IMPACT Accelerator - Connected Car - 2nd Call

Deadline: Oct 18, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

<IMPACT> Connected Car aims at creating value link-chains for innovation in the Connected Car Open Space, with vehicle, infrastructure and device and TelCo interactions and consumer and business services through one acceleration and Smartization programme.

<IMPACT> Connected Car will support over 60 disruptive SMEs and startups with up to 60,000€ per SMEs plus acceleration and coaching services, plus, the best-in-class performers (2 SMEs per call) will have access up to 200,000€ per SMEs through Crowd-funding Services1.

 

Furthermore, beyond the Open Call for grants, 2 SMEs will be awarded as Connected Car Super Stars where a prize of 15,000€ will be granted.

Through its open calls <IMPACT> Connected Car will create a portfolio of 64 disruptors of the CCI situated between TRL 7 “System prototype demonstration in operational environment” and TRL 9 “Actual system proven in operational environment”, which will act as beachheads in the creation of new value chains.

Selected companies would be able to participate in a 6-months Smartization Programme, led by key world class professionals and entrepreneurs, which will include:

• ●  Specialized on-site training and networking events oriented to help beneficiary SMEs in expanding their business.

• ●  Tailor-made coaching services, providing continued support throughout the whole process.

• ●  Access to technical services, Marketing services, Legal services, Talent Recruitment.

• ●  Crowdfunding Campaigns to support beneficiaries in raising additional funds.

<IMPACT> Connected Car is a high performance and equity free acceleration programme supported by <IMPACT> Connected Car consortium which brings together the following companies FundingBox, Automotive Technology Center of Galicia-CTAG , INSERO E-Mobility A/S, MOV’EO, Moravian-Silesian Automotive Cluster, Lubelski Park Naukowo - Technologiczny S.A, Fundació Barcelona Mobile World Capital , INTERNETSIA S.L., Polish Agency for Enterprise Development, Ferrovial Servicios, S.A., PSA Groupe, FIWARE Foundation, Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, THE SWAMP IOT FACTORY SL, Little Electric Car España, S.L, Eevo IO ApS, Argus Cyber Security, HEVO BV, among other big players.

IMPACT Connect Car is looking for SMEs and startups in the following challenges: Automotive, Infrastructure & building, Electronics, ICT & TelCo and the following transversal areas Mobility and Business & Consumer services.

For more information join the <IMPACT> Connected Car Community: http://impactconnectedcar.fundingbox.com/ and visit our website: http://www.impact- accelerator.com/connected-car/

 

Concerning the 2st Open Call will select up to 40 beneficiaries and finally up to 18 out of them will receive up-to those 60.000 €, after successfully complete the whole Smartization Programme, as described in Section 8 of this GfA and observed in the following graphic.

This means that up to:

• -  40 beneficiaries will pass to Stage 1 after the evaluation process in the Open Call (See section 5 on Selection Process) and receive 3.000 € of EU Grant

• -  22 out of previous 40 will pass to Stage 2 and receive 7000 € of EU Grant

• -  18 out of previous 22 will pass to Stage 3 and receive 50.000 € of EU Grant

• -  The final 18 beneficiaries will be able to receive up to 60.000 € if successfully completes all the Smartization Programme, as described in Guide for Applicants available at the Open Call website (3.000 € + 7.000 € + 50.000 €):

• -  Each beneficiary will receive the package of services during the smartization programme (described in Section 8 below)

 

(PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE)

 

Figure 1. Overview of IMPACT Connected Car Smartization Programme and correspondent funding through all stages

NOTE ABOUT FIGURE 1: The whole programme has a duration of 6 months, but stage 2 lasts 3 months and stage 3 lasts 4 months because there is an overlap between the last month of stage 2 and the first month of stage 3.

 

 

1. <IMPACT> Connected Car 2nd Open Call

This document summarizes the main characteristics of the second Open Call under the <IMPACT> Connected Car project, to be launched on 11 June 2018 with a closing deadline of 18 October 2018 at 17:00 (CET).

Please refer to the <IMPACT> Connected Car Website for more information about the program and to the ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (FAQs) for further information. You can apply here https://iccar- opencall2.fundingbox.com/.

 

2. Eligibility Criteria

2.1. Typeofbeneficiaries

The second Open Call welcomes applications from SMEs [legal person] participating on their own, only one SME per application (see following the SME definition).

All applicants shall be located in Eligible countries (see Section 2.2).

