Call has ended!
The call for proposals is intended especially for Finnish SMEs and Midcap companies (group-level turnover less than EUR 300 million) seeking international competitive advantage. Large companies can participate as part of a consortium or with their own project. The funded projects will be part of Business Finland's AI Business program. The objective of the call for proposals is to increase companies' understanding of platform economy business models.
The companies applying for the funding are expected to have established business operations. When submitting the application, the company has to have a clear understanding of the business area and the potential partner network.
The funding is especially intended for projects that aim at creating business ecosystems worth at least one billion euros.
The research may be related to increasing the value of an existing product or service, or the creation of an entirely new product or service concept.
The research project cannot result in a finished product or service immediately after the project has ended. The objective is to obtain information on whether a significant market position can be achieved with platform economy solutions.
RESEARCH PROJECT CONTENT
- A business model and a API interface are studied and created in the project. These are applied to business operations by at least one partner during the project.
- Research hypotheses can already be described at the application stage, so that a partner network can achieve a win-win model based on them. A traditional client-subcontractor relationship is not the desired objective.
- The business field or model to be researched at the application stage has been drafted with Value Proposition, Business Model Canvas or a similar description method taking network effects into account (this is a part of the project plan in the application).
- The project work consists of:
- In cooperation with partners, researching and verifying a new, modern platform economy business model, and revenue generation in networks.
- The development of the API/platform of the research prototype must form less than 50% of the total project costs.
- A separate document of the project results must be provided for the funding body. The funder creates a description for this purpose and to be used in reporting.
- Only research on business models and the development of the related API interface will be funded in this call. The funding does not cover any other development or research activities.
The minimum size of a project is EUR 60.000 in this call. SMEs may receive funding for up to 50% of eligible project costs, Midcap companies for up to 40%. Advance payments are not available. The funding is grant for industrial research, not de minimis funding.
The project will be carried out on a tight schedule. The typical duration is approximately six (6) months. Business Finland may grant further funding for the development work, if the objectives set for the first phase are achieved.
The size and duration of large company projects will be agreed on case by case basis. Please contact Aki Parviainen (see contact details below).
The applicant must be able to clearly describe the following details in the application:
- The business area, for which a disruptive partner network business model should be created.
- A preliminary estimate of the business achievable in long-term cooperation with the partner network in an ideal situation.
- How the research results are evaluated, and the concrete and measurable objectives of a successful project.
HOW TO APPLY
The application process consists of two stages. During the first phase (deadline October 31st, 2019), the applicant should describe the general content of the research project in the Contact form and consult a Business Finland adviser.
Go to the Contact form here
The applicants accepted for the second phase should complete the full application in the Online Service. The project plan and the aforementioned description method, such as Business Model Canvas, should be delivered with the application.
Go to the Online Service here
Business Finland organizes short training courses on using the Business Model Canvas template.
For more information, please contact
Manu Setälä
Senior Advisor
Business Finland
manu.setala (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 50 5577 910
Outi Keski-Äijö
Program Manager
Business Finland
outi.keski-aijo (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 50 5577 663
Aki Parviainen (large companies)
Senior Advisor
Business Finland
aki.parviainen (at) businessfinland.fi
+358 50 3511 354
