Helping leverage networking of European bioeconomy ecosystem

Description

Mandatory actions of OC1 and OC2 To be successful in the selection process, applicants must complete mandatory actions throughout the implementation of the COPILOT project (December 2024 – September 2026). The following section outlines the mandatory actions for selected applicants in OC1 and OC2. Open Call 1: Call4BioPlants - mandatory actions: To prepare a comprehensive plan including applications (possible/proposed content, timings...) on all below mentioned actions and activities to be performed during the project execution. To register on the Pilots4U powered by Copilot Platform Organise 1h online webinar in the area of specialization or expertise of the respective PDI. The PDI will propose the content and date for the webinar, which will be evaluated by the COPILOT consortium and decided upon by mutual agreement. The webinar will be part of the Scale-Up & Growth program, and a recording will be made available on the COPILOT platform. Take active part (attend & pitch) in PITCH PERFECT AND BOOST THE EUROPEAN BIOECONOMY 2024 event (2nd and 3rd December 2024 in Brussels). Take part in further online co-creation workshops organised by the COPILOT consortium in the period from May to September 2025. Take part in the co-creation workshops (4th December 2024 in Ghent) organised by the COPILOT consortium. Remark: Free bus transport will be organised by COPILOT on December 4th, 2024: Brussels Airport - Ghent - Brussels Airport. (Online) testing of the beta-version of the newly developed, improved and future-prove "Pilots4U powered by COPILOT" platform as well as its Business Model. Organise a study visit (including catering tea, coffee, lunch, snacks...) of the facility of the respective PDI including a dedicated scale-up related training session jointly organised with the study visit (max. 4 hours in total) Promotional activities of the project Final report on the activities carried out Open Call 2: Call4BioInnovators - mandatory actions: To prepare comprehensive plan (including all below mentioned actions) of actions and activities to be performed during the project execution To register in the Pilots4U/Copilot Platform Take part in min. 1 (one) 1h online webinar organised by a PDI in the framework of the COPILOT Scale-Up & Growth programme Take active part (attend & pitch) in the PITCH PERFECT AND BOOST THE EUROPEAN BIOECONOMY 2024 event (2nd and 3rd December 2024 in Brussels). Take part in further online co-creation workshops organised by the COPILOT consortium in the period from May to September 2025. Take part in the co-creation workshops (4th December 2024 in Ghent) organised by the COPILOT consortium. Remark: Free bus transport will be organised by COPILOT on December 4th, 2024: Brussels Airport - Ghent - Brussels Airport. (Online) testing of the beta-version of the newly developed, improved and future-prove "Pilots4U powered by COPILOT" platform as well as its Business Model. Take part in min. one study visit (of the PDI of your choice) including a dedicated scale-up related training session jointly organised with the study visit (max. 4 hours in total) Promotional activities of the project Final report on the activities carried out Detailed information regarding among others definition of done of those mandatory tasks can we found in the "COPILOT Open Calls Annex 1: Guidelines for Applicants (OC1, OC2)", available on a COPILOT website copilot-project.eu.

