Provided there is a funding scheme for Collective Research in your country or region, you can easily use it to join CORNET. If your programme has rules that seem to be in conflict with CORNET, talk to us! We are open-minded and willing to find a solution. If there is no funding scheme than you have two possibilities:

YOU CAN USE COMMON FUNDING RULES. Some CORNET partners fund CORNET projects on the basis of general rules for beneficiaries who participate in international programmes. All partners will be happy to share their experience with you.

YOU CAN ESTABLISH A PROGRAMME. A lot of know-how and best practice tips are available within the network. Learn from the experiences that suit your country/region best.

To be eligible to submit CORNET proposals, your country/region needs a structure of SME organisations, federations or other groups that are dealing with Collective Research. However, it is true that in some countries and regions it is difficult to find groupings of SMEs whose task is to define the research needs of their SME members, and to be part of Collective Research projects. There are several solutions:

1 ALLOW CLUSTERS TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS. Cluster organisations are usually dynamic networks, which have SMEs and research organisations as their members. Therefore they are able to bundle the research needs of their SME members. For example, in Austria, Poland and Czech Republic, clusters are eligible to submit CORNET proposals.

2 ALLOW SO CALLED ‘AD HOC GROUPS’ TO SUBMIT PROPOSALS. In Flanders, at least 10 SMEs are allowed to form a legal entity for the duration of a CORNET project. This ad hoc group is eligible to submit proposals without an SME association. Certain organisational tasks which would normally be performed by an SME association could also be taken over by the assigned research organisation (RTO). Additionally, the ad hoc group will be acting simultaneously as an SME User Committee.

3 ALLOW RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS TO BE PROVIDED WITH BUDGET. In Poland, when there is no association, the RTO can get funding directly through the contract with the funding organisation. In most countries and regions, funding rules allow researchers to be provided with a budget.

As soon as your national/regional funding structure is in place you can start participating in CORNET.

TWO CORNET CALLS PER YEAR TO ‘HOP ON’. You choose if you participate once or twice a year, depending on your national/regional rules and available budget.

THERE IS NO LEGAL WORK TO ATTEND TO. The CORNET partners just sign a Memorandum of Understanding.

COMMON EVALUATION PROCESS AND DECISIONS. Every respective CORNET partner assigns up to two evaluators for each submitted CORNET project. The CORNET coordination office collects and combines the evaluation reports, providing a ranking list of all projects. According to the results and the available national/regional budget for the call, the respective CORNET partners in a project decide upon funding.

THERE IS NO MEMBER FEE. The network coordination and organisation of Calls for Proposals as well as PR and Partnering Events are all free of cost since the CORNET coordination office is financed by the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi).