EdTech Accelerator

Yes, Irish entities can apply and receive funding from this call.

Among the entities encouraged to apply, the call documentPDF lists non-governmental organisations, higher education institutions, venture capitalists, companies, educational and training institutions. Such entities have the capacity to support EdTech startups and SMEs and set up an accelerator.

Nevertheless, if a company is an EdTech SME or start-up, it is likely that it could benefit as a future applicant under one of the open calls launched by the EdTech Accelerator programme, once it is in place. These open calls are meant as opportunities for EdTech SMEs and start-ups to see their solutions boosted for development and uptake.

The type of entities will depend on the project design, which is at the discretion of the applicants. The type of entities that are encouraged to apply are listed on page 19 of the call documentPDF. Albania is an associated country to the Digital Europe programme and can participate in and receive funding from this call. The applicant entities must be registered in the Funding and Tenders Portal and have a PIC number (Participant Identification Code).

No, there is no minimum revenue criterion for companies applying for funding. Companies must fulfil the eligibility rules (e.g. eligible country) and have enough financial and operational capacity to participate in the planned activities. Please see sections '6. Eligibility' and '7. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion' of the call documentPDF for more details.

No. Newly created SMEs can also apply as long as they otherwise fulfill the eligibility rules (e.g. eligible country) and have enough financial and operational capacity to participate in the planned activities.

Participation in this call is by entity that has to be registered in the Funding and Tenders Portal and have a PIC number (Participant Identification Code). 'Natural persons' (with exception of self employed persons) are not eligible to apply. Please see the call documentPDF page 22.

Yes, Albania is an associated country to the Digital Europe programmePDF and companies from Albania can participate in and receive funding from this call.

The call requirement is to provide FSTP to minimum 20 EdTech start-ups/SMEs from across Member states (MS) and DEP eligible countries during the whole duration of the project, and not per each FSTP call. A higher number of supported EdTech start-ups is encouraged.

It is up to the applicants to decide the appropriate consortium composition in relation to the concept of the proposal. The consortium composition eligibility requirements are set on page 23 of the call documentPDF. The type of entities that are encouraged to apply is listed on page 19 of the call document.PDF

There is no recommendation about the number of entities per consortium, as long as the minimum requirement as indicated on page 23 of the call documentPDF is met. The number of consortium members will depend on the project design, which is at the discretion of the applicants.

UK entities may participate, but are not eligible to receive funding from DEP. They cannot be Beneficiary nor Affiliated entity, but only an Associate Partner.

Please carefully read the Call documentPDF and the topic-related Q&As first. If your question is still not answered, please send it to us via the "write to us" form, indicating the call/topic ID in question.

No, there is no limit on the number of employees per participating organisation. However, the list of 'Project teams and staff', i.e. staff included in the project budget, must be included in the Proposal Part B within the proposal page limit.

Applicants should provide Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to measure the planned outcomes and deliverables of the project. Each KPI, particularly compulsory project and programme KPIs, must be clearly linked to specific milestone(s), deliverable(s), task(s) and/or work package(s). KPIs should be relevant, have realistic targets, and reflect the project's main outcomes and deliverables.

A separate annex cannot be submitted, so all relevant information for the FSTP call set-up should be included in Part B within the page limit of max 50 pages. In the proposal, applicants need to include “a short description of the key elements in the open call requirements. It is highly recommended that a variety of use-case application areas and good coverage across education levels should be ensured”. Therefore, it is a framework for the call for FSTPs, not the actual draft call. It should also address the Call document prerequisites related to the go-to-market (GTM) readiness, the expected technology maturity level (e.g. Minimum Viable Product (MVP), minimum TRL), the innovative value, the educational relevance and effectiveness and the commitment to ethical and legal compliance at national and EU level (e.g. GDPR, AI-related).

It is up to the applicants to decide what would be the most appropriate FSTP call set-up, ensuring a call publication at least once per year. The calls can run consecutively or partially in parallel, while being managed in a balanced manner throughout the project duration. The duration of the project for 36 months is indicative.

It is up to the applicants to choose the appropriate type of entity to manage the FSTPs. As indicated in the call documentPDF section 'Operational capacity', "Applicants must have the know-how, qualifications and resources to successfully implement the projects and contribute their share [...]. This capacity will be assessed together with the ‘Implementation’ award criterion, on the basis of the competence and experience of the applicants and their project teams, including operational resources (human, technical and other) or, exceptionally, the measures proposed to obtain it by the time the task implementation starts."

It is up to the applicants to decide on the modalities (e.g. size, location) of the event, which should be at least 1 big event per year. The events should be linked to the content of the proposal and its impact. The events should attract a large number and a wide spectrum of relevant stakeholders.

Yes, Serbia is an associated country to DEP, applicants from Serbia can apply and receive funding from this call. Please see the list of eligible countries list-3rd-country-participation_digital_en.pdfPDF.