Open Call 2

Open Call 2: INNOVATE

CLOSED ON 3 April 2024, 17:00 CEST

For the results click here



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The INNOVATE Program

The SUSRUR project’s INNOVATE Program is targeting SMEs in the tourism sector across five European rural and remote areas.
With an indicative budget of 560000 €, the call aims to support up to 80 tourism SMEs in implementing sustainable and innovative practices.
During the INNOVATE Program, applicants will receive up to 7000 € to implement the following actions.
The Open Call #2 objectives:
● Uptake and replicate good practices to enhance SMEs sustainability.
● Promote adoption of sustainable practices through Certification Schemes and/or Labels (OPTIONAL).
● Develop management skills for SMEs' overall performance in digital and green transition.

Innovate

Activities to be supported

  • Peer-learning and replication of Good Sustainable Rural Tourism Practices.
  • Participation in the Sustainable Tourism Training Program from GSTC (Global Sustainable Tourism Council).
  • Access to Specialized Consulting Services.
  • Adoption of Sustainable Tourism Certification Schemes & Labels (OPTIONAL).
  • Estimated budget per applicant: up to € 7 000 (lump sum grant).

Key Dates

START DATE
1 February 2024, 17:00 CET

DEADLINE
3 April 2024, 17:00 CET

EVALUATION
Between 4 April 2024 and 10 May 2024

INNOVATE PROGRAM
Between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025 



Eligibility Criteria

Only applicants legally based on one of the regions listed below are eligible under the call.


Eligible applicants to participate and receive funding are SMEs according to the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC.


Financial support to third parties under the call is limited to Tourism SMEs under at least one of the NACE classes listed below.


The applicant has not been selected to participate in the previous SUSRUR program (Open Call #1 - ACCELERATOR).

Evaluation Criteria

Good sustainable practices
Application outlines the relevance of selected Sustainable Practices for improving tourism business sustainability.


Implementation
● Well-structured plan for potential Good Sustainable Practices replication.
● Strategic alignment of consulting topics and certification schemes with digital and green transition.
● Project team members well-positioned for successful implementation.


Benefits and Impact
The application clearly showcases the benefits and impacts of replicating and implementing good practices for business development (economic, technological, environmental, and societal levels) and project contributions to regional sustainability (social, environmental, and economic aspects).



Map

Eligible Regions

● Asturias (Spain)
● Western Macedionia (Greece)
● Harghita (Romania)
● Utena (Lithuania)
● Steirisches Vulkanland (Austria)


NACE classes

  • H49 - Land transport and transport via pipelines
  • I55 - Accommodation
  • I56 - Food and beverage service activities
  • N79 - Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities
  • R90 - Creative, arts and entertainment activities
  • R91 - Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities
  • R93 - Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities
  • Other if related to scope of SUSRUR project.

 

Call Documentation

Call for Proposals & Guidelines for applicants



Annex A - List of Good Practices



Annex B - Model Sub-grant Agreement Template (read only)
Agreement to be signed by selected applicants.



Annex C - Application Form (read only)
Application form available on the F6S submission system.



Annex D - Declaration of Honour Template (read only)
Declaration of Honour to be signed by selected applicants.



Annex E - Declaration of SME Status Template (optional and read only)
Declaration of SME status to be signed by selected applicants if applicable.