Definition of SME

A SME will be considered as such if it complies with the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC. As a summary, the criteria which define a SME are:

• Headcount in Annual Work Unit (AWU) less than 250; AND

• Annual turnover less or equal to 50 million € OR annual balance sheet total less or equal to 43 million €.

2.2. Eligible countries

Only SMEs legally established in any of the following countries (hereafter collectively identified as the ‘Eligible Countries’) will be eligible for the <IMPACT> Connected Car Smartization Programme, more information of the eligible countries here:

− The Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom.

 

− The Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the Member States: o Anguilla, Aruba, Bermuda, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Curaçao, Falkland Islands, French Polynesia, Greenland, Montserrat, New Caledonia, Pitcairn Islands, Saba, Saint Barthélémy, Saint Helena, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Turks and Caicos Islands, Wallis and Futuna.

− The Countries Associated to Horizon 2020: the latest information on which countries are associated, or in the process of association to Horizon 2020 can be found in the in the online manual at the following link2

− The following countries, except exclusion rules that might be applicable by H2020 programme in the deadline date of the open call (see footnote) and provided that natural or legal persons, groups or non-State entities are not covered by the Council sanctions in force. Please see: the consolidated list of persons, groups and entities subject to EU financial sanctions, available at http://eeas.europa.eu/cfsp/sanctions/consol-list_en.htm:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Angola, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Congo (Democratic People’s Republic), Congo (Republic), Costa Rica, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Buissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (Democratic Republic), Kosovo*, Kyrgyz Republic, Lao, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Palestine**, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Samoa, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Serbia, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, , Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

(* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/99 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence).
(** This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue).

 

2.3. Type of Activity

<IMPACT> Connected Car is strategically focused in 6 verticals, that have been identified in the field of Connected Car. These verticals are described below.

2.3.1. Connected Car: What is it?

Beyond these 6 verticals listed below, the projects are not limited to the proposed topics, but they have to demonstrate their impact on the Connected Car Space. For that, applicants will have a special field in the Application Form addressed to explain the relation of the solution to the “Connected Car Technology”, if it does not fit exactly with the pre-defined list of challenges / verticals above, e.g.:

Explain how you will favour the Digitalisation of Car Industry in relation to the 6 verticals defined in the IMPACT Connected Car Open Call or another area that you think that could leverage such digitalisation beyond the challenges defined in ICCar.

Concerning the Connected Car concept ICCAR is open to receive applications from solutions being applied to other mobility means, whenever they will explain how they would be applicable or transferable to the car, as main focus of the solutions to be supported by ICCAR. In those cases, the same section of the form described above (previous paragraph) will be used to make such a description by applicants.

More information about the Challenges and the “Connected Car concept”, in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) available at the open call website: https://iccar-opencall2.fundingbox.com/.

2.3.2. The 6 prioritised (not exclusive, as previously noted) verticals in ICCAR

Safety and security: the challenge is to develop functions that warn the driver of external hazards and internal responses of the vehicles to hazards.

o Collision avoidance (blind spot monitoring), intersection pilot, lane assistant, autonomous braking, traffic sign violation warning.

o Hazards warning.
o Emergency call (eCall).
o Protection of Vulnerable Road Users. o Cybersecurity;
o Stolen Vehicle Tracking and Recovery. o Roadside assistance.
o Pavement Conditions measurement. o Cybersecurity dedicated to Blockchain

● Driver assistance: the challenge is to use functions involving partially or fully automatic driving.

o Operational assistance or autopilot in heavy traffic, in parking or on highways. o 3D Cloud Based Navigation.
o Cruise control.
o Self-driving.

o Speed/distance advice.
o Artificial intelligence (AI) for Autonomous Drive

● Well-being: the challenge is to identify functions involving the driver’s comfort and ability and fitness to drive.

o Fatigue detection.
o Alco-lock.
o Seat Adjustment.
o Services/functions to active ageing or to disable persons. o Driver distraction alert.
o Driver health monitoring.

● Mobility management: the challenge is to use functions that allow the driver to reach a destination quickly, safely and in a cost -efficient manner.

o Current traffic info (floating car data/ITS). o Maps/street view.
o Journey Planner.
o Parking lot or garage assistance.

o Services to Electric Vehicles: Schedule charging slot, near charging stations and prices, estimate driving range/battery, home charging.

o Optimised Fuel consumption/Eco driving.
o Hazardous climatic conditions warning and driving tips. o Vehicle as part of the IoT.

