Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
The Single Market Programme (SMP) covers the single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics. Specifically, the programme brings together aspects in order to streamline, exploit synergies and provide a better flexible, transparent, simplified and agile framework to finance activities aiming at a well-functioning sustainable internal market.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a cross-border exchange programme designed to give new or aspiring entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from seasoned entrepreneurs who are managing small businesses in other participating countries.
This programme not only provides experienced entrepreneurs with access to innovative ideas and skills, but also empowers new entrepreneurs to successfully launch their startups, fostering their development and ensuring their survival. In addition to developing essential business skills, participants benefit from expanding their operations, forging new business partnerships, and discovering new markets both within the Single Market and beyond.
Detailed Call Description
The purpose of this call for proposals is to select Intermediary Organisations (IOs) to implement the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs programme at local level. They will in particular recruit the entrepreneurs and assist them to benefit from the programme. This call for proposals will therefore support actions of organisations enhancing and facilitating the exchanges between new and host entrepreneurs.
The call is not targeted directly at entrepreneurs willing to participate in an EYE exchange. Interested entrepreneurs must contact the selected IOs currently implementing the programme.
The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
- To provide on-the-job-training for new entrepreneurs from SMP participating countries with established host entrepreneurs in small and medium-sized enterprises abroad in the participating countries in order to facilitate a successful start-up, and development of their business ideas;
- To foster sharing of experience and information between entrepreneurs on the obstacles and challenges of starting up and developing their businesses;
- To enhance market access and identification of potential partners for new and established entrepreneurs in other participating countries;
- To support networking between entrepreneurs from different participating countries by building on knowledge and experience;
- To contribute to enhancing the EU’s economic competitiveness through innovation, decarbonization, and security.
For a detailed description of the activities to be undertaken under a project, please consult pages 9 to 16 of the call document.
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The total available budget under the present call is €20.000.000. Project budgets (requested grant amount) are expected to be between €750.000 and €1.500.000 per project of type 1 (large projects) and up to €750.000 per project of type 2 (small projects).
The call is expected to fund between 10 and 15 projects (indicative).
The grant will be a budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs, with unit cost and flat-rate elements). The costs will be reimbursed at the funding rates fixed in the Grant Agreement (100% for the costs for providing financial support to third parties, i.e., new entrepreneurs, and 75% for all other cost categories).
Projects are expected to last 24 months. They must start on 1 January 2027 and are expected to end on 31 December 2028. Extensions are only possible, if duly justified and through an amendment.
Thematic Categories
- Education and training
- New Entrepreneurship
- Youth
Eligibility for Participation
- Chambers
- Educational Institutions
- Legal Entities
- Other Beneficiaries
- Private Bodies
- Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
- State-owned Enterprises
- Training Centres
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities (public or private bodies), established in an EU Member State (including overseas countries and territories) or listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature (list of participating countries).
Applicants may be, for instance (the list is non-exhaustive):
- Public entities responsible for or active in the fields of economic affairs, enterprise, business support or related issues
- Chambers of commerce and industry, chambers of (handi)crafts or similar bodies
- Business support organisations, start-up centres, incubators, technology parks etc.
- Business associations and business support networks
- Public and private entities offering business support services
- Institutes of (higher) education such as universities or institutes for vocational education and training
Consortium composition
Proposals must be submitted by a consortium composed of minimum 5 to maximum 10 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities), which complies with the following conditions:
- from minimum 4 different eligible countries
- maximum 2 applicants can be from the same country and
- for large projects:
the consortium leader must have at least 4 years experience in EYE and at least 3 years experience as consortium leader in EYE and more than half of the consortium must have at least 4 years of experience in EYE.
- or small projects:
the consortium leader must have at least 2 years of experience in EYE, but not necessarily as consortium leader and no specific number of years of experience in EYE for other consortium members are stipulated.
At the time of the project start (fixed project starting date: 1 January 2027) applicants may not implement more than two (2) EYE grants, under different cycles, at the same time.
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry
Industry and Technology Service
Address: 1421, Nicosia, Cyprus
Email: sit@meci.gov.cy