Events to look out for
Matchmaking event on Healthy and Urban Living – 9-10 November, Utrecht (NL). The event will focus on building international partnerships and set up projects where innovation is driven by novel research ideas. More specifically, the event aims to facilitate participation in EU Horizon 2020 and Eurostars programmes.
Save the date: 2nd edition of EU Industry Day – 22-23 February 2018, Brussels (BE).
Funding available
Investment Plan for Europe: €260 million for SMEs in Hungary. Last Friday the European Investment Fund has signed an agreement with Hungarian guarantee institution Garantiqa to provide HUF 80 billion (ca. €260 million) to 3,500 small and medium-sized businesses in Hungary. The deal will help reduce the administrative burden involved in getting a loan.
EU policies for better business
Increasing the impact of public investment through efficient and professional procurement. To strengthen the Single Market and as part of the continuous effort to stimulate investment in the EU, the European Commission has put forward an initiative to carry out procurement more efficiently and in a sustainable manner, while making full use of digital technologies to simplify and accelerate procedures.
European Commission proposes far-reaching reform of the EU VAT system. The European Commission launched last week plans for the biggest reform of EU VAT rules in a quarter of a century. The reboot would improve and modernise the system for governments and businesses alike. Overall, over €150 billion of VAT is lost every year, meaning that Member States miss out on revenue that could be used for schools, roads and healthcare. Of this, around €50 billion - or €100 per EU citizen each year - is estimated to be due to cross-border VAT fraud. It is estimated that this sum would be reduced by 80% thanks to the proposed reform. See the FAQ for more info.
Trade defence: European Commission imposes anti-dumping measures on steel producers from four countries. The Commission imposed last Friday anti-dumping duties on imports of hot rolled flat steel products from Brazil, Iran, Russia and Ukraine. Hot rolled flat steel products from these countries will face duties ranging between €17.6 and €96.5 per tonne after an investigation conducted by the Commission.
Get involded
Opportunity for SMEs: innovation vouchers up to €60,000! The INCluSilver project is providing up to €60.000 per company through innovation vouchers, intellectual property vouchers and travel vouchers, to support small businesses with innovative ideas. Applications should address one of the seven challenges identified by the project in the field of personal nutrition for the silver population. Selected companies will benefit from additional innovation support services provided by the INCluSilver partners. Check eligibility and criteria and apply by 15 October 2017.
Targeted consultation on the draft Guidance on Public Procurement of Innovation. The European Commission has launched a targeted consultation to collect feedback from stakeholders on how to stimulate innovation through the procurement of goods and services. The guidance addresses calls from many contracting authorities that are unsure why and how to do public procurement of innovation. It is meant to highlight public procurement of innovation in a simple, clear and user-friendly way.
WORTH Project is looking for creative businesses to partner up with makers and technology labs! If your company has an innovative idea for a creative project using the latest technology and manufacturing techniques, this call is for you. Apply by December with your project idea and receive support to develop it from the WORTH project partners.