● Vehicle management: the challenge is to seek solutions that aid the driver/car owner in reducing operating costs and improving ease of use.

o Vehicle conditions and service reminders. o Remote operation and SW updated.
o Transfer of usage data.
o Driver Performance Analytics.

o Electronic tolling and road usage.
o Car sharing/Car-pooling Systems, mainly for EV and PHEV use-cases
o Vehicle-to-Grid capabilities.
o Customer profiling. Promotions.
o For fleets: for loaf identification and characterization, for EV and PHEV use-cases.

o For maintenance of fleets: correspondence of the work order to the tools and protection equipment loaded into the vehicle.

o Vehicle Communication (V2X).
o Artificial Intelligence (AI) for personal assistant

● Infotainment: with this challenge, it is looked for functions involving entertainment of driver and passengers.

o Smartphone interface, mainly for EV and PHEV use-cases o WLAN hot spot.
o Internet services.
o Social media and networking
o Personal info management.
o Mobile office.
o Advertisement and Points of Interest, Trip info.
o Hotel/restaurant easy booking.
o In-vehicle secure open access service platform.

 

2.4. EnglishLanguage

English is the official language for <IMPACT> Connected Car open calls. Proposal must be in English in all its mandatory parts in order to be eligible. For videos, English should be used as spoken language, or at least the video must be properly subtitled in English. If the mandatory parts of the proposal are in any other language, the entire proposal will be rejected. If only non-mandatory parts of a proposal are submitted in a language different from English, those parts will not be evaluated but the proposal is still eligible.

English is also the only official language during the whole length of the acceleration process. This means that any requested deliverables will be admitted only if submitted in English.

2.5.  Multiple submissions are forbidden

Only one proposal per applicant can be submitted to <IMPACT> Connected Car in this open call. Applicants will be asked to confirm that ’they are not submitting any other proposal to this same Open Call’ in the Honour Declaration to be accepted before submitting the Application Form.

If more than one proposal per SME is identified by the <IMPACT> Connected Car team, only the first proposal which has been submitted in order of time, will be evaluated.

2.6.  Submissionsystem

Only proposals submitted through the Open Call submission tool [https://iccar- opencall2.fundingbox.com/.] within the Call duration will be accepted. Proposals submitted by any other means, will not be evaluated.

Only the documentation included in the application form (and in the attachments) will be considered by the Evaluators. It is Applicant ́s responsibility to include all the necessary information in the form.

Data provided should be actual, true and complete and should allow assessment of the proposal.

 

5. 2.8.  Non-overlapwithotheraccelerationprogramme

Only one proposal per applicant can be submitted to <IMPACT> Connected Car in this open call. Applicants will be asked to confirm that ’they are not submitting any other proposal to this same Open Call’ in the Honour Declaration to be accepted before submitting the Application Form.

If more than one proposal per SME is identified by the <IMPACT> Connected Car team, only the first proposal which has been submitted in order of time, will be evaluated.

Only proposals submitted through the Open Call submission tool [https://iccar- opencall2.fundingbox.com/.] within the Call duration will be accepted. Proposals submitted by any other means, will not be evaluated.

Only the documentation included in the application form (and in the attachments) will be considered by the Evaluators. It is Applicant ́s responsibility to include all the necessary information in the form.

Data provided should be actual, true and complete and should allow assessment of the proposal.

2.7.  Absence of conflict of interest

Applicants shall not have any potential conflict of interest with the <IMPACT> Connected Car selection process and during the Smartization programme. All cases of potential conflict of interest will be assessed case by case.

2.8.  Non-overlap with other acceleration programme

Applicants will have to take into account that they are not allowed to take part in another Acceleration Program, or other innovation programme that include mentoring and / or access to corporates (see description of ICCAR Smartization Programme services in SECTION 8.2) while participating in the <IMPACT> Connected Car Smartization Programme, which starts after the Selection process with the Grant Agreement signature and the Disruptive Bootcamp. This is expected to happen by mid-January 2019 (see approximative dates in SECTION 12, concerning the Open Call schedule).

 

The non-overlap with other acceleration programme will be specifically assessed by FundingBox, as coordinator of ICCAR together with each single applicant and analysed case by case but not during application process, but during the process of Signature of the Sub-Grant Agreement (SECTION 7), concretely, the period between mid-November 2018 (Invitation to sign the Sub-Grant Agreement and participate in the Bootcamp) and Mid-January 2019 (expected date for signature of the agreement and Disruptive Bootcamp participation).

