Studio Valla / National Funding / Direct Aid

Direct Aid

DIRECT AID FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Through his Brussels’ office, Studio Valla gained an in-depth understanding of the funding opportunities that the European Union provides for enterprises and private citizens.

The key programs relating to the programming period 2014-2020 are:

HORIZON 2020 that gives Research and Innovation a fundamental role in achieving the goals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The basic principle of the programme is the adoption of a strategic approach to research and innovation. Thanks to a strong simplification in the architecture of the programme, H2020 provides a more inclusive approach open to new participants and more support for innovation and pre-commercial activities in order to offer a direct economic stimulus; a strong focus on creating business opportunities, starting from the response to the major concerns (“Societal Challenges”) shared by all European citizens as well as by other countries; more opportunities for new participants and for young promising scientists to propose their ideas and obtain funding.

The total budget for the EU framework programme for research and innovation – the biggest ever – is approximately 80 billion euros, which will be added – activating a strong multiplier effect – to public and private national investment.

 

CREATIVE EUROPE is the programme that brings together in one framework the past funding instruments for CULTURE, MEDIA AND MEDIA Mundus (the previous programme for cooperation in the field audio-visual with Third Countries). The purpose of the aforementioned actions is:

  • Support European cinema and the cultural and creative sectors, allowing them to contribute more to employment and growth;
  • Protect and promote cultural and linguistic diversity;
  • To address the specific needs of the audio-visual industry and of other cultural and creative sectors through the CULTURE and MEDIA sub-programs that wer built on the success of past programmes.

CREATVE EUROPE has a budget of 1.462.724.000 euros (a 9% increase compared to the years 2007-2013) at least 56% of which will to be allocated to projects that fall within the MEDIA sub-programme.

 

COSME with a budget of 2.3 billion euros is the EU main programme supporting SMEs in the following areas:

  • Better access to grants for SMEs;
  • Market access;
  • Support to Entrepreneurs;
  • Better conditions for growth and the creation of business.

 

LIFE is the program for the Environment and Climate Action with a budget of 3,457 billion euro. LIFE will contribute to sustainable development and the achievement of the objectives of the Europe 2020 Strategy, the seventh of the Union Environmental Action Program as well as other relevant plans and European strategies regarding climate and environment.

 

ERASMUS+ aims to strengthen skills and employment, modernize education, training and youth work, and has a budget of 14.7 billion euro, an increase of 40% compared to the previous programming period.

Erasmus+ offers opportunities to more than 4 million Europeans to study and gain work experience abroad, supports transnational strategic partnerships between education, training and youth organizations to facilitate cooperation and to fill the gaps between education and work, in to order to face and overcome the deficiencies found in Europe.

It is also possible to support national efforts to modernize education and training systems for young people as well as support sports for grassroots projects and challenges such as the fight against match-fixing, doping, violence and racism.