<p>From 15 May, SME entrepreneurs in Overijssel and Gelderland can receive subsidies for cooperation with other (participating) European regions. The <a href="https://www.s3vanguardinitiative.eu/multipurpose-page/vinnovate-call-2024">VInnovate pilot</a> is being launched for this purpose. A scheme in which regions jointly put money into cross-border innovative projects. This increases and accelerates the impact of these projects.</p><figure class="image"><img alt="medium_Vanguard_a9cd6f60bc.png" src="https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/medium_Vanguard_a9cd6f60bc_c07e69e584.png" srcset="https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/thumbnail_medium_Vanguard_a9cd6f60bc_c07e69e584.png 205w, https://cms.thinkeast.nl/uploads/small_medium_Vanguard_a9cd6f60bc_c07e69e584.png 500w" sizes="100vw" width="500"></figure><p><br>SMEs have an important role in European industry and competitiveness. Yet access to knowledge, resources and funding is not a given for these entrepreneurs. With VInnovate, companies from member regions are assisted in this through knowledge sharing, collaborations and subsidies. The ultimate goal is to contribute to the innovation of European industry.</p><h2>EFRO East contribution</h2><p>For VInnovate, €500,000 will be made available by the East Netherlands from the EFRO budget. The funds will be open in a tender scheme from 15 May (9am) to 30 October 2024. &nbsp;Project partners from regions not directly involved may also participate, only with the note that no grant from VInnovate will go to these partners. After evaluation of the pilot, a possible follow-up in 2025 will be considered.</p><h2>Thematic choices</h2><p>The regions have chosen cooperation projects around eight themes: bio-economy, efficient sustainable production, high-quality production via 3D printing, advanced production for energy-related applications in demanding environments, new nano-products, artificial intelligence, smart healthcare and personalised medicine, and hydrogen. These themes fit within the innovation strategy of the participating Vanguard regions*.</p><h2>Vanguard Initiative</h2><p>The Vanguard Initiative is a collaboration of 38 European regions, including the East Netherlands region. The cooperation of these regions is based on the extent to which they complement each other in their Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS) and aims to stimulate industrial innovation. With the VInnovate pilot, Vanguard is implementing the desire to establish a funding mechanism with the regions' own resources. East Netherlands has been an active participant in the development and will therefore directly benefit from this new funding mechanism.</p><h2>EFRO Oost</h2><p>The EFRO 2021-2027 East Netherlands Programme (EFRO Oost) is a European funding programme of Gelderland and Overijssel. The programme focuses primarily on providing grants to SMEs that focus on the development and application of innovation in the regional economy and in the energy transition in Eastern Netherlands. &nbsp;The VInnovate pilot project fulfils the desire, included in the ERDF Programme 2021-2027, to provide space for promising international cooperation. More information can be found on this website under the applications tab.</p><h2>More information</h2><p>More information regarding the characteristics of the targeted projects is available <a href="https://www.s3vanguardinitiative.eu/multipurpose-page/vinnovate-call-2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a>. You can find <a href="https://www.s3vanguardinitiative.eu/multipurpose-page/how-apply" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">here</a> more information about the application procedure.&nbsp;<br>&nbsp;</p><p>*Participating regions 2024: East NL; South NL (North Brabant); Northeast Romania; Norte; Wallonia; Flanders; Lower Austria; Emilia-Romagna; Wales; Lower Saxony; Galicia.<br>&nbsp;</p>

VInnovate Call 2024 is now open