• A Eurostars project is collaborative, meaning it must involve at least two participants from two different Eurostars member countries.
• The lead partner must be an R&D performing SME (10% of turnover or 10% of staff time dedicated to R&D activities).
• The consortium should be well balanced, which means that no participant or country will be required to invest more than 75% of the total project costs.
• R&D performing SMEs have to undertake at least 50% of the total R&D project costs.
• Project duration 36 months or less.
• Market introduction is foreseen within 2 years after the project has ended, with the exception being biomedical or medical projects, where clinical trials must be started within two years of project completion. 

UK-specific criteria:

• Academics/universities and large companies are welcome to participate in a Eurostars project, but must fund their own participation or use funds from other sources.
• UK participants are eligible for up to 50% funding on eligible costs, with a maximum grant level per UK participant of 350,000 EUR.
• Companies must have been trading for over 12 months. 

Eurostars is open for funding applications on a continuous basis, with an average of two application submission deadlines each year. The next application submission deadline is 30th September 2010.

Please visit the TSB's web-pages for Eurostars where you can find (and download) further information on the programme, eligibility criteria and guidelines for applicants.

 

With emphasis on providing care in the home or closer to home and a focus on prevention, personalisation and supported self care, applicants can apply for funding from £50,000 up to a maximum of £300,000.

The Regional Innovation Fund is open to applications from individual staff or teams in any NHS organisation within the east of England, or an east of England NHS organisation as a whole.  Applications are welcomed in partnership with other sectors such as local government, the third sector, private health care, education and industry, if submitted in partnership with an east of England NHS organisation for the benefit of people within the region.  In partnership applications, the lead applicant will be an NHS organisation.

Click here for further information

East of England businesses needing a cash boost for a research and development project in 2010 can take advantage of the new £5.5 million Grant for Research and Development funding.

Visit the Business Map website for further details

The first, on March 30, focuses on 'technology inspired' projects in the areas of low carbon and energy, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, data, and measurement. The second, being held the next day, features projects in the digital arena, from online applications and services to the deployment and operation of digital infrastructure.

Over the two days more than 100 small and medium sized companies will present their project findings. The events are open to all but of particular interest to other innovative companies and to potential investors. Early bird tickets are available at £50 until March 12.

Find out more about the winners' projects and book your place on the Technology Inspired or Digital Britain event websites

To reserve your place please visit the Renewables East website: Http://renewableseast.eventhq.co.uk or call 01603 591415.

Key Dates:

Competition Opens 8th March 2010

Briefing Day 18th March 2010

Registration of intent to submit (compulsory) 22nd April 2010

Deadline for receipt of applications 29th April 2010 (noon)

Inform aplicants of decision 11th June 2010

New projects workshop 7th July 2010

For further information visit the TSB website:

http://www.innovateuk.org/content/competition/wave-and-tidal-stream-energy-technologies-reducing.ashx

If you are starting or growing a business and you’re looking for funding of more than £10,000, you may need help to work through the different options to identify which type of funding will work best for your business. Grant? Bank? Friends & Family? Business angel? Venture Capitalist? There’s a bewildering choice of options, some of which come with strings attached, begging a host of questions.

Sign up for “Understanding Finance for Business” and you’ll get the answers you need from experts in business finance. The programme is free of charge and starts with an informative and interactive workshop before progressing to more detailed workshops and/or mentoring. Upcoming workshops include Hethel (9 Feb), Stevenage (11 March) and Luton (27 April). Sign up & learn more here: www.eeda.org.uk/finance (look for Understanding Finance for Business).

Going for Growth: Our Future Prosperity on the BIS website

On the same day the Technology Strategy Board announced a wide range of new investments in business innovation as a result of recent competitions - in low carbon vehicle technologies, carbon abatement, high value manufacturing and feasibility studies in a range of digital and other technologies.

To stay up to date with TSB competition announcements, activities, events and submission deadlines sign up at the TSB website for fortnightly competition notifications: Sign up for competition notifications

b2fair is a business matchmaking concept that enables exhibitors and visitors to make fruitful contacts and schedule meetings with potential business partners prior to the trade fair. Since its take-off in 2004, the b2fairconcept has successfully organised more than 20,000 meetings between over 2,000 participants from over 40 countries at Hannover Messe. Co

Contact your Enterprise Europe Network now to find out more and to get the discounted participation rate of 100 Euro instea of 175 Euro. Visit the matchmaking event for just 175 Euro instead of the usual 250 Euros.

• Online licence applications through a web-based Point of Single Contact in every country
• Streamlined regulation, including greater recognition of licences in other European countries
• Less red tape as European countries remove unnecessary barriers to business
• A wider customer base.

This could be worth about £4 billion to £6 billion per year to the UK economy, and €30 billion per year to the European economy. The Directive must be implemented by 28 December 2009.

To ensure that these improvements are made to the single market in services, Member States will evaluate each other’s success in removing barriers to service providers from other Member States operating in their territory. They will also evaluate the justifications Member States make to keep the need for service providers to have specific professional qualifications where they feel this is necessary.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is taking part in this ‘mutual evaluation’ process for the UK early in 2010. BIS expects to have a lot of material to evaluate and would like guidance from UK business as to the areas it should focus on to get the best results for UK service providers. BIS would like to hear your views.

Please click here to provide your input by completing a short questionnaire

• a strong business case 
• the regional economic benefits to the region
• how the project relates and delivers against  the Regional Economic Strategy, in particular the innovation agenda .
• that the project has a good quality consortium.
• that the project is in its final stages a clear project plan with with responsibilities has been developed.
• the quality and relevance of the project to the region

Soure: http://www.bizmapeast.co.uk/finance/grants/fundingsupport.aspx