The below list of specific activities, going beyond research and innovation activities, can therefore be implemented throughout the duration of the action (continuation of the Partnership) and are anticipated as expected outputs:

• Support transnational near-market collaborative research and innovation addressing technological and societal challenges;
• Enhance SME readiness (absorption capacities in all participating countries),
• Attract wide range of beneficiaries by country and SME type and age;
• Create synergies among national programmes by streamlining their implementation;
• Enhance cooperation and knowledge exchange at level of national intermediaries.
• Lessons learnt concerning proposals and project implementations for future improvements.

The proposed continuation of the initiative will help innovative SMEs to further increase their research and innovation capacities and productivity, shorten the time to market of their innovations and to become embedded in global value chains and new and/or expanded markets. It will achieve this through additional support to innovative SMEs in developing products, processes and services through funding market-led, cross-border, research and innovation collaborative projects and providing accompanying measures. The initiative addresses collaboration in Europe and beyond, and the commercialisation of new knowledge to public and private sector markets. Thereby it will strengthen the overall resilience of the European innovation ecosystem.

While the award of a grant to continue the Partnership in accordance with this call should be based on a proposal submitted by the coordinator of the consortium funded under European Partnership on Innovative SMEs and the additional activities (which may include additional partners) to be funded by the grant should be subject to an evaluation, this evaluation should take into account the existing context and the scope of the initial evaluation as relevant, and related obligations enshrined in the grant agreement.

Taking into account that the present action is a continuation of the topics HORIZON-EIE-2021-INNOVSMES-01-01 and HORIZON-EIE-2023-INNOVSMES-01: European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, which entails an amendment to an existing grant agreement, the proposal should also include as an Annex the additional activities (including additional partners) to be covered by the amendments to the grant agreement.

Type and range of activities: A main activity is to run calls for proposals, organise the evaluation process and enable collaborative cross-border research and innovation projects. Beyond providing funding to innovative SMEs for cross-border research and innovation (R&I) collaboration, the calls should include further promotion of the programme in underrepresented Member States, including but not limited to, dissemination events, mutual learning seminars or roadshows.

For the additional activities covered by this action:

• Beneficiaries may provide financial support to third parties (FSTP). The support to third parties can only be provided in the form of grants.
• Financial support provided by the participants to third parties is one of the primary activities of this action in order to be able to achieve its objectives.
• The maximum amount of FSTP to be granted to an individual third party is €25.000.000 (also including any FSTP already provided for activities not covered by this action). This amount is justified since the provision of FSTP is the main and primary activity of this action in order to achieve the objectives of the Partnership, which are to enable innovation and foster internationalisation of SMEs through collaborative projects. This amount is based on the extensive and justified experience under predecessors of this Partnership.
• At least two thirds (67%) of the projects supported through FSTP must involve at least two beneficiaries from Member States or Associated Countries.
• The funding rate is 30% of the eligible costs.
• The starting date of grants awarded under this topic may be as of the submission date of the application. Applicants must justify the need for a retroactive starting date in their application. Costs incurred from the starting date of the action may be considered eligible, and will be reflected in the entry into force date of the amendment to the grant agreement.