Project description
Guiding financial instruments to support SMEs
Innovation is a one-way path for SMEs but the financial instruments used do not eliminate investment risk. The EU-funded SmartFi project intends to create a complete guidebook, the ‘Design Option Paper’. Its aim will be to facilitate funding institutions and managing structures to improve the management of financial instruments. The project points to the restriction of investment risks and the creation of customer-friendly financial instruments. It will also identify and meet the needs of SMEs, map the financial procedure, recognise the level of client satisfaction and identify misfunctioning. When complete, the ‘Design Option Paper’ will be used as a guidebook by other institutions involved in planning or performing financial instruments for SMEs.
Objective
The project aims to use the experience, the tools, the capacity and the partners’ knowledge in order to address a common innovation support challenge namely to improve the efficiency and minimize the risk of financial instruments for innovation for SMEs through the integration of designing thinking skills and processes into the design and management of the financial instruments in order to become user friendly. The project will create a full guide that will help funding agencies/innovation agencies and managing authorities to improve the performance using design thinking. The toolbox/guide, entitled “Design Option Paper”, will help innovation agencies/ funding agencies to :
- Minimize investment risks of the financial instruments by developing a method that can be used during the investment decision phase of all the financial products
- Create user-friendly financial instruments by using the tool Financial Instrument Blueprint that will be developed
- Understand what are the needs of their target groups (SMEs) by using “Persona tool”
- Map SMEs journey when participating in a Financial Instrument by using the “Business Journey Tool”
- Identify the level of SMEs satisfaction per type and stage of a financial instrument
- Find the gaps/ issues and improve the process/ structure of the Financial Instruments
- Learn to test the new financial instrument before the full launch in the market by using “Prototyping Methods”
The Peer learning activity will serve to learn from the best and to share good and bad practices regarding the performance of financial instruments.
The realized Design Options Paper will serve as a “guide” or a “handbook” to other organizations that design and/ or implement financial instruments for SMEs.
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.
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H2020-EU.2.3. - INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Innovation In SMEs
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.2.3.2.2. - Enhancing the innovation capacity of SMEs
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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.
CSA - Coordination and support action
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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) H2020-INNOSUP-2018-2020
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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.
57 001 THERMI THESSALONIKI
Greece
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.