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FAQ
General
Why should I participate in the Block.IS Accelerator?
Block.IS accelerator will support SMEs and start-ups from the ICT sector all the way from ideation to commercialisation offering them tailored business and technical support as well as direct funding. To help founders build high-tech venture-backable enterprises, Block.IS will offer €2.8 million of total equity-free funding through 2 Open Calls.
Who is eligible to apply?
An SME or a Startup is considered eligible for Block.IS open call if it is a technology provider or technology adopter/user providing innovation in the agrifood, logistics and/or finance sector. In addition, an applicant must be a legal entity established and based in one of the EU Member States or an H2020 Associated country as defined in H2020 rules for participation.
- One of the Member States of the European Union:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden. - One of the Outermost regions or the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) linked to the EU Member States.
- One of the Horizon 2020 associated countries:
Iceland, Norway, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Turkey, Israel, Moldova, Switzerland, Faroe Islands, Ukraine, Tunisia, Georgia and Armenia. - For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project. In that case, the rules of H2020 grants will apply.
For details and complete eligibility criteria to participate in the accelerator read the Guidelines for Applicants.
Where do I apply?
All applications are done via the F6S Platform.
In order to apply, please register first and fill in the Block.IS Application Form.
Should you have some questions regarding the Open Call, please set your query via the F6S Blog.
What is the official language of the Block.IS Accelerator?
English is the official language for Block.IS Open Calls. Submissions done in any other language will not be evaluated. English is also the only official language during the whole execution of the Block.IS programme. This means any requested submission of deliverable will be done in English in order to be eligible.
Challenges
When the Challenges will happen and what are they about?
The challenges will take place between July 6th and July 10th and will last a full 25 hours. Participants will be working on a blockchain-based concept solution to solve a problem rooted in the agrifood, logistics and finance industries.
How many Challenges will be organised and how many teams will participate?
Block.IS organises 4 Challenges to the European community of entrepreneurs. Up to eight (8) SMEs will be selected to participate at each Challenge and two (2) winners per Challenge, in total eight (8) SMEs, will receive 3.000€ and directly enter the INNOVATE phase of the 2nd acceleration process where they will be invited to networking events to showcase their work and get the chance to compete for the full 60.000€ as well as receive mentoring services.
Can I apply for the Open Call if I have participated at one of the Challenges?
Yes, you can. Teams not selected as winners in the Challenge can apply to the Block.IS Open Call process either improving the concept that they presented in the Challenge or with a new concept.
Cluster Missions
Is there any financial support available for travel and accommodation?
Yes! Both startups/SMEs and Clusters can have their travel and accommodation expenses reimbursed up to 750 EUR. Participants have to keep proof of expenses and comply with the reimbursement procedures provided by the Block.IS team in order to be reimbursed. The funding available described above is per entity and not per team member.
Can I join a Cluster Mission in the country where I am based at?
Yes, you are allowed to join a Cluster Mission event in the country where you are based at. However, if you are from a city that hosts the event, you won’t receieve any financial help and you might consider joining the Cluster Mission event as a guest.
If I do not get selected in an Open Call, can I apply again to another Cluster Mission?
Yes, you can apply again and improve your application information. Contact the team if you need support.
Can I participate at more than one Cluster Mission event?
Unfortunately, no. Clusters and SMEs/start-ups are allowed to particiapte at only one Cluster Mission event.
Technical Support
Will Block.IS Accelerator offer technical support?
Yes, Block.IS will offer to selected beneficiaries, blockchain based software enablers implementing functionality commonly used in various applications to accelerate the development of new applications and launch of new products/services to the market.
Where can we find technical information on the components?
The documentation on the Software Components provided by Block.IS is publicly available. Deliverable D2.2: Block.IS Enablers describes the enablers, i.e. and links to the software implementation, which are provided by the Block.IS partners (INTRASOFT and TNO) to the SMEs and start-ups participating in the project Open Calls.
Are we obliged to use the Software Components provided by Block.IS?
No, you are not. However, the acceleration programme is designed to provide both business and technical services as well as mentoring in both domains. If you decide to use other software enablers, Block.IS will not be able to provide technical support.
Financial Rules & Reimbursement
Do we need to provide cost justifications to receive the sub-grants?
No, the process is deliverable based. This means, that depending on the stages of the programme, you will need – as mentoned in call documents – to actively participate in events and submit deliverables which will then be evaluated.
Other than the deliverables being approved are there other preconditions to receive the sub-grants?
Yes, you will need to renew the Declaration of Honour (question 27 in the Application Form) whenever you request a payment. We need to make sure that the SME is still electable before releasing EU funds.
Can we use part of the sub-grants to subcontract technical services?
Sometimes subcontracting could bring added-value in the context of purchasing innovative technologies. Therefore, SMEs can use part of the money of the sub-grant to subcontract services from a technological partner to implement the project. Nevertheless, it is up to the evaluators to see if the part of the grant intended to be subcontracted is reasonable and in line with the milestones to be reached.