Proposals should:

• present the applicants’ joint strategic visions and their proposed innovation programme of activities (action plans); during the proposal submission the participants should have already reached an agreement on what they want to achieve, in order to be able to present concrete action plans; the plans can be further detailed at annual level during the implementation of the action;
• describe the activities necessary, the process that will be followed and the assets that will be mobilised; activities should be open, clear, realistic, impact-oriented and ensure
  • participation of private actors, either for the joint implementation of proposed activities, and/or their possible co-funding; for example, via links and cooperation with innovative SMEs, start-ups, industry, private entities supporting innovation and innovators, including clusters, associations, as well as investors and foundations;
  • inclusiveness and diversity by expanding to territories that are less advanced in innovation deployment (modest and moderate innovators) and with the involvement of all innovation actors, especially those that are currently less active or missing in the innovation ecosystems (e.g. investors, foundations, public and private buyers, social innovators, civil society organisations including non-governmental organisations, as well as women-led start-ups and SMEs);
  • complementarity and synergies with other funds (EU, public and/or private) and innovation-related strategies/policies/programmes/plans at national and/or regional level, including their smart specialisation strategies, as well as other relevant programmes (e.g. EIT/KICs, EEN); applicants should outline the scope for synergies and/or additional funding, in particular where this makes the projects more ambitious or increases their impact and expected results.
• The proposed plan:
  • should include core activities, for example: networking and coordination structures and tools to facilitate innovation development and access to and sharing of best practices, resources, talents, markets, expertise, services and knowledge, including open and collaborative knowledge bases and common knowledge assets (methods, data, processes); market analysis and development and activities towards better access to new markets and finance for innovative SMEs and start-ups; training and skills development; interconnection of open innovation infrastructures; supportive activities towards scale up, exploitation and dissemination of innovative solutions; joint public procurement initiatives; social innovators’ and civil society integration, as interlocutors for society and important inputs to the development of innovations and promotion of gender diversity.

(further details p. 24 of the work programme)