As described in SECTION 7 the confirmed applicants which will be invited to sign the Sub-Grant Agreement have to confirm the following included in the Honour declaration accepted by proposed beneficiaries before submitting the Application Form:

“Beneficiaries will not take part in another Acceleration Program while participating in the <IMPACT> Connected Car Smartization Programme.”

Overlap means that programme analysed includes funding (ie equity free grant) and / or a set of services like those described in SECTION 8.2 of the GfA

Overlap DOES NOT mean that programme analysed outside of ICCAR Smartization Programme includes investment (ie non-equity free or VC), or being within one of the previous cases (funding or services overlap), the applicant involved in such a programme is not actively participating on it, because is involved in landing off stages, like submitting final deliverables / KPIs already achieved or attending no more than one event within other acceleration programme (ie typical final pitching or Jury Day in the actually active programme during the ICCAR Smartization programme deployment)

Anyway, as described above, each single potential overlap will be assessed in the case by case during the Sub-Grant Agreement set up process, not before, so if the applicant company is still participating in one acceleration programme during the application timeline of ICCAR, it will not be automatically excluded from the selection process (described in SECTION 5)

Special note for beneficiaries in the 1st edition of the Smartization Programme:

Non-overlap with participation in other Acceleration Progamme, means also that beneficiaries from 1st Open Call of ICCAR in Stage 2 (Ignition Plan) and Stage 3 (Product Development) shall not participate in 2nd Open Call.

Therefore, beneficiaries from 1st Open Call in Stage 1 (Disruptive Bootcamp) can still apply to the 2nd Open Call of ICCAR. However, if these SMEs are selected in the 2nd open call, the final grant to receive by these beneficiaries, in case of successfully complete the 2nd edition of Smartization Programme, will be reduced conveniently to not overcome the total funding of 60,000€ per company (i.e. 57,000€, that would be reduced from the final payment, since these SMEs would have already received 3,000 € from their participation in Stage 1 of 1st ICCAR Smartization Programme).

 

2.9. Other

Applicant is not under liquidation or is not an enterprise under difficulty Accordingly to the Commission Regulation No 651/2014, art. 2.18,

Applicant’s Project is based on their original works and going forward any foreseen developments are free from third party rights, or they are clearly stated

Applicant is not excluded from the possibility of obtaining EU funding under the provisions of both national and EU law, or by a decision of both national or EU authority;

Applicant confirmed all statements embodied in the Declaration of honour and also the Information and Consent Sheets, included as annexes, considering the ethical issues that might arise concerning the gathering of personal data, during the application process.

 

3. <IMPACT> Connected Car projects types

Whilst Section 2 lists the minimum criteria that projects must comply in order to be eligible, <IMPACT> Connected Car partners will aim to select the most ambitious projects showing the highest potential as global businesses.

The <IMPACT> Connected Car Consortium is looking for high growth projects with an already existing market footprint (TRL 7, 8 or 9) and the ability to generate economic and societal value. Projects will have to show their potential to build new industrial value link-chains, as well as any partnership or commitment with a corporate or equivalent strategic partner.

Transversal criteria such as ‘Environment and low carbon economy contribution’ (e.g. reduction of greenhouse emissions), ‘Equal Opportunities’ (e.g. gender balance) and ‘Social Impact’ (e.g. job creation) will be taken into account in the final decision.

Transversal elements are recommended, but not mandatory. The more closely the projects match these criteria, the more likely they will be considered for funding.

The fulfilment of all eligibility criteria described in section 2 is mandatory.

4. Preparation and submission of the proposals

Proposals have to be submitted through the FundingBox online Platform https://iccar- opencall2.fundingbox.com/. which is linked to the <IMPACT> Connected Car website. Applications submitted by any other means will not be considered for funding.

Proposals will be submitted in a one step process via the online application which includes:

1. Project proposal: divided in 5 main sections:

1. Contact and legal info.

2. Project.

3. Team.

4. Business (General, Financials, Strategic Fit and Projection).

5. Technology.

2. Questions for statistical purposes: additional multiple-choice questions requested by the European Commission for statistical purposes.

3. Questions for Dissemination Strategy Monitoring: multiple choice questions requested by the Consortium related to where and how have known the project and Open Call.

4. Honour declaration on exclusion criteria and absence of conflict of interest to be accepted by SMEs or individuals being part of the project team.

5. Informed consent form on the acknowledge of participation of applicants in the open call, included on ANNEX 1 of this Guide, and whose clauses must be accepted by applicants in the on-line application form.

