Fostering the participation of SMEs in the Marie Curie Actions

Strategic Innovation Consulting

24 Years Living Innovation

Francisco Buján EARMA 2011 – Bragança 23rd June 2011

STRATEGIC INNOVATION CONSULTINGFounded in1987Offices in: Bilbao, Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife, Brussels, London &

Mexico

THREE CORNERSTONES OF OUR BUSINESSInnovation ▪ Technology ▪ Internationalisation

MULTIDISCIPLINED SERVICE TEAMPredominantly engineers (industrial, telecommunications, computer science), technology and business strategy and innovation specialists.

CLIENTSPrivate companiesPublic administrations

WHO ARE WE?

Services to Private companies

Services to Public Administrations

REFERENCES

Some facts on CARSA over the last 24 years

• At European level:– Approx. 100 approved projects

• 70 R&D• 30 Coordination & Support Actions

– EUR 110 million generated by projects– Over 500 R&D projects evaluated– Evaluation of an entire R&D programme

BASQUE INNOVATION AGENCY

Development of a proposal for a 2009 Action Plan to Promote EPO Patents in the Basque Country

Advanced Innovation Studies

RESEARCHERS STUDY (2007)

Study on the remuneration levels of European researchers to adapt salaries in the FP7 Marie Curie Programme

•10,000 replies processed in 19 languages.

•33 EU countries covered + USA, China, Japan, India & Australia

•40 face-to-face interviews with European universities & R&D centres.

•Presentation of results to IDEAS Programme Committee.

Advanced Innovation Studies

Advanced Innovation Studies

LUXEMBOURG MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & CULTURE (2008-2009)Study on how best to attract and retain the necessary human resources to fuel and sustain the development of the research industry in Luxembourg, with a special focus on leading scientific and research professionals, providing the basis for a National Plan to raise the research profile of Luxembourg and establish it as a destination of preference for the world’s leading talents:

• Analysis of current research structures and policies• Analysis of the requirements of all R&D Centres in Luxembourg• Benchmarking against other countries• Development of a tailored action plan for each R&D Centre• Definition of improvement indicators and assessment framework

Outcomes

Main result:a) Implementation

Plan for attracting and maintaining high level HRST to Luxembourg

Additional results:b) Analysis of the

current situation

c) Definition of complete monitoring framework (indicators, HRST evaluation system...)

d) Creation of a panel of experts

e) Benchmarking of the HRST policies againts relevant regions

f) Definition of a competitive salary policy

Objectives

1) To analyse the structures and policies used in HRST domain (in public and private sectors) in order to optimise them

2) To develop a competitive policy for HRST management

3) To support the development of this policy

4) To set up a panel of experts to follow-up the policies definition and implementation

PHASE I: Situation Analysis

PHASE II: Action Plan Development

Identification of Existing problems / limitations of centres

Analysis and evaluation of existing remuneration policies

Identification of improvement needs at all levels. Individual and

Systemic analyses

Benchmarking exercise: Leading regions

Definition of a global framework for HRST (Structural Aspects)

Definition of specific individual improvement actions for the

institutions

Implementation Plan for attracting and maintaining high level HRST

to Luxembourg

Definition of complete monitoring framework

Creation of a Panel of ExpertsValidation of the Plan by the Panel of Experts and other stakeholders

BASQUE GOVERNMENT DEPT OF EDUCATION, UNIVERSITIES & RESEARCHDesign and development of an advanced tool for researcher data management:• Centralised management of researcher CVs• Allow researchers to access, consult and update their CV• Collation and sharing of information providing compatibility with other systems,

such as Uniqual, etc.• Bibliometric analysis based on standard indicators• Evolution with future system needs

Advanced Innovation Studies

Assistance in the writing and submission of a project proposal to the EC FP7 COFUND Programme: “Marie Curie action for the co-funding of

regional, national & international programmes”

Project objective: Strengthen the Basque Science System to Attract the Best International Researchers

Activities carried out by CARSA:

• Capture all information related to research programmes and career plans at the Ikerbasque Foundation for international researchers

• Support to Ikerbasque in presenting their objectives and activities in Brussels

• Writing and presentation of proposal to the COFUND Programme

• Result: PROPOSAL APPROVED (3rd in SPAIN)

EUR 5 Million Funding

Services Delivered

Project objective: Create the conditions necessary to retain, attract and link qualified people in the Bizkaia Innovation and Knowledge

Process

Activities carried out by CARSA:

• Capture all information related to Bizkaia Xede programmes and services (reception service, funding programme, research framework and qualified persons database)

• Support to Bizkaia Xede in presenting their objectives and activities in Brussels

• Writing and presentation of proposal to the COFUND Programme

• Result: PROPOSAL APPROVED - EUR 2,5 Million Funding

Services Delivered

Assistance in the writing and submission of a project proposal to the EC FP7 COFUND Programme: “Marie Curie action for the co-funding of

regional, national & international programmes”

Fostering the participation of SMEs in the Marie Curie Actions

Participation decreases – increases the chance for success

• Last IAPP call closed past december 2010 received a total of 165 proposals, which means a 54% decrease in the participation level in comparison with last year.

• Such decrease together with higher budgetary resources (15M€) will most probably lead to a overall success rate of 40%.

