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Grant Analysis

Purpose & Target

The SMART ERA 1st Open Call for Pilots Add-ons aims to transform rural areas by fostering sustainable development and growth through the application of advanced technology and innovative solutions. It seeks to empower rural communities and 'smart villages' to innovate for societal change.

Single, clear statement of grant's core objective: To select Technology/Solution Providers to develop innovative solutions addressing socio-economic and environmental challenges in specific rural pilot regions.
Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Individual entities acting as Technology/Solution Providers. Organizational size is not explicitly defined, but generally targets smaller to medium-sized enterprises or startups capable of developing and deploying technological solutions.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': This grant is SECTOR-SPECIFIC, focusing on solutions for rural development and smart villages.
Geographic scope and any location requirements: The program is EU-funded. Solutions must address challenges defined for 6 specific Pilot Regions within the SMART ERA Project. Applicants are expected to be from EU Member States.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Must be a Technology/Solution Provider, propose an innovative solution, and address a specific challenge within one of the 6 SMART ERA Pilot Regions.
Grant frequency and program context: This is the '1st Open Call', suggesting potential for future calls. It is part of the broader SMART ERA project, which is an EU-funded initiative.

Financial Structure

Each selected individual Solution Provider will receive up to €60,000.
Funding is disbursed in stages:
Stage 1: Up to €10,000 after approximately 2 months upon completion of an Individual Mentoring Plan and Design Report.
Stage 2: Up to €50,000 after approximately 7 months upon completion of a Technical Solution.
The grant amount is fixed at a maximum of €60,000 for successful completion of the program.
There are no explicit matching fund requirements or co-financing obligations mentioned.
Eligible and ineligible costs are not detailed; applicants should assume standard EU project cost eligibility rules apply unless specified otherwise in the full 'Guide of Applicants'.
Currency: EUR.

Eligibility Requirements

Organizational Type and Legal Status

Individual entities acting as Technology/Solution Providers are eligible.
The term 'individual entities' refers to legal persons, typically private companies such as SMEs, startups, or other businesses providing technological solutions.

Geographic Requirements

Applicants must be based in an EU Member State (inferred from 'EU-funded project').
Proposed solutions must be applicable within or address challenges specific to one of the 6 Pilot Regions of the SMART ERA Project.

Project Focus and Scope

Proposals must clearly focus on addressing one of the Challenges that the SMART ERA Consortium has defined for the 6 Pilot Regions.

Exclusion Criteria

Consortium applications are not explicitly excluded, but the call explicitly states it will select 'individual entities', implying single applicants are preferred or required. (Further clarification would be needed if applying as part of a consortium).

Application Process

Application Procedure

Submission is via the online 'OC application form'.
The selection process is a five-step evaluation:
Step 1: Eligibility criteria check.
Step 2 (if necessary): Alignment check with project objectives and scope.
Step 3 (if necessary): Pre-scoring process.
Step 4: Experts' evaluation based on criteria (details in Guide of Applicants).
Step 5: Final decision by the Selection Committee after 'Pitching Days'.

Key Dates and Deadlines

Application deadline: 2025-11-04 15:00:00+0000.
Project start date for selected beneficiaries: 2025-08-28T00:00:00.000+0000 (This seems to be a general project start date, not necessarily specific to all beneficiaries).

Project Implementation Timeline

Grant duration: 9 months for the support program.
Stage 1 (On-boarding Phase): Up to 2 months.
Stage 2 (Deployment Phase): Up to 7 months.

Required Documentation and Deliverables

An application form submission.
An 'Individual Mentoring Plan' (including planned activities, KPIs, milestones, and budget) and a 'Design Report' for Stage 1.
A 'Technical Solution Completed' for Stage 2.

Application Support and Resources

An 'OC helpdesk email' is available for support.
The 'Project website' provides additional information.
Refer to the 'Guide of Applicants section 4' for detailed information on the selection process and criteria.

Post-Award Requirements

Beneficiaries must participate in a 9-month 'Support Programme' with mentoring from SMART ERA Technical Partners.
Deliverables as per Stage 1 and Stage 2 must be met to receive funding installments.

Evaluation Criteria

The selection process involves several steps, including an expert evaluation, but the specific scoring factors or detailed evaluation criteria are not provided in the supplied grant document. Applicants should refer to 'Guide of Applicants section 4' for further information. General Evaluation Steps (Specific criteria not detailed in source)

Proposals will be checked against eligibility criteria (Step 1).
Alignment of the proposal with project objectives and scope will be assessed (Step 2).
A pre-scoring process may be performed (Step 3).
Experts will evaluate proposals (Step 4).
A Selection Committee will make final decisions after 'Pitching Days' (Step 5).

Compliance & Special Requirements

Specific Project Focus

Solutions must target 'rural areas' and contribute to 'smart villages' concepts.
Projects must address specific socio-economic and environmental challenges defined by the SMART ERA Consortium for its 6 Pilot Regions.

Support Programme Engagement

Participation in the 9-month Support Programme, including mentoring from SMART ERA Technical Partners, is mandatory.

Innovation Requirement

The call seeks 'innovative solutions' and the development of 'advanced technology'. This implies a preference for novel approaches or significant improvements over existing solutions.

Reporting and Monitoring

The staged payment structure implies regular reporting and successful completion of defined milestones (Individual Mentoring Plan, Design Report, Technical Solution Completed) for fund release. Specific reporting requirements beyond these deliverables are not detailed.

General Compliance

As an EU-funded project, general EU regulations regarding data protection, ethical standards, and financial compliance are implicitly required, though not explicitly detailed in the provided grant summary. Applicants should consult the full Guide of Applicants for comprehensive details.

Grant Details