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Glossary

ACI

The Innovation Consulting Association, which unites and represents companies working in innovation consulting. It encourages the sharing of knowledge, experience and outlooks, between its members and with actors involved in innovation ecosystems.

ADEME

The French Environment & Energy Management Agency, which participates in the implementation of public policy in the fields of the environment, energy and sustainable development.

ANR

The French National Research Agency, created on 7 February 2005, which funds public and partnership research projects in France.

ANRT

The National Association for Research and Technology, created in 1953, whose members are public and private actors working in research and development (R&D) in France. Its mission is to improve the effectiveness of the French research and innovation system, particular in terms of public-private relations.

Bpifrance

A French public investment bank with a focus on enterprise funding and development. It encompasses Oséo, CDC Entreprises, FSI and FSI Regions.

CIFRE

Industrial Agreements for Training through Research, which have been subsidizing any French company that hires a doctoral student for a collaborative research project with a publicly funded laboratory, for nearly 30 years.

Competitive cluster

A competitive cluster is a geographic concentration of companies, research labs and training centres, as well as associations, for the purpose of developing synergies and cooperation.

Consortium

An agreement between multiple people, associations or companies for the purpose of cooperating to execute one or several economic, financial, scientific or cultural operations.

Deep Tech

Deep technology startup companies, which are based on substantial scientific advances and high tech engineering innovation.

Development

A structured approach followed by a professional.

EIC Accelerator

The EIC Accelerator (previously known as SME Instrument) is part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) pilot that supports top-class innovators, entrepreneurs, small companies and scientists with funding opportunities and acceleration services.

EIT

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) is an independent EU body which increases Europe’s ability to innovate by nurturing entrepreneurial talent and supporting new ideas.

ERDF

The European Regional Development Fund, a European structural fund which aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion win the European Union by correcting imbalances between its regions.

Eureka

Eureka is an intergovernmental network established in 1985. Eureka promotes and supports market-oriented international R&D&I project generation. Eureka facilitates access to finance for companies involved in its projects.

Eurostars

Eurostars is a joint funding programme between Eureka member states and the European Union. Eurostars allows the funding of collaborative projects between innovative SMEs. Two calls for projects are organised per year.

Expert Evaluator

An expert evaluator carries out an assessment of the projects during the evaluation process implemented by the funding organisations. They are independent of the funding organisations.

France Relance

The 2020-2022 economic recovery plan of France (or “France Relance”) is a program set up by the French government to revive the French economy after the economic crisis related to the covid-19 pandemic.

This €100 billion exceptional recovery plan is deployed by the government around 3 main parts: ecology, competitiveness, and cohesion.

French economic recovery plan

The 2020-2022 economic recovery plan of France (or “France Relance”) is a program set up by the French government to revive the French economy after the economic crisis related to the covid-19 pandemic.

This €100 billion exceptional recovery plan is deployed by the government around 3 main parts: ecology, competitiveness, and cohesion.

Funding agency

Funding agency are public bodies implementing funding programmes such as the European Commission, BPI, ADEME …

Funding program

Funding program for projects with specific specifications (I-NOV, Horizon 2020, Hoeizon Europe…)

Horizon 2020

The Horizon 2020 program covers all EU funding for research and innovation, with a focus on three main priorities: excellent science, industrial leadership and tackling societal challenges. It came into effect on 1 January 2014.

Horizon Europe

Horizon Europe is the European Union’s research and innovation framework programme for the period from 2021 to 2027 with a budget of €95.5 billion.

I-Nov innovation contest

The I-Nov Innovation Contest funds projects of SMEs with high growth potential. The competition is managed by BPI and ADEME. 2 cut-off of submissions are organized annually according to specific themes.

Innov'up

A funding programme for innovation projects relating to products, processes, services or social innovations. The R&D must be conducted in the Ile-de-France region, and the applicant must have at least one establishment in Ile-de-France.

Innovation

A product, service, component, organization, system, etc., which is, for the first time, being deployed, adopted by a community and reproduced.

Innovation Tax Credit

The innovation tax credit (CII) is a tax incentive for SMEs. Those companies may be entitled to a 20% tax credit for necessary expenses for the design and/or production of prototypes or pilot trials or a new product, as defined by the French tax code.

Innovation aid

Any financial or technical support provided to enable project owners to take risks in order to perfect new or innovative solutions.

Inter-company mediation

The Médiateur des Entreprises is a national service under the French Minister of the Economy which is available to assist any public or private company or organization that is having issues in its business relationship with a partner.

