The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent EU body contributing to the objectives set out in Horizon 2020, in particular by addressing societal challenges in a manner that is complementary to other initiatives in these areas. EIT brings together the "knowledge triangle" of business (including SMEs), education and research to form dynamic cross-border partnerships, the so-called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs).  These KICs strengthen cooperation among European innovators and entrepreneurs, and they create favourable environments for creative ideas and new solutions to emerge. Since 2010 six KICs have been launched: EIT Climate-KIC; EIT Digital; EIT InnoEnergy; EIT Health; EIT Raw Materials and EIT Food. In 2018 EIT is launching two new KICs: 1) EIT Manufacturing strengthening and increasing the competitiveness of Europeกฏs manufacturing industryHigh value or added-value manufacturingProduct and service innovationProcess excellenceHigh brand recognitionEnvironmentally friendly solutionsSustainability2) EIT Urban Mobility smart, green and integrated urban transportGreener, more inclusive, safer, smarterNew mobility conceptsTransport...

The World Bank Group has launched a preparation process for its new partnership framework with Poland. The process involves consultations with different stakeholders, including the government, international financial institutions, civil society and private sector, to exchange views on the country’s development opportunities and how the World Bank Group can help address them.

Schuman Associates has created an overview of some key events and announcements for the coming year. Whether you are interested in the Future of the EU after Brexit, Artificial Intelligence or the progress of Member States in terms of economic, fiscal and social policies, there is something for everyone.

Schuman Associates is delighted to be part of the ‘Winning Business in Africa’ initiative supported by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. Together with Ibec we have built a portal of opportunities totalling 8.5 BEUR of EU funding projects in Africa. The web portal provides information on the opportunities available. Accompanying advice and networking opportunities will allow Irish companies to form clusters and get involved in projects.

The Commission adopted today  a Strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans', reaffirming the European perspective for countries in the region and encouraging them to continue with comprehensive reforms needed to fulfill the technical condition of EU membership. In addition, it announced 6 flagship initiatives in areas of rule of law, security and migration, transport and energy, digital agenda, socio-economic development and good neighbourly relations. The initiatives will be supported by providing additional resources and funding under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

The Winning Business in Africa project is a joint initiative between Ibec, Schuman Associates and the Irish Department for Foreign Affairs and Trade. It aims to provide Irish companies with relevant information on EDF contracts in Africa in order to facilitate and increase their participation in the tendering process. The portal contains more than 460 projects worth in excess of €8.5 billion in opportunities. For more information on WBIA click here. Schuman Associates will be delighted to showcase the WBIA portal together with some success stories from its user community on 13 February in Dublin.

European Week of Regions and Cities (EWRC) also known as the “Open Days” is an annual four-day event held in Brussels during which cities and regions showcase their best practices in relation to their capacity to implement the European Union cohesion policy on various levels.

Each year the Committee of Regions as main institutional organizer selects different themes for the events that are attended by approximately 6,000 participants. 

 In 2018, the Commission will make comprehensive proposals for the next generation of financial programmes for the post-2020 Multiannual Financial Framework, which is the EU's long–term budget. This consultation is an integral part of the process and its objective is to collect the views of all interested parties on how to make the most of every euro of the EU budget.

The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are financial tools set up to implement the regional policy of the European Union. They aim to reduce regional disparities in income, wealth and opportunities. Europe's poorer regions receive most of the support, but all European regions are eligible for funding under the policy's various funds and programmes. 

Image Source: European Commission

The EU External Investment Plan (EIP) will leverage up to EUR 44 bn in private investments across Africa and the EU Neighbourhood until 2020. The key financial instrument of the EIP is the European Fund for Strategic Investment (EFSD) – an EU guarantee worth EUR 4.1 bn designed to back up risky investments that otherwise will not happen.

At the end of October, the European Commission published the final Work Programmes for Horizon 2020, covering the budgetary years 2018, 2019 and 2020 and representing an investment of around €30 billion.

Current and future initiatives supporting the development of sustainable energy in third countries through EU external aid funding instruments were presented in Brussels on 21 November in the context of a Sector Seminar organized by the Czech Permanent Representation to the EU and CEBRE, the Czech Business Representation to the EU. The event gathered over 100 companies from 14 different Member States as well as representatives from the EU Commission, the EIB, AFD, the Electrifi imitative and the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme.

The European Commission’s DG Connect has launched the Digital Opportunity pilot project to provide digital internships to students across Europe.

What do you need to know?

Brussels Invest & Export invited Schuman Associates to present at their event on 18th October in Belgrade. The aim of the event is to present the Brussels' economic environment and a wide range of opportunities it offers. Not only is Brussels the capital and the largest city in Belgium, but it also hosts a number of European and International Organizations. It is a place where policies are decided that impact businesses both in and beyond the European Union. 

Following the adoption of the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD), members of the EFSD Strategic Board convened for the first time in Brussels on the 28th of September to discuss overall strategy and investment areas, the so-called ‘investment windows’ that will define the Fund’s priority sectors.

12 months after the announcement of the ambitious EU External Investment Plan, President Junker in his State of the Union Address 2017 called upon all Member States to show solidarity by increasing their aid commitment to Africa. When speaking about the pressures several Member States are experiencing under the growing number of migrants coming from Africa, the President highlighted the role of different financial instruments that the EU has put in place to manage the migration flows.

While the last cut-off dates of the 2017 SME Instrument call for proposals are approaching, it is already time to look ahead and share some details about what applicants should expect by the new calls to be launched under the 2018-2020 Work Programmes.

Schuman Associates analysed a draft version of the new European Innovation Council pilot WP 2018-2020 that, on top of the SME Instrument, also include three other innovation support schemes: Fast Track to Innovation (FTI), FET Open and Inducement Prizes. All these schemes have been adapted to support market-creating innovation more effectively, also taking into account recommendations collected from the Horizon 2020 interim evaluation.

At the Western Balkans Summit in Trieste, Italy, the EU Commission and the regional partners agreed on seven new projects in transport and energy worth over 500 million euro, out of which 194 million euro are EU grants and loans from EBRD and EIB. The European Union is planning to allocate up to 1 billion euro by 2020 to key infrastructure projects in transport and energy of major importance to the region and its connectivity with the EU.

The 2017 European Development Days took place in Brussels between 7-8 June with over 8000 participants from the development community. One of the key topics of this year was digitalization in the development world as an enabler to achieve sustainable growth and accelerate the achievement of the UN 2030 SDG’s. In this sense, the EU signed the "New European Consensus on Development" which represents a new collective vision and plan of action to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development.

Schuman Associates participated in the Botswana Investment Forum hosted by H.E. Ambassador Outlule and organized by Connect Africa on 26 May 2017 in Brussels.

The event aimed at exchanging knowledge and experience on the investment opportunity in The Republic of Botswana. This included exploring and discussing vision 2036, the emerging innovation & startup ecosystem as well as the quality and effectiveness of business support structures in Botswana. Young entrepreneurs, investors and experts gathered in Brussels to share experiences, insights, and know-how, dishing out how to’s for potential investors, and inspiration for the rest.