At Argentum, we often encounter an interesting situation: clients are very keen to pursue competitive EU funding opportunities, such as EIC Accelerator, but are at times less familiar with often more accessible local funding opportunities in their respective countries. However, national innovation authorities often offer great and diverse tracks for non-dilutive funding, which should be part of any company’s funding strategy. Below, we explore our top five reasons why and how national funding can boost your grants portfolio and contribute to your company’s development.
- Flexible funding schemes – national funding is varied – from 100% grants to long-term loans and can range from modest state grants of €10000 for a very short-term project to €1M for more elaborate projects. The different available tracks in each country enable us at Argentum to tailor the right programme and funding mechanism to suit your short- and long-term needs best.
- Success rates – national funding is not only more accessible than large-scale EU programmes, but applicants typically have significantly higher chances to get funded. Argentum has proven expertise with certain national funding programmes, in which our current success rate can be as high as 90%.
- Single applicant programmes – with some exceptions, EU funding predominantly focuses on collaborative projects. Conversely, national funding offers tracks for single applicants or for small local partnerships, so you are not dependent on a large cross-European consortium and have sole or joint control over the project budget.
- Good for balancing larger projects – national funding can enable you to focus on a specific aspect of your R&D roadmap and adapt it to national requirements (for instance, within national pilots’ programmes), whilst at the same time, you can engage larger, consortia-based programmes, which require different assets and expertise.
- Steppingstone to EU funding – securing national funding is a symbolic stamp of approval by your respective counties. Winning such grants can signify to EU partners that you have indeed gained the trust and support of a national funding authority, thereby potentially increasing your added value as a partner for EU-based funding opportunities.
To conclude, our brief look into this topic clearly shows why we at Argentum see national funding as a great source for grants, which should be considered by any company interested in non-dilutive funding.