes are ambitious, and should be able to meet the expectations of the European Council, whose statement on the importance of innovation in the EU economic recovery, is expected soon.

The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) is a new concept that was introduced in the Europe 2020 flagship Innovation Union. The aim is to address weaknesses, bottlenecks and obstacles in the European research and innovation system that prevent or slow down good ideas being developed and brought to market. These include under-investment, outdated regulation, lack of standards, and fragmentation of markets. Each Partnership is led by a Steering Group chaired by the European Commissioner or Commissioners with responsibility for the policy area or areas concerned. They are joined by representatives of Member States (Ministers), Members of Parliament, industry leaders, researchers, civil society and other key stakeholders. EIPs identify what needs to be done to overcome bottlenecks – from further developing technologies to getting the market frameworks right and stimulating demand – and galvanise action across public and private sectors. They do not replace funding programmes or regulatory processes, but provide a shared platform for cooperation.

Innovation partnership to overcome Europe’s raw materials shortages

The supply of raw materials, the lifeblood of today’s high-tech industry, is increasingly under pressure. With a view to increasing Europe’s own production, under the proposal to set up a European Innovation Partnership on raw materials, joint innovation efforts will support exploration, extraction and processing of raw materials. For example, it has been estimated that the value of unexploited European mineral resources at a depth of 500-1,000 metres is about € 100 billion. New technologies will help to extract deeper, in more remote areas and under harsh conditions. Action is also needed to develop substitutes for critical raw materials and to improve recycling of electric, electronic equipment and other waste. Improved access to minerals will enhance the development of innovative products such as thin photovoltaic layers, energy-efficient lighting, electric cars, advanced passenger jets, infra-red optics and fiber glass.

European Innovation Partnership for agriculture

Food security is one of the major challenges worldwide in the years ahead, with global food demand forecast to rise by 70% by 2050 (FAO), accompanied by a steep increase in the demand for feed, fibre, biomass, and biomaterial. However, this challenge is accompanied by a slow down in productivity growth – in good part because of a reduction in investment in agricultural research – and increased pressure on the environment and our natural resources. For example, 45% of European soils face problems of soil quality. Around 40% of agricultural land is vulnerable to nitrate pollution and, over the last 20 years, farmland birds have declined by 20-25%.

In short, the key challenge for agriculture in future is not only to produce more, but also to do this in a sustainable manner. These challenges will not be resolved without a major push towards embracing research and innovation – and in particular in bringing researchers, farmers and other players closer together so that we can accelerate the speed of technological transfer from science to farming practice, and provide more systematic feedback about practice needs from farming to science. The European Innovation Partnership (EIP) “Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability” aims to provide a working interface between agriculture, bio-economy, science, and others at EU, national and regional level. It will also serve as a catalyst to enhance the effectiveness of innovation-related actions supported by Rural Development Policy as well as the Union Research and Innovation. Two headline targets have been identified for this EIP – promoting productivity and efficiency of the agricultural sector (reversing the recent trend of diminishing productivity gains by 2020); and the sustainability of agriculture (securing soil functionality at a satisfactory level by 2020).

European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing

Demographic ageing is one of the most serious challenges facing Europe today. The number of European citizens aged 65 and over will double over the next 50 years, from 87 million in 2010 to 148 million in 20601. While this presents a specific challenge for European care and social systems, it is also an opportunity to redesign these systems in the interest of patients, healthcare systems and the innovative industry.

The European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing has been set up to respond to these challenges. In November 2011, it delivered a Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) identifying priority areas and specific actions, for public authorities, businesses and civil society.

Today’s Communication from the Commission is the concrete follow-up for implementation of the specific actions. This includes: inviting stakeholder engagement; setting up a marketplace for innovative ideas; addressing regulatory and standardization issues. This will improve elderly citizens’ lives, help them to contribute to society as they grow older, and reduce pressure on health and care systems – ultimately contributing to sustainable growth. The Commission confirms its commitment to support the implementation of the SIP, in particular by:

- launching, today, a first invitation for stakeholders to commit to specific actions on innovation in active and healthy ageing
- putting in place, as of April 2012, a “marketplace for innovative ideas”, helping stakeholders find partners, share good practices and disseminate evidence
- aligning and effectively using EU funding instruments such as the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), the 7th Framework Programme for research and the Health Programme
- addressing regulatory and standardization issues, e.g. by supporting the development of a new EU framework for interoperability testing, quality labelling and certification on e-Health

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European Commission (EC) Microloans for Businesses and Individuals

Posted on February 23, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

The EU does not directly provide microloans (loans up to €25 000) to individuals or businesses, but provides guarantees, loans and equity to intermediaries who can then lend to small businesses or make available equity finance.

As a (future) entrepreneur you can address yourself to a microfinance provider in your country that takes part in one of the following EU initiatives:

EU microfinance initiatives

CIP (Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme) supports micro-entrepreneurs to start up or expand their business.

Progress Microfinance (European Progress Microfinance Facility) provides microloans to people who lost their jobs and want to start up their own business or to people who want to develop their existing business, but do not have access to traditional banking services.

JEREMIE (Joint European Resources to Micro to medium-sized Enterprises) allows EU countries to use EU structural funds to support small and very small businesses. In some EU countries, microcredit providers benefit from guarantees, loans and equity.

  • Get a microloan For a list of financial intermediaries in your country, please contact your national or regional structural fund managing authority.
  • Provide microcredit Information for potential microcredit providers on guarantees, loans and equity.

For non-bank microcredit providers only:

JASMINE (Joint Action to Support Microfinance Institutions in Europe) improves the capacity of microcredit providers and helps them become sustainable and viable operators in the credit market.

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TSB Funding: Marine energy: Supporting array technologies

Posted on February 7, 2012 by Cagri Yilmaz

The Technology Strategy Board, Scottish Enterprise and the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) are to invest up to £10.5m in collaborative research and development to support successful deployment and operation of the first series of wave and tidal energy arrays.

The Technology Strategy Board will invest up to £6.5m, Scottish Enterprise up to £3m and NERC up to £1m.

The marine energy industry (by which we mean wave and tidal stream energy) is at a critical stage as it moves from single device prototypes towards first arrays of full-scale devices. The industry needs to demonstrate that energy from wave and tidal power can successfully be generated at scale and to reduce the cost of the energy produced. As the industry plans arrays for the first time, new technical barriers are emerging that are common across the industry.

Through this competition, TSB are encouraging innovation that can address these key common challenges. This will de-risk deployment of early arrays by removing technical barriers and reducing the cost of energy produced. The results of this competition are expected to help UK businesses to build sustainable economic growth by exploiting new innovative technologies in a growing market and by removing barriers to successful array deployment. The competition also aims to facilitate industry joint working in defining and developing the best solutions using expertise from across the supply chain (including parallel sectors), and in disseminating learning and progress from projects.

Proposals must be collaborative and business-led. The competition opens on 5 March 2012. The deadline for registration is at noon on 10 April 2012 and the deadline for expressions of interest is at noon on 17 April 2012. Successful projects will generally attract up to 50% public funding. We expect to invest between £500k and £1.5m per project, although projects outside these ranges may be considered.

A briefing event for potential applicants will be held in London on 14 March 2012 and consortia-building events will be held ahead of the competition opening.

Open date: 05 March 2012

Registration close date: 10 April 2012

Close date: 17 April 2012

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