BBI JU launched today the BBI JU Synergy Label, a new pilot initiative aiming to recognise the value and excellence of Demonstration Action and Flagship proposals submitted to the BBI JU Call for proposals that scored above the quality threshold but did not receive funding due to budget limits.

The twelve awarded proposals – namely SUPROV, NUTRIBANK, BIOBESTcide, ALINA, D-rAinBOW, HEALTHnALGAE, STARSHIP, Nut-WAVE, BIO-Prosseed, ProtiFinery, Bio-Beetchem and TAN-UP – received their certification during a dedicated session held in the context of the Research & Innovation Days (R&I Days) event organised by the European Commission in Brussels.

The BBI JU Synergy Label is awarded to BBI JU proposals that were deemed to be of high quality but did not receive funding due to budget limits. This certificate should enhance the recognition of the organisations participating in the proposals and facilitate the search by the consortia for alternative source of funding provided by EU organisations, EU Member States and regions or other possible funding organisations. The first BBI Synergy Label awardees are all the Demonstration Action and Flagship proposals included in the reserve list of BBI JU Call 2018.

In order to ensure that the recognition of the proposals awarded with the BBI Synergy Label is fully maximised, BBI JU aims at working with different funding organisations. The first example of this effort was showcased today during the dedicated R&I Days session, where BBI JU and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the aim of maximising the opportunities of taking up investments in the bioeconomy sector. The MoU will apply in those economies where both organisations have a legal mandate to operate.

In the framework of this joint collaboration, the EBRD will be able to review those proposals that meet the screening requirements but do not get access to BBI JU funding, in order to assess the feasibility of their development in conjunction with EBRD financing. Furthermore, on a proposal-by-proposal basis and provided that certain requirements are met, the EBRD will analyse the possibility of proposals to access specific EBRD programmes such as those supporting small and medium businesses and/or higher-risk investments. Additionally, as EBRD has a strong focus on several EU-13 countries, this represents a strategic opportunity to ensure that investments in those countries are taken up more quickly.

 

Original link: https://www.bbi-europe.eu/news/new-bbi-ju-synergy-label-recognises-value-high-quality-proposals