Reporting news from the Spanish Ministry of Science and innovation

Starting point

Results of a promoting action aiming at the COOPERATION PROGRAMME

Results of a promoting action aiming at the PEOPLE PROGRAMME

Higher slope value

SOME FACTS

DISADVANTAGES

WPs and guides are not understandableThere’s a lot of competitionHigh expendiures in time and moneyLong processProjects have to be managedThere are always problemsThis is not for usExternals access confidential data

ADVANTAGES

Funds for our R&D activities (including mobility)New market opportunitiesChances of creating more projectsAdvanced training for our teamAccess to state of the art knowledgeImprove external mark of our companyProfessional growth of our team

Contractor CARSA

Our objective – Answer the question WHY should I?

Raise awareness to the industrial tissue of a certain region about the opportunities that Marie Curie Actions have to offer in the field of R&D.

Launch a specific initiative targetting SMEs to foster their participation.

Detect and promote project ideas aiming at leadership of proposals

Foster collaboration with research groups in the region as first step to connect with scientific organisations at international level.

General objective and approach

Time framework The methodology

Time framework

2010201020112011

Seminar

Deadline 7 th December

Marie Curie Industry-Academia

Partnerships and Pathways (IAPP)

Deadline26th January

Marie Curie Initial

Training Networks (ITN)

July

The proposed methodology

Awareness and promotion

seminar/workshop

SMEs identification

Visit and working meeting with managers

and technicians

Profile elaboration to be used in search for

partners(participation)

Profile elaboration to be used in search for

partners(participation)

Abstract elaboration(leadership)

Abstract elaboration(leadership)

Awareness and promotion seminar/workshop - One of the Areas with the biggest budget in the 7FP

- Not quite known by the european SMEs and in particular by the spanish Small and Medium Enterprises

Awareness and promotion seminar/workshop

The budget available for these 2 sub-programmes

represents 50% of the whole PEOPLE.

Explain with details and clearly what Marie Curie Actions (IAPPs and ITNs) are all about.

Objectives (Industry-academia collaboration, joint R&D project and transfer of knowledge programmes, secondments and mobility of Researchers/Technicians).

Who can apply and Activities within the action.

Size of consortia and duration of the action

Thematic openness

Eligible costs and % of funding that can be requested

Bring in some example or real case of passed experience

Present public support schemes in terms of funding (if any)

Awareness and promotion seminar/workshop

Those who showed interest during the seminar

Those who have experience in R&D collaboration at regional, national or european level

Technology based spin-offs

Those who have customer-provider relation with a scientific department or a research centre (subcontracting R&D activities)

Those interested in internationalization (through intermetiate agents like sectoral Clusters or Chamber of Commerce)

SMEs identification

We contact directly and propose a working session with 2 main objectives:

1. The SME has a clear vision of the programme and that it is of most interest

2. We came out with wether a PROFILE aiming at the participation in third party consortia or an ABSTRACT for a leading initiative.

Visit and working meeting with managers and technicians

FLEXIBILITY

We also explain what are the components of the proposal and:

• The process until submission• The process after submission

6 to 8 pages document containing

Project Proposal – ABSTRACT

Title ……..

Project Call FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IAPP

Deadline 7th December 2010

To decide to go further or not To approach potential partners and to initiate the proposal writing process

Project Proposal – ABSTRACT

Title ……..

Project Call FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IAPP

Deadline 7th December 2010

• S&T LAYER– Problem statement – Scientific & Technological approach

– Scientific & Technological objectives

• TRANSFER OF KNOWLEDGE LAYER– Introduction

– Specific knowledge requirements

• IMPLEMENTATION LAYER– Profile and capacities of partners (expertise / human resources/

facilities / infrastructures)

– Workplan

– Consortium (initial core participants or profiles)

• IMPACT LAYER• BUDGET (initial mobility overview)

Understanding the programme`s filosophy and use it for whatever strategic purpose of the company (transfer of knowledge, open new markets, increase scientific & technology capabilities of the team, etc.)

Involvement of the managing board

Match with current SME activities and with future internationalization initiatives

Foster leadership

Count with funding to cover external support for proposal preparation

Count with experts for project management

Conclusions

carsa@carsa.eswww.carsa.es

BILBAO – Headquarters

Carretera de Asúa, 6

48930 Getxo, Spain

Tel.: +34 94 480 4138

Fax: +34 94 480 4130

MADRID

c/ Alcalá 35, 6º

28014 Madrid, Spain

Tel.: +34 91 531 0521

Fax: +34 91 522 0626

BARCELONA

Nave # 13 - P. I. Pallejà, 1

08780 Pallejà, Barcelona, Spain

Tel.: +34 93 663 3304

Fax: +34 93 663 1838

CANARY ISLANDS

Plaza Isabel II, 1

38002 Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Tenerife, Spain

Tel.: +34 922 275 815

BRUSSELS

Boulevard de la Cambre, 52

B-1000 Brussels, Belgium

Tel.: +32 2 645 0870

Fax: +32 2 648 7077

VALLADOLID

C/ Fco. Mendizabal, 947014 Valladolid, Spain

Tel.: +34 983 333 080

LONDON

19 Stanhope Court

East End Road

London N3 3LU, UK

Tel: +44 (0)7588 025 279

Fax: +44 (0)20 8346 5068

MEXICO

Plaza Necaxa 6, Oficina 602Col. Cuauhtemoc

06500 México D.F.

Mexico

Francisco BujánMob. +34 607 407 405

e-mail: fbujan@carsa.es