Project description
Building an ecosystem for cross-border startup growth
In Europe, deep-tech startups face barriers when trying to scale and expand beyond local markets. Challenges include limited access to funding, a lack of business development support, and difficulty in reaching international growth opportunities. Fragmented support systems hinder startups from tapping into cross-border potential. Addressing this issue, the EU-funded ACCEND project seeks to create a sustainable, collaborative model for cross-border startup acceleration. Specifically, it will establish impactful cross-border startup accelerator programmes across Europe, connecting partners to offer a suite of services. These include access to finance, business development tools, matchmaking with public innovators, and global growth coaching. By fostering trust and collaboration between partners, ACCEND pilots its accelerator programme, targeting 100+ scale-ups.
Objective
The overarching goal of ACCEND is to establish capabilities and processes that enable the project partners to conduct impactful and exemplary cross-border startup accelerator programmes in Europe - to initiate and establish a long term cross-border startup acceleration service ecosystem. It brings together and enriches a diverse and complementing array of deep tech acceleration services: support in access to finance; advisory in the use of testbeds and living labs for business development; matchmaking with key public procurers of innovation; and global growth coaching advisory targeting global scaleup pathways with go-to-market activities.
ACCEND builds shared understanding and trust between the project partners by collaboratively designing joint, distributed Cross-border Startup Accelerator Services that builds on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each partner and their regional ecosystems; It conducts a pilot programme named ACCEND Accelerator where these complementing services are delivered to a 100+ scale-up companies, aiming towards opening the regional services and funding borders, as well as global markets for these startups. To conduct this successfully, it connects the startup services ecosystem in the partner regions more widely, to leverage local and European initiatives, and to anchor the cross-regional collaboration. The project's ultimate goal is to validate a sustainable model for continuous cross-border Deep Tech acceleration services deployment.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.3.2 - European innovation ecosystems
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme -
HORIZON.3.2.3 - Joint programmes close to innovators
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-CSA - HORIZON Coordination and Support Actions
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) HORIZON-EIE-2024-CONNECT-01
See all projects funded under this callCoordinator
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
EH8 9YL Edinburgh
United Kingdom
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.