INGENIOUS Training Grants

The INGENIOUS Training Grants are part of the INGENIOUS project, focusing on building resilience and accelerating the transition to a green and digital economy in energy-intensive industries within the EU. The program is aimed at supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) by providing financial assistance for training to enhance digital skills, promote green transitions, and foster workforce reskilling and upskilling.

Originally launched on May 22, 2023, the application period was set to conclude on May 9, 2025, but was closed early due to the exhaustion of the allocated budget. The total available funding was €25,000, with each training grant offering financial support of €250. The program intended to award up to 100 grants, and SMEs could apply for only one grant. Furthermore, the maximum funding an SME could receive across all grants within the project was capped at €60,000.

Eligible applicants must qualify as SMEs based on the EU definition and were required to submit their applications through the INGENIOUS website using a prescribed application form. Key eligibility criteria included declaring SME status, providing a motivation letter, and completing the application in English. The evaluation of applications was conducted by consortium partners, ensuring impartiality, and was based on criteria such as educational achievement, importance, and motivation.

The training categories focused on concept creation and development, market development and business strategy, internationalisation, and other relevant areas. Although the call is now closed, the INGENIOUS project may present additional funding opportunities in the future, such as Innovation Grants and Internationalisation Grants, to further support SMEs in achieving their goals.

In summary, the INGENIOUS Training Grants aimed to enhance the capabilities of SMEs in energy-intensive industries through targeted training, thereby fostering competitiveness and adaptability in an evolving economic landscape.

The INGENIOUS Training Grants are part of the INGENIOUS (Building resilience and accelerating transition to green and digital economy in Energy Intensive Industries) Euroclusters project. The project aims to support SMEs operating in energy-intensive industries to develop innovative projects. The training grants are designed to enhance the knowledge and skills of SMEs to maintain their competitiveness.

The call for proposals opened on 22 May 2023 at 09:00 CET and had a deadline of 9 May 2025 at 16:00 CET (Brussels time). However, the call has been closed because the allocated budget has been exhausted. The deadline model was single-stage.

A total funding of 25,000 EUR was available for this call. The project acronym is INGENIOUS, and the grant agreement number is 101074635. The topic is SMP-COSME-2021-CLUSTER-01 Euroclusters for Europe's recovery.

Each training grant provided financial support of 250 EUR. The project aimed to award 100 training grants, but this was dependent on the budget availability. Each SME could apply for only one training grant. The total maximum funding per SME, including all financial support to third parties (Innovation Grant and Internationalisation Grant) within the INGENIOUS project, was 60,000 EUR.

Applicants could find specialists for their needed training in the INGENIOUS Pool of Experts at https://ingenious-eurocluster.eu/pool-of-experts/ or choose their own training providers. However, only training courses with topics described in the Guide for Applicants were eligible for funding. The main training categories included Concept creation & development, Market development & Business strategy, Internationalisation, and Other.

Applications had to be submitted using the Application Form on the INGENIOUS website, after reading the Guide for Applicants. To be eligible, proposals had to fulfill all eligibility criteria and complete all mandatory fields in the application form.

Two neutral INGENIOUS consortium partners assessed the submitted applications. To ensure impartiality, INGENIOUS consortium partners evaluated applications from applicants established in countries other than their own. The evaluation process started with an assessment of the applicant's eligibility. Eligible applications were reviewed against the following evaluation criteria: Educational achievement (40 points), Importance (40 points), and Motivation (20 points).

Key eligibility criteria included:

Applicants must declare their SME status in accordance with the EU SME definition.
Applicants needed to submit their application via the INGENIOUS website using the template provided in the Training Grants section.
A motivation letter (not exceeding two DIN A4 pages) needed to be filled in using the template provided on the INGENIOUS website: https://ingenious-eurocluster.eu/training-grants/.
Applications must be written in English.
Applicants could apply for only one INGENIOUS Training grant, with a total maximum funding of 60,000 EUR per applicant.

