In October 2020, a UK NGO, working to empower disabled football fans, won EUR 400,000 from the Erasmus+ programme – Strategic Partnership in the field of sport.

The project started in January 2021 and the activities are expected to be completed within 3 years. Our client works with national football associations, national disabled supporters associations and leagues from Germany, Belgium and France to improve access and inclusion in football. The project is aimed to serve as a roadmap and supporting toolkit for other national associations, leagues and disabled fan groups across Europe and beyond to implement the project in their own countries. 

Our mutual collaboration does not stop here and another Erasmus+ application is on its way. This time, we are applying for an educational project, aimed at further strengthening access for disabled football fans in football internationally. 

In October 2020, the EU programme for Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) approved a project proposal from our Austrian client (EUR 526 000) aimed at launching a novel, catalytic financial instrument, accompanied by investment readiness and a capacity building programme.

In collaboration with 2 other organisations, our client will develop, test and finalise the financial instrument and a non-financial training programme targeting social entrepreneurs with a proven track record. This project will be implemented in 7 countries from the CEE region and will be personalised to their individual needs. 

The duration of the project is set to 24 months, starting from January 2021. At the end of the project the programme will be officially launched in front of key stakeholders and partners in order to ensure a multiplier effect and boost impactful investments. 

In the EIC Accelerator Pilot, our client managed to be among the 38 winning applicants. With their new project, they will revolutionise the solar power industry, bringing new, highly efficient, affordable and environmentally friendly solar components to the market.

The project has a total value of approx. EUR 2.5 million. Implementation started in early 2021 and will be completed within a 2-year period. Within this time-frame, advanced pilot testing will be executed and the technology will be optimised to reach a market-ready stage of development.

In Autumn 2020, our client from the microelectronics industry began implementation of a Horizon 2020 project with a value of EUR 2 million. The project intends to simplify the complexity of the production and supply chain process in the sector within a 3 year timeframe.

This is particularly important in the post-COVID 19 era as the market for electronic components has recently seen rapid growth. To achieve their goals, the consortium partners will undertake multiple pilots aimed at encouraging interoperability and agility, while simultaneously fostering collaboration between industrial and academic stakeholders.

In the last and the most competitive SME 1 instrument, a Macedonian SME won the financing needed to finalise toxicity testing for their innovative fire-suppression technology. This is the first Macedonian company that managed to individually receive financing from one of the EU’s most competitive funding programmes. 

Testing has been finalised with demonstrations in the field, with support from the Macedonian Fund for Innovation and Technological Development. The technology has completed a TRL 6, and awaits operational demonstration. To finalise development and to commercialise the solution, we requested support from the EIC Accelerator Open. The proposal has successfully passed the 1st stage of evaluation and is awaiting results from the 2nd stage.

In the past year, we have managed to obtain ceed financing from 3 different funding sources for one of the most innovative IT start-ups in North Macedonia. Our client has successfully completed  demonstration of 3 innovative visual AI tools with support from the Macedonian Fund for Innovation and Technological Development and the Swiss IME programme. We are now in the process of implementing a project financed by the EBRD Star Venture programme, which is aimed at preparing the organisation for commercialisation of their novel solutions.