 

Evaluators will be instructed not to consider additional material which hasn’t been included and specifically requested in the online evaluation form. Data not included in the proposal will not be taken into account. Impact Connected Car makes it best effort to keep all provided data confidential, however, for the avoidance of doubt, the applicant is solely responsible to indicate its confidential information as such. Applicants are strongly recommended not to wait until the last minute to submit the proposal. Failure of the proposal to arrive in time for any reason, including extenuating circumstances, will result in rejection of the proposal. Applicants are solely responsible for verification of the completeness of the form. Data not included in the form will not be taken into account during assessment regardless of the reason for not being included.

 

5. Selection Process

The evaluation flow is as follows:

(PICTURE NOT AVAILABLE)

 

Figure 2. Open Call Flow until Stage 1 and Stage 2 (Details following)

5.1. Proposals reception.

Proposals will be submitted through FundingBox [https://iccar-opencall2.fundingbox.com/]. On receipt of each proposal, the system will send an Acknowledgment of receipt to the proposer.

 

5.2. Stage 1: Disruptive Boot Camp Evaluation and Selection process

a) General Eligibility Check

In order to be eligible for evaluation, applications will be checked for compliance with the following:

• Comply with all the ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA listed in Section 2.

• Be submitted through the FundingBox online platform https://iccar-opencall2.fundingbox.com/.

• Be submitted before the deadline. Applications must be submitted by the closing time and date of the contest round. The time recorded during the submission process of the FundingBox Platform, will be the official time of submission. Late proposals will not be evaluated.

Output: Eligible Applicants List.

 

Communication to participants: an automatic communication will be sent to eliminated proposal after the eligibility check. An individual communication will be sent to all participants passing the eligibility check.

b) Pre-scoring

Eligible proposals will then be AUTOMATICALLY SCORED by the FundingBox System according to the following criteria, scoring up to 100 percental points as follows:

• TEAM (30% Weight / 30 points)
  • o Team skills. Based on the “more and more varied skills, the best” (up to 15).
  • o Founders dedication to the project. Based on “the more committed dedication, the best” (up to 15)
• BUSINESS (30% Weight / 30 points)
  • o Traction in terms of stage of product development. Based on “the more developed, the best” (up to 20)
  • o Scalability. Based on the proved experience in the target market (up to 10)
• STRATEGIC FIT (40% Weight / 40 points)
  • o TRL, Technology Readiness Level. As described above, we expect products on TRL7 to TRL9 (up to 20)
  • o Partnership, having or in advanced stage of commitment with a corporate or any equivalent strategic partner and the purpose of such agreements, if any (up to 15)
  • o Investment. Amount of investment received, founders own equity and sources of money (up to 5)

 

For each item different levels will be defined (See detail in the Application Form). Each applicant will select the option that best describes the characteristics of its project in relation to each criterion.

The maximum points for each criterion, applying corresponding wages, and total sum is: o 9 for TEAM = 30 (e.g. Team Skills + Founders dedication to the project) * 30%
o 9 for BUSINESS = 30 (e.g. Traction + Scalability) * 30%
o 16 for STRATEGIC FIT = 40 (e.g. TRL + Partnership + Investment) * 40%

o 34 is the TOTAL MAXIMUM PRE-SCORING = 9 + 9 + 16

 

The threshold in <IMPACT> Connected Car 1st Open Call was: 23,8 points (70% of 34). The same threshold will be applied in the 2nd ICCAR Open Call.

The following table explains the rationale behind the maximum 34 points, distribution within pre- scoring that will be sent to applicants with their respective score:

(TABLE NOT AVAILABLE)

 

At least 50 and up to 250 (estimation depending on the final number of application received) of the top ranked applications will form the “Filtered List of Applicants” proposed for external evaluation.

Output: Filtered List of Applicants.

Communication to participants: Specific communication will be sent to the applicants eliminated from the process after the pre-scoring. An individual communication will be sent to all participants passing the pre-scoring with specifics on pre-scoring results.

 

c) External Evaluation

All applications in the Filtered List of Applicants will be assessed and scored by three INDEPENDENT EXPERTS (from the Experts Panel created by the <IMPACT> Connected Car consortium for each vertical/challenge), on the following criteria:

• ● Team.

• ●  Business Opportunity.

• ●  Strategic Fit.

 

Additionally, Transversal Criteria, will be taken into account in the final decision to rank finalist proposals, in case of score tying (see description below).