A combination of Training (current call), Innovation, and Internationalization Grants was possible, but the maximum amount for one SME could not exceed 60,000 EUR. Complete information about the Training grants was available in the Guide for Applicants on the INGENIOUS website. The INGENIOUS contact for inquiries was ku@balticnet-plasmatec.org.

The INGENIOUS Training Grants aimed to help SMEs improve their digital skills, facilitate green transition, enhance resilience preparedness, and promote reskilling and upskilling of their workforce.

In summary, the INGENIOUS Training Grants were a funding opportunity for SMEs in energy-intensive industries to access training and develop innovative projects. The grants, each worth 250 EUR, aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of SMEs in areas such as digital skills, green transition, and resilience. While the call for proposals is now closed due to budget exhaustion, it provided a valuable opportunity for SMEs to improve their competitiveness and adapt to the evolving business landscape. The INGENIOUS project, under the Euroclusters initiative, supports the broader goal of building resilience and accelerating the transition to a green and digital economy in energy-intensive industries.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant type for this opportunity is SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) as defined by the EU.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a training grant.

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity is designed for a single applicant, which must be an eligible SME.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): While the specific geographic eligibility isn't explicitly stated, the reference to the EU SME definition and the Euroclusters project suggests that the beneficiary scope is likely within the EU and potentially associated countries participating in the Euroclusters initiative.

Target Sector: The program targets SMEs operating in energy-intensive industries. The training grants aim to support improvements in digital skills, green transition, resilience preparedness, and reskilling/upskilling of the workforce. The main training categories are Concept creation & development, Market development & Business strategy, Internationalisation, and Other.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the program operates within the context of the EU and Euroclusters, implying a focus on EU member states and potentially associated countries.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on skills development and knowledge expansion for SMEs that want to stay competitive, which implies SMEs that are already in operation and seeking to improve their capabilities.

Funding Amount: The grant amount is €250 per training grant. A total of €25,000 is available for the INGENIOUS budget. The maximum funding per SME, including other potential grants (Innovation and Internationalisation), is €60,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, although the call is now closed because the allocated budget has been exhausted. The application had to be submitted via the INGENIOUS website using the provided application form.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries receive money in the form of a €250 training grant.

Application Stages: The application process appears to be single-stage, where applicants submit their proposal, and it is evaluated based on eligibility and evaluation criteria.

Success Rates: The success rate is not explicitly mentioned, but the document states that 100 training grants were available until the budget was exhausted. The call was closed early due to budget constraints, suggesting potentially high demand.

Co-funding Requirement: Co-funding is not explicitly mentioned as a requirement.

Summary:

The INGENIOUS Training Grants, part of the INGENIOUS Euroclusters project, aimed to support SMEs in energy-intensive industries by providing funding for training to enhance their digital skills, facilitate green transition, improve resilience, and promote reskilling/upskilling. Each training grant was worth €250, and SMEs could apply for only one training grant. The total budget for the training grants was €25,000, supporting 100 SMEs. The call for applications opened on May 22, 2023, and was initially scheduled to close on May 9, 2025, but it was closed early because the budget was exhausted. Eligible SMEs had to declare their SME status, submit their application via the INGENIOUS website, provide a motivation letter, and write their application in English. The applications were evaluated based on educational achievement, importance, and motivation. The INGENIOUS project, "Building resilience and accelerating transition to green and digital economy in Energy Intensive Industries," aimed to foster innovative projects among SMEs in energy-intensive industries. The INGENIOUS project also provided a pool of experts that SMEs could use for their training, but SMEs could also choose their own training providers. The main training categories were Concept creation & development, Market development & Business strategy, Internationalisation, and Other. Although the call is now closed, the INGENIOUS project may offer other funding opportunities, such as Innovation Grants and Internationalisation Grants, with a maximum funding of €60,000 per SME across all grants.