EPICENTRE call for proposals

 DEADLINE: 27 April 2023. EPICENTRE is a project funded by the Single Market Programme (SMP), call Joint Cluster Initiatives (Euroclusters) for Europe’s recovery, from the European Comission. EPICENTRE aims to support SMEs and Start-ups in the development of innovative solutions in collaborations with Corporates that make a significant impact in the sectors and value chains they belong to.

EPICENTRE envisions to create new cross-sectoral/border value chains by establishing a SMEs – Clusters – Mid-Caps and Corporates in the following areas: ICT, Fintech, Health and Agri-food. It is a program of accompaniment, acceleration, validation, and transfer to the market innovative solutions between SMEs and Mid-Cap and Big Companies (corporates) in 2 calls for proposals.

The EPICENTRE Acceleration Program is a 3-step funnel acceleration programme divided in the LAUNCH, SUSTAIN and DRIVE phase.

Each phase looks forward to advancing SMEs projects to achieve at least TRL 8, in collaboration with Corporates and by enhancing their hard and soft skills and competences, with an innovation and entrepreneurship approach.

SMEs and Startups will be invited to submit a project proposal to solve a set of challenges provided by the Corporates from the Health, Agrifood and Digital-Fintech sectors. The applications selected, will enter the EPICENTRE Acceleration program and enrol in the EPICENTRE Academy.

Innovation challenges in Europe are focused on the development of new or improved solutions that increase the digitalisation, resilience, sustainability and greening of the EU industrial ecosystems enabling the strengthening of the industrial value chains and the creation of new ones, creating interlinkages, increasing the SMEs capabilities, fostering cross-sectoral and cross-regional collaborations with corporates and Midcaps, scaling-up early-stage businesses.