A detailed description of the three main evaluation criteria is offered below:

TEAM: the entrepreneur and his/her team have to demonstrate their management and leadership qualities, their ability to take a concept from ideas to market, their capacity to carry through their ideas and their understanding of the market dynamics they are trying to tap into. The team should be balanced, cross functional, be fully dedicated to the project and with a strong background and skills.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY will include:

• ●  Market attractiveness: applicants have to demonstrate the level of users, sales and profitability they expect to generate. This can be demonstrated using measurable indicators such as - engaged users, revenues, profits, expected evolution of the services or product.

• ●  Differentiation: applicants have to provide information about the degree of competition for their particular product/service and if the idea is disruptive and breaks the market. i.e. the products/services to be brought to market can be clearly differentiated from the competition.

• ●  Environmental threats: applicants have to assess the external aspects that may have impact in their project idea and how they expect to face it.

STRATEGIC FIT: <IMPACT> Connected Car looks for Start-ups which fit within the areas identified in Section 2.4. (see Section 3 for more details on the types of projects). Strategic fit will be evaluated taking into account specially the prospective technology.

Additionally, TRANSVERSAL CRITERIA such as ‘Environment and low carbon economy contribution’ (e.g. reduction of greenhouse emissions), ‘Equal Opportunities’ (e.g. gender balance) and ‘Social Impact’ (e.g. job creation) will be taken into account in the final decision.

The top-ranked proposals will be included in the “List of Pre-Selected Applicants” and passed to the individual external evaluation to be ranked for the next phase. Ties will be solved using the following criteria, in order:

• ●  Business Opportunity score.

• ●  Team score.

• ●  Strategic Fit Score.

• ●  Contribution to transversal criteria.

• ●  Date of submission: earlier submitted proposals go first.

Within this list of Pre-Selected Applicants, each evaluator will rank the application assigning a score from 0 to 7 for each criterion and produce an Individual Evaluation Report. The final score will be calculated as an average of the individual assessments provided by the Evaluators.

Output: list of Pre-Selected Externally Evaluated Applicants.

Communication to participants: Individual online communication will be sent to all discarded proposals with information about their final score.

d) Technical Evaluation before Consensus Meeting

The Evaluation panel will provide a list of a yes/no assessment of the previous list of Pre-Selected Externally Evaluated Applicant. The Evaluation panel will be composed by experts from CTAG, INSERO MOV’EO and ISDI, as responsible partners of the Business + Technical Coaching services, in order to assess if the pre-selected proposals specifically match with the set of services to be provided by involved partners along the Smartization Programme (See SECTION 8.2).

Output: list of Pre-Selected Externally and Technically Evaluated Applicants.

Communication to participants: Individual online communication will be sent to all discarded proposals with information about their final score.

e) Consensus Meeting

The Short List of Pre-Selected Applicants proposals will pass to the Consensus Meeting (estimated up to 55). The Consensus meeting will be attended by the Internal Committee composed by FBOX, CTAG, ISDI, CLUSTERS and Corporates. During the Consensus Meeting the ‘Internal Committee’ will decide the best proposals per challenge based on the external evaluation results and taking into account the selection criteria specified below:

• ● Team.

• ●  Business.

• ●  Strategic Fit.

 

Transversal criteria: ‘Environment and low carbon economy contribution’, ‘Equal Opportunities’ and ‘Social Impact’ will be considered in the final decision for instance: in case of a tie, projects with a female in the position of CEO, CFO or CTO will be prioritised to those without women or having women but not in management positions.

During the Consensus Meeting the <IMPACT> Connected Car Selection Team partners, by consensus, will decide the best proposals per vertical, that will be invited to the ‘Disruptors Boot Camp’ (see following points f, g and h). The selection will be based on the external evaluation results and taking into account the selection criteria specified above, namely considering those proposals that show a significant strategic fit with partners’ activities, and where <IMPACT> Connected Car partners believe they can add the most value during the acceleration process. Some applicants may be invited to an interview during the Consensus Meeting (by default it will be a web interview) when necessary to acquire essential information to take an informed decision. After this step, the final ranking will be computed.

Outputs: List of up to 40 Finalists and 15 applicants in reserve list (Total = 55)

Communication to participants: Individual online communication will be sent to all evaluated proposals. Additional information about next steps will be also sent to the List of Beneficiaries which will be asked to send further information about their projects.

f) Formal check, conclusion of the agreements

Finalists will be asked to deliver all necessary documents to sign the Agreement. See section 7 below. All finalist will have to accomplish with procedures and steps described in Section 7 Sub Grant Agreement Setup Process*

*NOTE: the initial Sub-grant Agreement will include the conditions for the access to forthcoming programme stages and funding support, as per described following.

Outputs:
List of 40 finalists invited to sign the agreement and participate in Disruptive Boot Camp

Reserve list of finalists to invite to the Disruptive Bootcamp in case of withdrawal of some invited finalists

Communication to participants: The online form with legal data requested will be sent to all chosen proposals.

 

g) Beneficiaries of Stage 1 Funding and Disruptive Boot Camp participation and jury day

A list of 40 Finalists Beneficiaries (hereafter, the “Beneficiaries”) will be invited to the Disruptive Boot Camp, a 3-day workshop where the selected SMEs will discover the challenges and business niches from the large companies. The third day of the Boot Camps will be devoted to the Jury Day.

The 40 Beneficiaries SMEs will participate in the Disruptive Boot Camp and will receive 3,000€, as a lump-sup addressed to pay travel and accommodation expenses, after participating in the Disruptive Bootcamp (as described in Section 8) and a certificate of participation will be issued with such an aim.

To receive such a sum, and before participating in the Disruptive Boot Camp, beneficiaries will have to accomplish with procedures and steps described in Section 7 Sub Grant Agreement Setup Process*

*NOTE: the initial Sub-grant Agreement will include the conditions for the access to forthcoming

programme stages and funding support, as per described following.
At this point is there the Selection Process through the Open Call ends and further stages of

selection across the IMPACT Connected Car Smartization Programme start, as described following

and with additional funding and complementary services across Stages 2 and 3.

For further information about the grant scheme, complementary services provided and associated milestones see Section 8.1. Rules for the payment of the grant.

h) Disruptive Boot Camp participation and jury day to pass to Stage 2

The 40 participants in the Jury Day, will be then assessed during the Disruptive Bootcamp, in order to select no more than the best 22 that will participate in the Stage 2: Ignition Plan, as described in the Section 8 <IMPACT> CONNECTED CAR SMARTIZATION PACKAGE FOR BENEFICIARIES

Jury will be composed by ‘Selection Committee’ plus Large Companies cooperating with the project by LoI (Letter of Intent), that will be invited to be part of the ‘Extended Jury’ as advisory members. The Selection Committee will undertake the final evaluation of the List of Beneficiaries during the Jury Day. The Boot Camp will last 2-3 days with following content:

• ●  The first day, Disruptive SMEs will receive insight from the challenges’ leading companies related to the main challenge to be addressed in the CCI. The rest of day, SMEs will work on their own, updating his pitch to the challenges proposed and receiving some master sessions on how to pitch.

• ●  The second/third day SMEs will continue their work and the Jury Day will take place. SMEs will pitch in front of the Jury and the best projects will pass to following stage.

After the pitching session of the 40 beneficiaries of Stage 1, the Selection Committee and Large Companies will select up to the 22 best SMEs that will pass to Stage 2 according to the following Evaluation Criteria, which will be described in a specific Guide for Evaluators in this process, where the Evaluation Criteria will be:

• ●  Business Model;

• ●  Market Size

• ●  Competititon & Positioning

• ●  Go2Market Strategy,

• ●  Team Skills

• ●  Team Commitment.

• ●  Win-win relation: meaning the matching between solutions provided by beneficiaries and the coaching services provided by ICCAR partners

 

The Selection Committee by Consensus Meeting, during the same day of the pitching sessions, will select up to 22 best SMEs to elaborate a “Short List of Beneficiaries”. A “Reserve List” will be built out of the excluded applications. Formal assignment of the grant is subject to accomplishment of KPI as described in Sub-Grant Agreement (SGA) to pass to Stage 2. Beneficiaries who will not accomplish the SGA will be excluded and replaced by the next in rank in the Reserve List of the Jury Day organised within the Disruptive Bootcamp.

 

Output: Short List of Beneficiaries (22), and Reserve List (18) [Total = 40 participants in Jury Day]

5.3. Stage2:IgnitionPlan:DigitalBootcamp

 

a) Beneficiaries of Stage 2 Funding and continuation in the Smartization Programme

Output: Definitive List of 22 Beneficiaries passing to Stage 2.