Beneficiary & submission

Objectives and requirements: The main objective of the COPILOT open calls is to engage Open Access Pilot and Demo Infrastructures (OC1) and Bioeconomy Innovators (OC2). These entities will be involved into the project’s activities and benefit from the community through training opportunities, study visits, and involvement in the co-creation of a Europe-wide database of bioeconomy-based open-access infrastructures. To be selected within the OC framework, entities from OC1 and OC2 must, identify their technology area, and perform several mandatory actions to contribute to project development, as detailed in the "COPILOT Open Calls Annex 1: Guidelines for Applicants (OC1, OC2)". In general, the funding programme aims to facilitate the access of innovators to scale-up and growth by offering three different types of open calls: Stimulation and empowerment of the PDIs through co-creation dynamics and testing of the COPILOT business model – Call4BioPlants (OC1) Creation and cultivation of a vibrant community that harmonizes supply and demand, supported by enabling stakeholders and supporting services to ensure the proper development of bioeconomy innovations – Call4BioInnovators (OC2) Open Call 3: Voucher Network Program: will finance max 100 eligible entities in the amount of €500 each. *Just an informative note. The dedicated OC3 will be launched later in a project. Funding scheme: A total of €200.000 has been budgeted for open calls planned within the COPILOT project. The division of funds between planned open calls within the COPILOT project is as follows: Open Call 1: Call4BioPlants: will finance max. 10 eligible entities in the amount of €6.000 each. Open Call 2: Call4BioInnovators: will finance max. 15 eligible entities in the amount of €6.000 each. Means of submission: The COPILOT Open Call page on the F6S platform (https://www.f6s.com/copilot-open-call) will be the entry point for the submission of all applications to the COPILOT open calls. Any application submitted through other channels will be automatically rejected. Application reparation and submission: The following steps must be completed to successfully submit application in the COPILOT open calls: Register on the F6S platform. The F6S platform will be the central interface for managing the applications during the open call. Get familiar with the documentation http://copilot-project.eu/. All documents included in the dedicated project website and on F6S platform bind for the COPILOT open calls and should be treated as one. Fill in all necessary information indicated as necessary in the dedicated website on F6S platform. Submit only if you are sure that all needed documents are attached and included. Submit only within a dedicated timeline for submission of application open call submission 12 August 2024 - 10 October 2024 (17:00 CET). Application evaluation and selection The evaluation of applications will be conducted internally by the COPILOT consortium. To ensure objectivity, applications will be anonymised and reviewed by COPILOT project partners, thereby avoiding any conflicts of interest. This process guarantees transparency and efficiency. The subsequent section outlines the detailed process of evaluation and selection. Step 1: Eligibility verification The eligibility check will be conducted by the COPILOT consortium according to the eligibility criteria described in section guidelines for applicants. That step can finish with: Rejection letter stating that the applicant is not eligible. No additional feedback will be given. Moving application to step 2. Step 2: COPILOT consortium remote evaluation of application All applicants passing the eligibility check will pass to the next evaluation step. Evaluation: The COPILOT consortium will review each application and prepare an Evaluation Summary Report (ESR) where they will score and comment the following evaluation criteria: Applicant Profile & Proposed Concept (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants should demonstrate the value, services, and technology area relevant to the open call (PDIs or BIs) and their impact on the COPILOT platform. Motivation (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants should explain their motivation for joining the co-creation process and the unique benefits they offer. Team Skills & Expertise (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants must showcase their capacity, skills, expertise, and commitment, confirming they have the resources to perform mandatory actions. Implementation (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants need to present a coherent, feasible, and ambitious plan, providing evidence of the necessary skills, infrastructure, and management experience. Ambition & Scalability Potential (Threshold 3; score 1-5): Applicants must define their ambition and set clear expectations aligned with open call objectives, articulating desired outcomes and scalability benefits for the COPILOT project. Score definition regarding evaluation process varies as follows: score 1 – meaning application is not a fit with a selected evaluation criteria,  score 5 – meaning application is the excellent fit with a selected evaluation criteria scores in the middle of 1 and 5 are set as a scale. This step can be finished with: If needed, an online interview with the applicant will be organised with the aim to clarify unclarities in the application. The interview aims to gain a deeper understanding of the project concept, team skills and competence, capacity, and willingness to exploit the results. If applicants fail to commit to the representations made in their application form during the interview, they will be declassified.  2.Rejection letter stating that the application has not be accepted 3.Moving application straight to step 3: Consensus meeting Step 3: Consensus meeting  The COPILOT consortium aims to engage applicants from OC1 and OC2, ensuring diversity in both technological and geographical presence to achieve balance and representativity. This step can finish with: Creating final list of applications and move to step 4: Final selection Step 4: Final selection  At the end of the evaluation process, all applications will be ranked based by the COPILOT consortium on their scores. The list of accepted applications at remote evaluation will be published as well as the information about the non-eligible applications. All applicants will be informed about the evaluation results. This step can finish with: Publication of the whole list of eligible applicants with their points

Further information

Links and communication channels: Here, we have gathered all necessary information important for applicants: Website with all necessary documents Application form on F6S page Discussion section in case you have any further questions