Innovation projects have become a crucial activity across industries and sectors, and with the continued globalization of society an increasing part of these projects have also become international innovation projects. A special case in international innovation projects is the numerous EU innovations projects initiated every year. There are several kinds of EU projects, from mobility projects, the sharing of good practices, research projects and then there are innovation projects. Innovation projects are all about creating value and in order to qualify as an EU innovation project, your project needs to meet at least three fundamental and equally important criteria:
1: It has to be innovative
Perhaps you have an idea or see a new opportunity or perhaps you have a problem that you are not quite sure how to solve. If the idea, the opportunity or the solution to your problem involves developing new ways of doing things that constitute a break with previous practice, you might very well have an innovation project on your hand. Could be improving or replacing a product, a process or a service. Innovations often combine new knowledge or insights and existing knowledge, and draw inspiration from other industries, organizations, sectors, countries or something complete unrelated – perhaps art, craft or nature.
These projects is not necessarily about groundbreaking discoveries and research into the unknown, but about using our existing knowledge in new ways and thereby creating and implementing something that generates immediate value. These innovations can be big or small, they can represent a new globally or industry-wide approach, or they can be local, designed to create value in a specific context. Some innovations are groundbreaking game-changers and others are incremental and part of a step by step development over time. Nevertheless, they are all innovations creating value.
The ERASMUS+ programme even include what we might call “soft innovation”, that also included what is new in a specific context / geographical area or sharing of good practice to enhance pratice further. In any case, you might have something that can be turned into an EU project.
2: It has to be international (European added value)
Further, to be an EU project, your project needs to have an international dimension. That is, your project should be carried out by an international partnership and it should create not only local value, but “European added value”. That is, the project reflects broader European relevance, presenting models and mechanisms which can be applied not only regionally or nationally but also EU widely. In more formal wording, EU added value can be defined as “the value resulting from an EU intervention which is additional to the value that would have been otherwise created by member states alone”1 and can be assessed on the basis of the following 3 criteria:
• Effectiveness: It may be more effective where it is the only way to get results to create missing links, avoid fragmentations, and realise the potential of border-free Europe.
• Efficiency: It may also be more efficient where the EU offers better value for money because externalities can be addressed, resources or expertise can be pooled, and action can be better coordinated.
• Synergy: It may create synergies; where EU action is necessary to complement, stimulate, and leverage actions to reduce disparities, raise standards.
This can stem from different things. For example, the challenge is by nature European, where the solution and implementation require collaboration between several European stakeholders. It might also be that a pan-European implementation creates extra value and increases sustainability of the project, for example by supporting mobility or better market possibilities. It might also be that collaborating with relevant European partners and colleagues improves the knowledge base of the project. A third example might be that due to the nature of the challenge, a project that spans several contexts could make it easier to develop a good solution – eg. it could make it easier to see what is generic and what is context bound. These are just examples of EU added value, but whatever your challenge, there need to be a good reason for turning yourinnovation project into a European innovation project. The specific requirement for numbers of partners from different countries will appear from the calls or programmes.
3: It has to support EU priorities
Last but not least the purpose and the expected outcome of your innovation project should resonate with the European priorities that the EU pursue through the different initiatives and programmes supporting European Innovation projects including for example ERASMUS+, Horizon Europe, Interreg, Digital Europe etc. The specific terms, eligible activities and specific priorities can be found in the programme guides, call texts and supporting communication often referred to in these documents. Frankly speaking, it’s a bit of a jungle, so it might be a good idea to seek some help to navigate the possibilities. In Denmark it could be from EU-DK support, your regional office or perhaps internal support in your organization.
Only when all three aspects come together will your challenge be eligible for EU funding. And only if your project is well thought out and designed, based on a proper needs analysis, a relevant knowledge base with a coherent methodology and not least with a competent staffing of the project.
Project brief
You can use the template below to descripe your project idea and get an overview of the background, needs, expected deliverables and scope of the project activities as well as the expected timing and budget.
If you are located in the region of South Denmark, the South Denmark EU Office provides free support on your project and you are welcome to contact me for comments and support. Many other regions in Europe have similar services that you can consult for free.
1European Commission SWD (2015) 124 final, p. 3
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