Finding first customers is one of the main barriers that is hampering access to market and commercialisation of innovative solutions developed by innovative SMEs. Public sector buyers that hold a significant purchasing power can help increase the uptake of innovations in Europe by acting as early adopters, helping to validate innovative solutions all while innovating their service offer through breakthrough technologies. Procuring innovation is characterised by an inherent risk, both for the procurers who lack quality assurance of newly developed solutions, and for the innovators who need to invest scarce resources in the necessary customisation and pilot testing. To decrease these risks and to increase the use of innovation procurement in Europe, this action aims to support the pilot testing or proof-of-concept demonstration of EIC supported innovations for potential public and private procurement customers.

The winner of this call (hereafter ‘project beneficiary’) can be a single legal entity or a consortium of legal entities. The project beneficiary will receive funding to, in turn, allocate grants to EIC Awardees selected through open, competitive calls managed by the project beneficiary to test innovative solutions developed by EIC Awardees in the services or premises of committed buyers that are aiming at procuring innovation. Buyers include contracting authorities as defined under the EU Public Procurement Directives (public buyers) as well as private entities that engage in purchase contracts (private buyers).

The maximum size of the grants allocated to EIC Awardees by the project beneficiary using the budget contribution from this action is EUR 60000. The buyers do not receive any financial contribution but are required to provide at least in-kind commitments as needed for the innovation to be properly tested and assessed (including access to infrastructures and facilities, data, personnel, etc.). The in-kind commitment of the buyer (s) must also include the preparation of a validation report (with references to the innovation itself but also to the innovator) which can be used by the EIC awardee and made available to other interested procurement bodies or relevant stakeholders.

This action has two main objectives:

1. to enable selected EIC Awardees to prove the concept or test, through structured pilots, their innovative solutions in the services or premises of interested buyers that are aiming at procuring innovation;

2. to increase the purchase of innovative solutions from public and private procurers or buyers across Europe.

Synergies with networks, associations etc. of public and private buyers at European, national and regional levels, as well as synergies with EU Programmes and initiatives (e.g. the Climate Neutral and Smart Cities Horizon Europe Mission) should be sought. In addition, synergies with other relevant activities within the EIC (including but not limited to corporates) should be ensured.

The project beneficiary must allocate the grants to EIC Awardees following a competitive, transparent and fair procedure based on equal treatment and non-conflict of interest.

Two types of calls should be implemented:

1. Calls without any predefined thematic area where an EIC Awardee must apply with the clear commitment of a pre-identified buyer.

2. Calls with predefined challenges where the EIC Awardee must apply with a solution to the predefined challenge(s). In this case, the project beneficiary must organise an expression of interest exercise prior to the call, to identify challenges which have the commitment of at least four separate and independent buyers. The EIC Awardees selected through the call will then be matched with the pre committed buyers to implement the testing of the innovation.

The selection of the EIC Awardees as well as the management of the financial support to third parties should be ensured by the project beneficiary exclusively. The applicants must have previous experience in the activities envisaged by the scope of this action, and in particular, in addressing the needs of procurers as well as in the managing and monitoring of proofs-of-concept and pilot tests. The project beneficiary will select and support EIC Awardees through grants between 20 000 and 60 000 EUR. The actual size of these grants will depend on the complexity of the pilot or the proof-of-concept.

For each individual grant, the commitment of buyers to test a solution will be a precondition for EIC Awardees to receive the funding. The project beneficiary must allocate at least 75% of the total proposed budget to financial support to third parties (the EIC Awardees). The project beneficiary will ensure that at least 40% of the committed buyers are public buyers. Applicants must propose a methodology for the selection of the participating EIC Awardees, for ensuring the participation of committed public or private buyers in the program (e.g. through MoUs etc.), for the finding of buyers with identified challenges that are committed to take part, and for the follow up and monitoring of financed pilot tests, including impact monitoring. Applicants must put in place proper communication and publicity of the action. The selection of the EIC Awardees must be done through open calls following a competitive, transparent and fair procedure that will be based on equal treatment and non-conflict of interest.

A duration of up to 2 - 3 years would enable the project to achieve the desired objectives

Type of action: Coordination and Support Action (CSA). This action will be evaluated partially by representatives of Union institutions or bodies, according to Article 29 paragraph 1 of Horizon Europe Regulation.

Number of projects expected to be funded: 1

Deadline for applications: 7 November 2023 at 17h00 Brussels local time

Indicative budget: The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU in the order of EUR 3 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts if duly justified. For general award criteria see Annex 2 of the respective WP 2023.

This action should:

- increase business opportunities for EIC Awardees by supporting them to prove the concept or pilot test their innovative solutions in the services of public or private buyers.

- result in innovative solutions tested in the services or environments of potential buyers.

- increase the uptake of innovative solutions by public and private buyers through the use of innovation procurement.

- enable the scaling up of EIC companies through the creation of business opportunities with public and private buyers.

- improve the products and services offered by public and private buyers in Europe through the uptake of innovations of the EIC Awardees.