COllective Research NETworking (CORNET) | International pre-competitive collective research funding

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Event details

Date 28.08.2022
Category Call for proposal
CORNET is a network of ministries and funding agencies that combine their existing funding schemes to increase the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In this way, CORNET supports new funding organisations worldwide to introduce pilot actions and schemes for pre-competitive Collective Research.

CORNET has opened its 34th Call for Proposals to realise further international research projects for the benefits of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the participating countries and regions. As for the previous CORNET Calls, the added value is to make international collaboration possible for these national/regional programmes, whereby every project participant will be funded by the funding organisation of their own country or region.

In CORNET at least two countries/regions that have a funding organisation participating in the CORNET call need to submit a joint proposal requiring three entities per applicant:
 
  1. SME association, organization or group, that submits and coordinates the project
  2. Research and Technology Organisation (RTO), that is (sub-)contracted to perform the research activities
  3. User Committee consisting of min. 5 SMEs per country, which guides the research, ensures the pre-competitive character and benefits from the results.

The specific competencies of the various countries/regions are combined to build up a level of knowledge and know-how, which could not be obtained by one single participant or by a set of individual participants working in parallel. There is no thematic focus in the CORNET Calls for Proposals. The call follows a bottom-up approach: every topic that supports SMEs in their innovation efforts is welcome

The main types of targeted activities are:
  • industrial research and development
  • applied research and development

The main eligibility criterion is that proposals address Collective Research, meaning:
  • It serves the need of a wide grouping of companies, mostly SMEs
  • Knowledge transfer (dissemination) is an integral part of Collective Research
  • Collective Research is pre-competitive, meaning research and development in which there is collaboration but no competition.

A second essential criterion is to demonstrate clearly the significant added value, when performing the research on an international scale.

Every project participant is funded by their own country/region funding organisation, according to their specific rules, for Swiss-based applicants the Swiss Federal Office of Energy SFOE. The application has to be in line with the research topic laid out in the master plan of energy research established by the SFOE. It is recommended to contact the head of the appropriate research programme well before submitting a complete application.

Duration: max. 24 months

Funding:
  • Maximum funding for Swiss-based applicants: not specified
  • Eligible costs: personnel, travel & subsistence, equipment, material, consumables, equipment depreciation, subcontracting costs / expenditures that are not part of R&D

Submission:
Submission by the coordinator of the consortium on CORNET Submission Tool, and parallel submission by each partners to their own national/regional funding organization using the local application template and referring to the CORNET project proposal.

Applications for financial support of the Swiss research contribution can only be considered if submitted in the official SFOE template, with a draft of the full CORNET proposal and other relevant information 30 days prior to the deadline of the CORNET call

Deadlines:
  • 28 September 2022 at 12 p.m. noon (CET).
  • For Swiss researchers, the deadline for submission to SFOE is 28 August 2022.

For further information, please have a look at the call webpage, call guidelines, application templates, National Eligibility Criteria, guidelines for Swiss applicants or past supported projects

 

Practical information

  • General public
  • Free

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