Interreg

Interreg is a European programme which aims to promote cooperation between European regions and the development of shared solutions in fields such as urban, rural and coastal development, economic development and environmental management.

Invention

A new method, technique or means which can be used to solve a given practical problem. An invention can exist without ever being used.

KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Communities)

KICs are thematic operational branches of the EIT. Each KIC is organised in centres in different European countries. Each KIC organises its innovation support measures. There are 8 KICs: EIT-Climate, EIT-InnoEnergy, EIT-Health, EIT-Raw Material, EIT-Manufacturing, EIT-Food, EIT-Digital, EIT-Urban mobility, EIT-Digital and EIT-Urban mobility.

Management authority

A management authority is responsible for managing and implementing an RDI public funding programme, and in particular for selecting projects for joint funding. It audits the operations and monitors the quality of the programme’s implementation. A management authority can be a public or private, national, regional or local organization, or even the Member State itself.

OPQCM / ISQ

The Professional Management Consulting Certification Office, created in 1979 with the support of the professional consulting field. A not-for-profit organization, the OPQCM has been recognized as a general interest association since 1991, as per a protocol signed with the Ministry of Industry.

Open innovation

A collaborative model which allows multiple outside resources to partner with the company. This model decompartmentalizes innovation processes and simplifies production, movement, exchanges and the promotion of innovations. It requires the right balance between protecting and disseminating innovations.

PIA

The Invest for the Future Programme, which has a €57 billion budget and is run by the General Investment Secretariat (SGPI). It was established by the French State to fund promising innovative investments in France to increase the country’s potential for growth and jobs.

Project Officer

Responsible for a project portfolio for the European Commission, he is in charge of monitoring these projects. The project officer is the interlocutor of the European project coordinators.

Proof of concept

Proof of concept (PoC) is based on a technical object developed from precise specifications which are the expression of a need of a particular type of client and which should remove the first obstacles by proving the usefulness or effectiveness of the technology at meeting that need. The aim is to demonstrate that there is an alignment between a technological development and a need.

RAPID

The Support Scheme for Dual Innovation is a mechanism put in place by the DGA (General Directorate for Armed Forces) and the DGE (General Directorate for Enterprises). This aid subsidizes industrial research and experimental development projects which are of interest to the defence sector. The RAPID mechanism is always accepting project submissions.

Regional PSPC

As part of the launch of a new phase in competitive clusters policy (2019-2022), the French State wanted to pursue an active policy of jointly funding collaborative research and development projects, along with the relevant regional authorities.

Regional aid area

The European Commission adopted the French map of regional aid areas for 2014-2020, implemented by French Decree 2014-758 of 2 July 2014 on regional aid areas and SME investment aid areas.

Research

A research project is a structured approach followed by a professional, that includes technical variations and that leads to a significant improvement in a product, process, service, etc., compared to the current state of the art.

Research Tax Credit

In France, the research tax credit (CIR) is a tax reduction calculated on the basis of the R&D expenses incurred by companies.

SATT

A technology transfer acceleration company, which acts as the liaison between research labs and companies and which finances the project maturation and proof of concept phases. These development offices enhance the effectiveness of the innovation system and the competitiveness of the industry. Serendipity.

SME Instrument

An instrument designed for any type of innovative SME with strong development, growth and internationalization ambitions. It will be dedicated to all types of innovation, including non-technological and service innovations. The SME Instrument was created to be a growth “tool” for which single SMEs can apply.

TRL scale

Technology readiness level scale, a measurement system used to assess a technology’s readiness level (in terms of hardware, components, devices, etc.), namely for the purpose of funding its research and development or to integrate that technology with an operational system or sub-system.

Territorial project

A territorial projects aims to assess a territory, with the involvement of public and private actors and institutional partners (State, region or administrative department), and record a list of prioritized strategic orientations in a document.

Young academic enterprise

To qualify for “young academic enterprise” status, the company must meet the five conditions for JEI status, plus two additional conditions:
• be run or have at least 10% of its capital held directly (either independently or jointly) by students or graduates who have earned a masters or doctoral degree within the last five years or teaching or research staff;
• have a main business of promoting the research work in which the leaders or partners participated over the course of their education or as part of their functions at an institution of higher education which is accredited to issue diplomas for at least a masters-level degree.

Young innovative enterprise

The status of “young innovative enterprise” (JEI) grants a number of tax and employer exemptions to SMEs which are less than eight years old and whose research and development spending accounts for at least 15% of their expenses.