COPILOT
General Information
Opening date
12 August 2024
Deadline model
single-stage
Deadline dates
10 October 2024 17:00 (Brussels time)
Forthcoming
Expected duration of participation
max. 22 months
Total funding available
200 000,00 €
Project acronym
COPILOT
Full name of the EU funded project
CO-creating the next generation platform of PILOT and demo infrastructures, unlocking faster innovation and EU bioeconomy growth
Grant agreement number
101157279
Topic
HORIZON-JU-CBE-2023-S-01 – EU-wide network of pilot plants and testing facilities, improving SMEs and start-ups’ access to scale-up
Submission & evaluation process
Objectives and requirements:
The main objective of the COPILOT open calls is to engage Open Access Pilot and Demo Infrastructures (OC1) and Bioeconomy Innovators (OC2). These entities will be involved into the project’s activities and benefit from the community through training opportunities, study visits, and involvement in the co-creation of a Europe-wide database of bioeconomy-based open-access infrastructures. To be selected within the OC framework, entities from OC1 and OC2 must, identify their technology area, and perform several mandatory actions to contribute to project development, as detailed in the “COPILOT Open Calls Annex 1: Guidelines for Applicants (OC1, OC2)”.
In general, the funding programme aims to facilitate the access of innovators to scale-up and growth by offering three different types of open calls:
- Stimulation and empowerment of the PDIs through co-creation dynamics and testing of the COPILOT business model – Call4BioPlants (OC1)
- Creation and cultivation of a vibrant community that harmonizes supply and demand, supported by enabling stakeholders and supporting services to ensure the proper development of bioeconomy innovations – Call4BioInnovators (OC2)
- Open Call 3: Voucher Network Program: will finance max 100 eligible entities in the amount of €500 each. *Just an informative note. The dedicated OC3 will be launched later in a project.
Funding scheme:
A total of €200.000 has been budgeted for open calls planned within the COPILOT project. The division of funds between planned open calls within the COPILOT project is as follows:
- Open Call 1: Call4BioPlants: will finance max. 10 eligible entities in the amount of €6.000 each.
- Open Call 2: Call4BioInnovators: will finance max. 15 eligible entities in the amount of €6.000 each.
Means of submission:
The COPILOT Open Call page on the F6S platform (https://www.f6s.com/copilot-open-call) will be the entry point for the submission of all applications to the COPILOT open calls. Any application submitted through other channels will be automatically rejected.
Application reparation and submission:
The following steps must be completed to successfully submit application in the COPILOT open calls:
- Register on the F6S platform. The F6S platform will be the central interface for managing the applications during the open call.
- Get familiar with the documentation http://copilot-project.eu/. All documents included in the dedicated project website and on F6S platform bind for the COPILOT open calls and should be treated as one.
- Fill in all necessary information indicated as necessary in the dedicated website on F6S platform.
- Submit only if you are sure that all needed documents are attached and included.
- Submit only within a dedicated timeline for submission of application open call submission 12 August 2024 – 10 October 2024 (17:00 CET).
Application evaluation and selection
The evaluation of applications will be conducted internally by the COPILOT consortium. To ensure objectivity, applications will be anonymised and reviewed by COPILOT project partners, thereby avoiding any conflicts of interest. This process guarantees transparency and efficiency.
The subsequent section outlines the detailed process of evaluation and selection.
Step 1: Eligibility verification
The eligibility check will be conducted by the COPILOT consortium according to the eligibility criteria described in section guidelines for applicants.
That step can finish with:
- Rejection letter stating that the applicant is not eligible. No additional feedback will be given.
- Moving application to step 2.
Step 2: COPILOT consortium remote evaluation of application
All applicants passing the eligibility check will pass to the next evaluation step.
Evaluation: The COPILOT consortium will review each application and prepare an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) where they will score and comment the following evaluation criteria:
- Applicant Profile & Proposed Concept (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants should demonstrate the value, services, and technology area relevant to the open call (PDIs or BIs) and their impact on the COPILOT platform.
- Motivation (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants should explain their motivation for joining the co-creation process and the unique benefits they offer.
- Team Skills & Expertise (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants must showcase their capacity, skills, expertise, and commitment, confirming they have the resources to perform mandatory actions.
- Implementation (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants need to present a coherent, feasible, and ambitious plan, providing evidence of the necessary skills, infrastructure, and management experience.
- Ambition & Scalability Potential (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants must define their ambition and set clear expectations aligned with open call objectives, articulating desired outcomes and scalability benefits for the COPILOT project.
Score definition regarding evaluation process varies as follows:
score 1 – meaning application is not a fit with a selected evaluation criteria,
score 5 – meaning application is the excellent fit with a selected evaluation criteria
scores in the middle of 1 and 5 are set as a scale.
This step can be finished with:
- If needed, an online interview with the applicant will be organised with the aim to clarify unclarities in the application.
The interview aims to gain a deeper understanding of the project concept, team skills and competence, capacity, and willingness to exploit the results. If applicants fail to commit to the representations made in their application form during the interview, they will be declassified.
2.Rejection letter stating that the application has not be accepted
3.Moving application straight to step 3: Consensus meeting
Step 3: Consensus meeting
The COPILOT consortium aims to engage applicants from OC1 and OC2, ensuring diversity in both technological and geographical presence to achieve balance and representativity.
This step can finish with:
- Creating final list of applications and move to step 4: Final selection
Step 4: Final selection
At the end of the evaluation process, all applications will be ranked based by the COPILOT consortium on their scores. The list of accepted applications at remote evaluation will be published as well as the information about the non-eligible applications. All applicants will be informed about the evaluation results.
This step can finish with:
- Publication of the whole list of eligible applicants with their points