The Cyprus Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) has launched a call for proposals for the "Creation and Initial Development of Startups with International Orientation". The programme is a part of ‘Restart 2016-2020 Programmes for Research, Technological Development and Innovation (RTDI)’ initiative. The call for pre-seed proposal is co-financed by the Republic of Cyprus and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Duration of project implementation: Up to 18 months
Total call budget: € 1.200.000
Deadline: 1 November 2024
Maximum funding per project: € 119.999
The main goal of the programme is to help startups explore, evaluate and develop business idea, and create a product or service. The programme calls for innovative startups with financial, technological and commercial viability.
The participating startups should have reliable plans to expand into international markets. The participating organizations should consist of team members with appropriate technical, scientific and business knowledge and skills. The Research and Innovation Foundation (RIF) encourages the participation of women as project coordinators, and gender-balanced formation of projects.
Startups participating in the programme are responsible for:
Prototype development.
Market research.
Identification of the appropriate business model.
Obtaining, validating and defending patents and other intangible assets.
Obtaining consulting, legal or accounting services.
Marketing, branding activities.
Seeking partners and investors.
Startups can partner with research organizations, enterprises or other private sector organizations. The Partner organizations shall receive no more than 20% of the total project budget and can only be involved in implementation of development, pilot operation and testing activities.
The project proposal must consist of:
1. Part A - General Information & Budget.
2. Part B – Technical Annex.
3. Annex I – Curricula Vitae.
4. Annex II – Call Specific Information to be disclosed to the evaluators. (Requested only for projects that fall within the ICT and manufacturing sectors, and projects that include the development of digital applications and software.)
The proposals will be evaluated in two stages:
1. Stage A: a preliminary check and a remote evaluation procedure by two experts.
2. Stage B: the evaluation is carried out by an independent evaluation committee. Member of the project team must present their project to the members of the committee. The Stage B evaluation is expected to take place in February 2025.
The evaluation criteria consist of excellence, added value and benefit, and implementation. The criteria apply to both stages A and B.
Startups must submit their proposals through the Research and Innovation Foundation’s Iris Portal. The project coordinator and all local participating organizations in the project consortium, should register in advance on the IRIS portal. All applicants are advised to follow the guidelines for the submission procedure.
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