Digital Agenda Priorities to strengthen the environment for web-entrepreneurs in Europe

[Michel Bauwens]

via Isidro Laso Ballesteros

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?...*/

With a budget of around €80 billion, the EU’s new programme for research and innovation, Horizon 2020 (2014- 2020), is part of the drive to create new growth and jobs in Europe. It will place a particular focus on innovation, relying on a number of specific financial instruments.

One of the Digital Agenda Priorities is to strengthen the environment for web-entrepreneurs in Europe, facilitate the increase in the number of web start-ups, as well as support their growth.

In the context of the current process of identifying the most appropriate activities to be carried out in this domain, we are inviting you to share ideas on any actions in the area of ICT innovation for the benefit of web based entrepreneurship / web businesses, which could be undertaken and financed by the EU. These could cover technological research, innovation issues, as well as business environment aspects.

Please, tell us a brief description of your idea, an estimate of the budget that should be allocated to that idea in order to have an impact on Europe and why you think it is important for tech startups in Europe. Finally, please also include who you are or who you represent while submitting the idea.

The web page of the consultation is at: http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/itemdetail.cfm?...

Be aware that we are focused on aspects related to funding/supporting measures and not regulation/legislation. You could imagine things like:

- For web entrepreneurs who only have the idea: launching pilots to test new ideas,

- For latent web entrepreneurs: making calls to supports web entrepreneurs with grants to start their startups

- for established web startups: using inducement prices to support startups that have already some maturity

- for successful web startups – but not global leaders yet - launching big pilots to support successful web startups to become global leaders

- for all type of web startups: using financial instruments such as debt/equity facility.

- for all type of web startups: supporting online networking platforms, launching mentoring programs, supporting awareness creation events/campaigns, supporting accelerators programs in Europe, supporting crowd funding platforms to act as platforms to get first customers for the startups and access to pre-seed funding, etc.

We would be grateful if you would send your ideas to the e-mail address [e-mail] by 05.12.2012.

We will make an interim analysis of the ideas received by 21/11/2012 with the objective of starting drawing the scenario for Work Programme 2014. Therefore, you are welcome to send your input before 21/11/2012. You can submit your ideas before the day of the closing of the consultation on 5/12/2012.

Related Link:

1. Information about Horizon 2020: http://ec.europa.eu/research/horizon2020/index_en.cfm?pg=h2020

Isidro Laso Ballesteros
Scientific Officer

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Assistant: Mr. Jeoffrey Istasse Tf: [phone]. email: [e-mail]