Innovation and technological development lie at the core of FI Group’s DNA, filtering down through every member of the group. These elements are deemed indispensable for fostering growth and bolstering the competitiveness of any country.

This stemmed from the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Where both national and international policies strategically pivoted towards promoting investment in R&D&I and energy efficiency to reignite various sector’s work after the pandemic.

Regional, national, and European grants emerged as the primary public tools to drive economic revitalisation and foster growth across continents. Adequate public funding plays a pivotal role in facilitating the execution of large-scale R&D projects, which are critical for addressing the challenges posed by the prevailing political and economic landscape. These grants not only present opportunities for entities to confront these challenges but also serve as catalysts, inspiring innovation, differentiation, and investment to ensure development.

Currently, the continent boasts over 100,000 funding opportunities, encompassing regional, national, and European grants. Recognising the significance of these public funding opportunities, we have assembled a panel of experts from different countries to engage in a comprehensive discussion on the subject.

Among those attending this round table were:

1. First question: How many calls are there in each of your countries?

«Just imagine, according to the Spanish national database, in 2022 there were 62,817 calls for proposals,» –AV.

«At the regional level alone in this 2023, 459 calls have already been opened» –NZ.

«And we are only in May, we still have more than half the year ahead of us»- FAC to which Roberta explains that in Italy right now there are more than 650 published and waiting for the publication of another 97.

2. What do the calls for proposals mean for the different companies?

«I think we all agree that these calls for proposals, at all levels and for all types of companies, mean the possibility of making an investment or starting a project that would otherwise be difficult to carry out,» –VO.

«I totally agree. In addition to the fact that it makes it possible to grow the business and expand into new markets, and even to become known as a key player in the different sectors, especially in R&D calls,» –RD

«We cannot forget that it has an incentive effect, and that it also makes it possible to achieve results in a shorter period of time than would be possible without these calls». – AV

3. What role does FI Group play in the achievement of these objectives? How can we accompany the different companies in these processes of application to the different calls?

«At the level of the processes of fitting into the calls, application, monitoring and justification; for a company it is a tremendously bureaucratic and complex process. Being able to count on a trusted partner with years of experience is essential,» –AV *while her colleagues nod in agreement.

«With the support of a specialised agent or one that is close to the convening agency is a «privilege» that few actors have in this ecosystem. FI Group has a long experience and great success in all the stages that my colleague explained earlier,» -FAC

«We have teams of experts in both technical and financial areas, without forgetting that we are part of the ecosystem and know all the parties involved, being active and proactive in creating value propositions to improve the systems and funds so that they are more attractive and competitive,» –MO

«We also help to involve one or more stakeholders in relation to the sector or area, and we help and accompany them to improve collaboration. This is precisely due to a large global database of contacts that we have been working on during the 20 years of FI Group’s existence, which allows us to support our clients in an aggregated way, both at multi-country, multi-sector and multi-service levels».-RD

«Absolutely. To a great extent to the experience acquired, the knowledge, the connection networks, we have the capacity to offer this multi-country, multi-sector and multi-service service, but we also continue to do it as the first day, with an individual team per client, with an exclusive and close accompaniment, always making their project ours» –NZ

4. What are the most strategic sectors right now?

«I think we all agree that currently the most strategic sectors, not only for FI Group but for the whole of Europe and therefore for our clients, are industry in general and specifically all the electro-intensive ones, as well as everything related to energy, decarbonisation and hydrogen,» –NZ

«Automotive, ICT, Tourism, biotechnology, textile, chemical…». – MO

«From FI Group we continue and will continue to accompany all companies in achieving their objectives and their R&D&i projects, solving their doubts, finding the best fit in consortia or accompanying them in the justifications of the calls they have already achieved. This is and will be the driving force of all the colleagues who are part of this company». –VO

Hit the links below to access their LinkedIn profiles:

The Voice of the Experts: The Value of Grants

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