Funding Opportunity for the creation of a Pan-European Innovation Platform for start-ups in knowledge intensive services

17 July, 2007

This call, launched under the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme (CIP) concretizes the EC's announcement of a "more pro-active approach in the creation and support of young innovative SMEs in the service sector" made in the September 2006 Communication on Innovation.

The overall objective of the European Innovation Platform for knowledge Intensive Services (KIS-Platform) is to foster technological as well as non-technological innovation (organisational innovation) in services, taking into account the dynamic interconnections between research, skills, entrepreneurship, finance and clusters. In order to maximise the potential impact, it will particularly address the needs and specificities of potential high growth ventures active in KIS, which represents the most challenging segment, but also the most rewarding one in terms of economic growth and value added. In this sense, it should be considered as a test-case for wider application in other areas. Based on a one-stop-shop approach, sectoral networks will offer integrated support packages to young promising growth firms active in knowledge intensive services. The networks will be built on public private partnerships connecting the research, incubation, financing and clusters angle. The KIS-Platform is supposed to be implemented through a public private partnership, based on a sectoral networking approach (strand 1) complemented with horizontal support services (strand 2).

Other Europe INNOVA themes expected to follow in 2008-2009 are greening industries, lead markets and cluster co-operation.

The maximum budget allocated for the operation is: €5.000.000

Final date for submission: 07 September 2007

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