APPLICATIONS CLOSED

FAQs

SUSRUR - Towards SUStainability and resilient scenarios for tourism SMEs in RUral & Remote Areas (GA no101085887) was launched in January 2023 to address the inherent challenges for Tourism SMEs from 5 rural & remote areas of Europe by promoting an open call that can help awarded applicants to develop their sustainability and innovative practices & strategies while providing tools and skills to strengthen their competitiveness in a post-COVID-19 scenario.
Yes, SUSRUR Open Call #2 adopts the SME definition established by European Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC and the SME qualification guide.
Yes, during the submission process. You have to submit a certificate of registration proving that you are engaged in an economic activity to be deemed eligible under SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate.
Yes. All applicants have to indicate a valid Tax Registration Number (such as, VAT number, Taxpayer Identification Number, Unique Identification Number, Identification number, among others) as part of the application form. Plus, all applicants need to submit a Tax Registration Certificate in accordance with the standards and legislation of their regions, as follows:
  • Spain;
  • Lithuania;
  • Romania: Certificat de inregistrare fiscala in Romanian (CIF);
  • Austria: Proof of the commercial orientation of the business;
  • Greece;
Failure to provide a Tax Registration Certificate means the application will be deemed ineligible and not be evaluated.
No, only Tourism SMEs based in one of the eligible regions, as defined in the Guide for Applicants, are eligible under SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate.
Yes, a F6S user profile is required to submit your application via the F6S Submission system. Plus, you must also create/use your company’s F6S profile as only SMEs enterprises can apply to the call. Please visit www.f6s.com and sign/login to apply to this funding opportunity.
SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate is a lump sum cascade funding which will be distributed over three periods, according to the achievement of checkpoints at the end of each stage:
  • First payment: 1,800.00 EUR upon signature of the sub-grant agreement
  • Second payment: 2,100.00 EUR upon completion of checkpoint 1 and 2 (with 100% completion of checkpoints)
  • Third payment: 2,100.00 EUR upon completion of checkpoint 3 and 4 (with 100% completion of checkpoints). Plus 1,000.00 EUR if SME completes checkpoint 5 (optional).
Payments will only be initiated once the work has been approved by the SUSRUR consortium. More information available in the Guide for Applicants and Model Sub-Grant Agreement Template.
Lump sums are defined up-front and fixed in the sub-grant agreement. They are paid according to defined activities, which means payments will be made upon completion of the project milestones/deliverables defined in the Guide for Applicants and Model Sub-Grant Agreement Template.
Cascade funding, also known as Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP), is a mechanism of the European Commission to distribute public funds in order to create new companies, increase their scalability, SMEs and/or mid-cap companies, in the adoption or development of digital innovation. The main objective of this financing method is to simplify administrative procedures with SMEs, thus allowing some projects financed by the EU to issue, in turn, open calls to obtain more funding, in the case of the SUSRUR project it will be in a lump sum scheme.
SUSRUR project is an European project funded by the European Commission under the European Union’s COSME Programme through the call topic SMP-COSME-2021-TOURSME-01.
Selected applicants will have the opportunity to improve their sustainability performance towards green and digital transition by implementing different activities such as:
  • A. Replication of Good Sustainable Practices
  • B. Training sessions focused on sustainable and innovative practices
  • C. Access to specialised consulting services
  • D. Implementation of Sustainable Tourism Certification Schemes & Labels (OPTIONAL)
By applying to SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate, Tourism SMEs from eligible regions will:
  • Implement an innovative 12-month project to improve your sustainability performance towards green and digital transition
  • Obtain credibility and recognition from an EU project
  • Receive 7,000 € lump sum funding (equity free)
  • Develop new skills, and replicate and implement innovative solutions
  • Access to specialised consulting services
  • Initiate a certification scheme/label (optional)
  • Networking opportunities within your region and other eligible regions
If your application is accepted, you will receive via e-mail an invitation letter to start the preparation of the sub-grant agreement. Additional information can be requested by the Open Call Manager, according to templates Declaration of Honour, Bank Account Information Form and SME Status Checklist (if applicable).
No, only Tourism SMEs based in one of the eligible regions that haven’t received financial support from SUSRUR consortium are eligible under SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate.
No, only Tourism SMEs based in one of the eligible regions that haven’t received financial support from other projects from the call SMP-COSME-2021-TOURSME are eligible under SUSRUR Open Call #2 Innovate.


UPDATES

  • Updated on 13.03.2024: Call for Proposals & Guidelines for applicants, Annex B, Annex C, FAQs
  • Updated on 01.02.2024: Call for Proposals & Guidelines for applicants, Annex A, Annex B, Annex C, Annex D, Annex E, FAQs

Useful links: 


REGIONAL SUPPORT CONTACT

  • Utena (Lithuania): Prof. Rimantė Hopenienė - rimante.hopeniene@ktu.lt
  • Western Macedonia (Greece): Dimitris Kouras - dkouras@gmail.com / Vivian Lada - vivianladaa@gmail.com
  • Asturias (Spain): Jorge Pérez - jperez@espaciotormaleo.es / Ana Márquez - ana.marquez@espaciotormaleo.es
  • Steirisches Vulkanland (Austria): Jörg Köstinger - jdk@koestinger-consulting.com
  • Harghita (Romania): Zelma Székely, Zelinda Páll - adiharghitaprojects@gmail.com

Email address for further information: contact@susrur.eu