Communication to participants: During the Jury Day, all attendant winners will be announced, and also individual online communication through a formal communication letter will be sent to all proposals participating in this Disruptive Bootcamp, with information on their inclusion in the Provisional List of Beneficiaries or in the Reserve List.

Selected (no more than) 22 Beneficiaries SMEs will participate in the Stage 2, which will include a package of services, described in Section 8 and will receive 7,000€, as a lump-sup addressed to pay travel and accommodation expenses for the participation in the supporting services of the programme business, and technical coaching), as well as staff allocation to prepare their Ignition Plan, after the 2 months of participation in the stage 2 and one Interim Review where several milestones will be assessed (described in the following point and in Section 8).

 

5.4. Stage 3: Product Development Evaluation criteria

1. a)  Interim Review after Stage 2 description

After the 3 months of duration of the Stage 2 of the Smartization Programme, and participating in the Supporting Services provided (as described in Section 8), a deep analysis will be done to evaluate the SMEs performance and their potentiality to become beneficiaries of the next stage (Stage 3), based on Interim Review of the Ignition Plan Deliverable as per agreed between the coach / mentor and beneficiary (See Table on Section 8.1 concerning the rules for the payment of the grant.)

1. b)  Selection Process at the Interim Review

The review of the Ignition Plan Deliverable (ej Interim Review) will be done in 3 steps:

• ●  Business performance. it will be evaluated in terms of the 4 criteria indicated in Figure 5 in Section 8 below “<IMPACT> Connected Car Interim & Final Review Process” and established in the ‘Individual Coaching Planing’. All the info will be recorded in the logbox system

• ●  Technical potentiality. It will be evaluated by CTAG and technical partners based on the real potentiality of the project to influence the value chains of exiting industries.

• ● Coaching Meeting. Will ratify those project how well performed and will take the final decision regarding beneficiaries who haven’t reached the threshold. Beneficiaries not passing this examination will be excluded from the Programme and won’t receive the final Payment.

The SMEs passing the minimum threshold after the Interim Review (22 expected) will receive the payment of 7.000€ lump-sum as described above, and the 18 best SMEs ranked will pass to following stage 3. Formal assignment of the grant is subject to accomplishment of Sub-Grant Agreement (SGA) KPI by the 18 beneficiaries out of 22 resulting to pass to Stage 3. Beneficiaries who will not accomplish with deliverables / KPI within SGA will be automatically excluded from payment and pass to next stage.

Output: Provisional List of Beneficiaries (18), and Reserve List (4) [Total = 22 Stage 2 beneficiaries]

Communication to participants: After the Interim Review, and acceptance of beneficiaries after the provisional list, individual online communication through a formal communication letter will be sent to all beneficiaries participating in the Stage 2, with information on their inclusion in the Provisional List of Beneficiaries or in the Reserve List.

 

c) Beneficiaries of Stage 3 Funding and finalisation of the Smartization Programme

Output: Definitive List of 18 Beneficiaries passing to Stage 3.

The 18 Beneficiaries SMEs will participate in the Stage 3, which will include a package of services, described in Section 8 and will receive 50,000€, as a lump-sup addressed to pay travel and accommodation expenses for the participation in the supporting services of the programme business, and technical coaching), as well as needed own staff, subcontracting and equipment costs needed for their products development, after the 6 months successful participation in the stage 3, namely the participation at the Final Funding Bootcamp + Demo Day (described following and in Section 8), where the SMEs performance will be assessed to receive such a final payment.

 

d) Final Beneficiaries payment after the Demo Day

At the end of the Stage 3 (6 months after starting the Programme) a Funding Boot Camp + Demo Day will be organised

The Funding Boot Camp will last 3 days.

• ●  The first day there will be a workshop to advise SMEs in how to grab additional public funds in the framework of European Projects, more specifically from projects including Cascade Funding scheme, which are addressed specifically to SMEs.

• ●  The second day the SMEs will receive some insights about getting additional funds from crowdfunding. The SMEs will be evaluated and the 4 SMEs which better fits the crowdfunding criteria, up to the discretion of ICCar partners, will be supported by FBOX in getting an extra 200K€ funds. The last day an Investors Day will be organised to support the SMEs to raise additional funding.

After that Funding Bootcamp celebration, at the end of this stage, to assess the potential performance of the participant SMEs a minimum successful performance threshold will be established and those companies passing it (according to monitoring review as described in Section 8), will receive the final payment of 50,000 € lump-sum for their participation in this stage, according to conditions established in the Sub-grant Agreement.

 

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