General Info Day presentation of Seeds of Bravery project
13 March 2024 — “Seeds of Bravery” сonsortium launches a series of information days with the first online event successfully held online.
Organized by the consortium members FundingBox Accelerator (FBA), Ukrainian Startup Fund (USF), and Cyberinnovate (INN), the Info Day #1 provided an extensive overview of the opportunities and support available to Ukrainian startups and SMEs operating in the deep-tech domain.
Maria Karpiłowska, the Project Manager at FBA, Yana Paladiieva, the Head of Projects and Programs at USF, and Sviatoslav Sviatnenko, the co-founder of Innov8 and founder of Mission Possible, introduced the initiative, emphasizing its importance in supporting Ukraine’s recovery. The “Seeds of Bravery” project, funded by the European Union under the European Innovation Council (EIC), aims to bolster Ukraine’s position in the European innovation ecosystem, focusing on sectors critical to the nation’s reconstruction, including cybersecurity, healthcare, industry, education, agriculture, mobility and energy.
The initiative offers equity-free funding (up to €60 000) along with assistance in attracting new investors, networking, and training to facilitate Ukrainian startups’ fast track access to EU markets. Moreover, it seeks to provide business creation, support acceleration programs, offer business advisory and coaching services, and conduct promotional activities. “Seeds of Bravery” is powered by a consortium of 19 partners, including 17 partners and 2 associated ones.
Expected outcomes of the project include the continuity and growth of Ukrainian tech startups, integration into the European Innovation Ecosystem, support for deep-tech companies, increased visibility of female entrepreneurs, and the development of innovative solutions for rebuilding Ukraine.
More specifically “Seeds of Bravery” expects:
1. To ensure the business continuity of the Ukrainian tech startups and SMEs and their growth including through increased participation in EIC activities. €12 million in non-refundable grants and access to additional activities should provide immediate support for innovation and business development.
2. The integration of Ukrainian startups and SMEs to the European Innovation Ecosystem, providing opportunities to interconnect with key innovation stakeholders and networks across Member States and HORIZON Associated Countries.
3. To support deep-tech Ukrainian companies (startups and SMEs), as well as founders, innovators, and tech-workers to identify European market needs, set up new business or expand their existing ones. As a result of the project, 200 innovative deep tech companies will get financial support and acquire necessary knowledge and entrepreneurial skills.
4. To increase participation and visibility of female entrepreneurs within UA and EU Innovation Ecosystems.
5. To increase the number of innovative solutions to Rebuild Ukraine.
The funding programs that will help to achieve the project goals outlined during the Info Day include:
- Business and Innovation Services (up to €10 000)
- Innovative Entrepreneurship (up to €25 000)
- Rebuild Ukraine (up to €25 000)
- Deep Tech Scale-up and Acceleration (up to €25 000)
- Deep Tech Incubators (up to €50 000)
Cut-off dates for applications span throughout the year, offering multiple opportunities for startups to get involved. Eligibility for the project extends to innovative tech SMEs, startups and scaleups working on innovative solutions, services or products.
During QA-session speakers also provided comprehensive insights into the application and evaluation processes and answered following questions from participants:
- What are the terms of the application revision?
Once applicants submit a full proposal and a cut-off date passes, the transparent evaluation process starts. It consists of a few steps:
- In/Out Scope Screening to check whether the submitted proposals are within the scope of the programme a company is applying for.
- Independent evaluation to evaluate the proposals after each cut-off date within the defined categories and provide explanations for the scores. Each application is evaluated by 2 independent experts, one Ukrainian and one non-Ukrainian.
- Consensus meeting with consortium members. For programmes 4 and 5 there are also Jury Days after.
- Ethical assessments of the selected proposals.
- Subgrant agreement.
In general, the process of evaluation from the cut-off date until the signing subgrant agreement takes a minimum 2 months.
- Is it possible to submit the application if the project works in the industry not prioritised in the Guide for Applicants?
The list of sectors is not exhaustive, and although the categories mentioned are prioritised, “Seeds of Bravery” invites projects to apply if they meet other eligibility criteria.
- Can a platform that connects children with sponsors who provide targeted stipends for education, sports, and development be a target startup for the “Seeds of Bravery” project?
Such platforms could be considered as a EdTech solution, contingent upon the proposal’s ability to describe the innovative and scientific depth of the project. The importance of providing comprehensive details in the proposal was stressed to ensure a clear understanding by the evaluators.
- Platform technical issues were faced. Was the application received and reviewed?
Initial technical challenges due to high user traffic at the first cut-off date were acknowledged. All submitted proposals were reviewed based on the eligibility criteria, with none of them being rejected because of technical issues. The USF team provides constant support and tries to solve all problems as soon as possible.
- Can a founder apply as a sole proprietor or an individual? What taxes will need to be paid in this case?
Sole proprietors are eligible to apply as registered entities. As for taxes – beneficiaries (projects selected through the Seeds of Bravery initiative) will have to comply with the local tax regulations in the country where the company is registered.
- Is it necessary to include proposals from three different suppliers in the budget section? Or is it acceptable to specify only the verified service providers with whom we have already developed an MVP and plan to continue collaboration?
Only one comprehensive offer needs to be included, with the provision to present additional offers upon request. In the case of the Business and Innovation Services programme an official offer from a potential provider must be included for the consortium to see a correlation between the budget and the value of the offer. If the applicant provides only a link to a website or an offer without any price value, it will not be considered as a valid offer.
- Is it possible to apply for several programmes?
Applying to several programs is permissible if an applicant does not exceed the overall funding limit of EUR 60,000, and considers other specific program requirements.
- Does a company need to create a new bank account to receive grants?
In general, there is no requirement for creating an EU bank account, however if applicants do not provide it, the cost of the currency conversion will be on them.
- Is it possible to work with foreign contractors on the realisation of the project? Or only Ukrainian companies are allowed?
Applicants can work with EU member states or Horizon Europe Associated Countries when applying for the Business and Innovation Services programme.
- Where a list of services that are provided under the Deep Tech Scale-Up programme can be found and can they be included in the costs estimate?
The list of services that are provided can be found in the Guide for Applicants. To access it, go to the Documents section in the bottom of a page: getonepass.eu/opportunities/uaseed/
In the annex about Business and Innovation Services programme all available services are listed. As for services under the Deep Tech Scale-Up programme, they will be provided by Seeds of Bravery consortium members and partners and are considered as non-financial support. That means that such services should not be included in the budget.
- There is reimbursement in the Innovation Services programme. Is it applied to other programmes as well?
No, for other programmes there will be a payment schedule. The funding will be paid in installments based on the milestone review. The whole process is also described in the Guide for Applicants for each specific programme.
To watch the video recording of the Info Day #1, please follow the link:
The initiative will continue to engage and inform participants through a series of subsequent Info Days, focusing on different facets of the Seeds of Bravery project:
- Info Day №2: Business & Innovation Services and Innovative Entrepreneurship
- Info Day №3: Deep Tech Incubators
- Info Day №4: Rebuild Ukraine
- Info Day №5: Deep Tech Scale-up and Acceleration
Do not miss the upcoming events!
Funded by the European Union, under the European Innovation Council (EIC). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be held responsible for them. The UASEEDs project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme under grant agreement No 101104445.