OSEO opens next call for proposals from cluster companies

Funding opportunity

The French innovation agency OSEO has launched the tenth call for proposals for grants to finance research and development in the country’s collaborative clusters, or Poles de Competitivite.

Following the publication in June 2008 of the positive results of the evaluation of the first phase, the government initiated a second phase for the period 2009-2011, assigning a total budget of €1.5 billion. The first nine calls for projects saw a total of 1,736 R & D projects submitted, with 813 projects selected for funding of more than €1 billion from the state, plus €570 million from local authorities.

This tenth call for proposals is open to companies in all economic sectors. The selection criteria will include:

• the implications in terms of value creation, economic activity and jobs the pole and possibly for national chains;

• innovative technological content;

• development of new products or services that may be get to market in the medium term;

• projects must be consistent with the strategy of the cluster and the companies involved.

The full specification for this call for proposals is online at: http://www.competitivite.gouv.fr/.