Announcement of an open call for MSMEs FRA

Announcement of an open call for MSMEs FRA

ECOTOURS is co-funded by the European Union’s SINGLE MARKET PROGRAMME (SMP/SME Pillar) under grant agreement No. 101085853. It foresees the provision of financial support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs, hereinafter ‘beneficiary/ies’) as a mean to achieve its objectives.

The types of activities to perform for receiving financial support are:

Activity 1 – 80 hours of Consultancy and coaching for circular business development.
Activity 2 – Sustainability consultancy and certification.
Activity 3 – Participation at a transnational study visit.
Activity 4 – Support to the creation of a circular ecotourism itinerary.
Activity 5 – Participation at the innovation contest.

Expected duration of participation: October 2023 to February 2025.
Maximum amount of financial support: indicatively € 6.650,00 per selected beneficiary.
Language in which proposals shall be submitted: English.
The full call text comprehensive of the proposal guidelines is available in each official partners’ language

In order to submit their candidatures, interested MSMEs need to fill in the following google form (click on the SUBMIT button below) by: Thursday, 10 August 2023, 17:00 CET.

SUBMIT

Please, for further information contact: ecotours@enoros.com.cy

Frequently
Asked Questions

Date: 27/05/2023

  • Is the call limited only to companies operating in the tourism sector, including hotels and accommodation, or does it include also tourist services and other providers linked to it?

    The call is intended for different stakeholders in tourism. Check your compliance with the categories and/or corresponding NACE codes here below (Eligibility criterion 2):
    a) I5510 – Hotels and similar accommodation
    b) I5520 – Holiday and other short-stay accommodation
    c) I5530 – Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
    d) I5610 – Restaurants and mobile food service activities
    e) N79 – Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities
    f) N7721 – Renting and leasing of recreational and sports goods
    g) R90 – Creative, arts and entertainment activities that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism
    h) R91 – Libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural activities
    i) R93 – Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities
    j) other SMEs from the NACE code A – Agriculture, forestry and fishing that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism.

  • Who can apply?

    An application may be submitted by any legal entity that meets all the six eligibility criteria:
    1. Eligibility Criterion 1 – The applicant is a micro, small or medium enterprise.
    2. Eligibility criterion 2 – The applicant’s economic activity is in tourism or other activities that are demonstrating or aiming for innovation in tourism.
    3. Eligibility criterion 3 – The applicant is located in one or more of the following countries: Italy, Greece, France, Hungary, Spain or Cyprus.
    4. Eligibility criterion 4 – The applicant is not a company undertaking in difficulty.
    5. Eligibility criterion 5 – The applicant complies with national and EU regulations, and it has not applied or received double funding.
    6. Eligibility Criterion 6 – The applicant submits a completed application within the deadline.
    A full description is available on section 5 of the open call guide available in the different project’s official languages (call text).

  • What is the evaluation process?

    Each project partner in the targeted country will form an Evaluation Committee consisting of three internal evaluators. The Evaluation Committees will follow a two-step evaluation process. The first evaluation step is conforming to all six eligibility / admissibility criteria. The second step is scoring against eight quality award criteria that assign a maximum of 100 points to each application. In case of minor clarifications, the Evaluation Committee may contact the applicants’ contact person to clarify. The Evaluation Committee will record scores and remarks of an application on a dedicated «Evaluation Form». Using the overall scores for each application, the evaluators will generate a ranked list. In total 6 lists, one per each participating country will be generated. These lists will be published on the project’s webpage.
    A full description is available in section 6.4 of the open call guide available in the projects’ official languages (call text).

  • How long does it take for the results of the evaluation process?

    The results shall be available within six weeks from the application deadline. The applicants will be informed by email.

  • Is it possible to correct an error in an already submitted application?

    Yes, the applicant may re-submit the proposal by sending a request at ecotours@enoros.com.cy, if the call deadline has not passed. However, ECOTOURS cannot guarantee resubmission if requested shorter than 2 working days before the deadline.

  • Can a selected beneficiary not participate at a study visit?

    No, each selected beneficiary will indicate a representative to attend a transnational study visit. All selected beneficiaries must indicate in the application form their availability for at least three out of the six transnational study visits. Please note that study visits will not be organized in June, July, August and early September.

Date: 30/05/2023

  • Are self-employed eligible?

    Yes, self-employed with registration in one of the acceptable NACE codes can apply.

  • Could we select the external providers? Or on the contrary, do you make or propose them?

    Beneficiaries can select their consultant coaches by verifying with the ECOTOUR coordinating partner that they meet the minimum professional requirements to ensure a qualified support.

  • Do the indicated dates refer to the total duration of the activities, or to the mandatory period for managing and performing each activity?

    The selected beneficiaries will need to execute the activities within the agreed timeframe to use the funds granted starting from the signature of the Grant Agreement. A limited extension period can be granted if a written justification is provided. The extension can be decided up to a maximum of two months.

  • We already have one of the sustainability certifications proposed. Should we get another certification or is it enough?

    Yes, beneficiaries need to obtain at least one new certification.

  • Regarding the activity 4, should we design and explain it before submitting the proposal?

    No, it is not required. Activity 4 will be completed by the selected beneficiaries during the project.

Date: 15/06/2023

  • Is there any incompatibility for SMEs that benefit from previous cascade funding in previous tourism COSME calls?

    No, there is no incompatibility since is a new COSME project with new activities.

Date: 30/06/2023

  • Is a second call expected in the future?

    No. A second call is not planned under the ECOTOURS project.

  • Can I apply even if we are not a SME but a recognized association between public and private bodies?

    The ECOTOURS call for proposals is specifically targeting MSMEs as defined according to the Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises notified under document number C(2003) 1422)”. Beneficiaries must provide a VAT number and be registered under one of the NACE codes included in the application form.

Date: 10/07/2023

  • Could you please clarify if only companies located in local communities involved in ECOTOUR are eligible (Corsica related to France) or companies located in other French regions (e.g. Occitanie)?

    The call is open at national level. It means that all MSMEs based in any of the regions of the countries of the project can apply.

Date: 14/07/2023

  • What level of English is required to join the programme?

    The English level required should be at least B1.

  • We are interested in joining the project of circular and sustainable tourism, although we do the joint management, they are 2 micropyles with different fiscal discharges, would it be necessary to make 2 applications?

    Yes, you can do one or two applications as you prefer, based on each business.

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