CALL PERMANENTLY OPEN
Submission of projects will be accepted during the whole year. Cut-offs will be established along the year for the review and selection of projects.
A maximum of three cut-offs per year for review and selection of proposals will be announced.
On-line platform for the submission of proposals
Now open
Next cut-off for applications
September 2021
We boost your bio-health project to an investment ready stage. We offer:
Financial support to complete your development plan.
Non-financial and ad-hoc support for tailored mentorship, training and networking.
Improve your project visibility, impact and network contacts.
Is your project a potential candidate? Please review the following requirements:
For the Projects:
- Projects must be related to the the areas of Life, Medical and Health Sciences.
- Projects must be mature in their Technology Readiness Level (at least TRL4), having performed significant valorisation activities and a defined Commercialisation Strategy.
- Projects may have proven experience in other Acceleration Programmes.
For the Beneficiary:
- They must be non-profit legal entities based in Spain or Portugal.
- Type of entity: Universities, university foundations, research and transfer centres, technology centres, hospitals, hospital foundations and non-profit institutions whose main activity is research.
- They must be the owner or co-owner of the protected Asset(s)s resulting from the research. Further licensing of the Asset(s) to companies is compatible with the application to this grant.
- One same Beneficiary may complete more than one application provided that they are associated to different protected or protectable Asset(s) resulting from different research projects.
For the Project Leaders:
- Project leaders must be legal persons with tertiary qualifications (university graduate, professor or doctor).
- Their exclusive or main dedication to the validation Project, according to the Promoters criteria, for the business idea or transfer to market is required. Project Leader may not be involved in more than one application.
- The Project Leaders may or may not be the leader of the research project that generated the Asset(s).
- He or she must have the acceptance of the Beneficiary to lead the project.
Financial support consists of a grant of up to €300,000 for 24 months.
This grant may cover expenses such as:
- Technological development of the Asset.
- Consulting, feasibility, and market study services.
- Evaluation studies needed for regulatory approval.
- Hiring of personnel destined to the development of the Project.
- Management of intellectual property strategies.
- Overhead expenses up to a maximum of 10 % of the total budget.
- Travel or representation expenses.
All the information about the call, the conditions for participating in the selection process and the legal aspects can be found in the rules for participation.
We strongly recommend reading carefully the following documents before submitting your proposal.
Check the list of the most frequently asked questions.
Questions and answers: ci_info@fundaciolacaixa.org.
Submit your applications and additional documents by entering the private area for applying for all the ”la Caixa” Foundation calls for proposals. You must register the first time you enter this area and you will receive a user name and password for logging in.
Once you have registered, select the corresponding call and complete the application form. There are two form samples available. A letter of intent for the first state of evaluation and a full proposal template for a second stage of evaluation, which only the preselected projects fill in.
Download the user manual of the application platform if you need more information about how to do the Entity Accreditation or how to fill in the project in the applying area.
Complete the entire online application form. Download the form samples (letter of intent and preselected full proposals). These forms are only for informative purposes. Applications must be submitted online using the application platform.
Remember to complete the application in English. We will not accept applications that are in another language or if they are incomplete, in paper format, or submitted by any other means or after the deadline.
Check the list of the most frequently asked questions.
Questions and answers: ci_info@fundaciolacaixa.org.
The proposal evaluation procedure consists of two phases: a Pre-selection and a Selection phase. The pre-selection phase is based on the remote assessment of a Letter of Intent, while the selection is carried out by a board of experts that reviews a Full Proposal and interviews the candidate. Only pre-selected projects will be invited to submit a Full Proposal.
The Innovation Selection Board members will discuss the project internally following the criteria below:
Unmet medical need
This criterion evaluates to what extent the Asset addresses an unmet medical need, considering:
- how accurately the medical need has been identified.
- to what extent the proposed solution will address the unmet need.
- to what extent the solution will have an impact on the stakeholders involved (health providers, patients, etc).
Technical feasibility
This criterion evaluates the scientific rationale behind the Asset, considering:
- what are the scientific fundamentals underlying the proposal.
- how the current stage of development has been reached.
- to what extent the possible technical limitations linked to the development of the Asset have been taken into consideration.
Development roadmap
This criterion evaluates the extent to which the proposed project helps accomplish the project’s overall roadmap:
- to what extent the stated actions and milestones contribute to the advancement of the roadmap.
- how the participation in the programme implies a decisive impetus for the roadmap’s advancement.
- to what extent the valorisation process needs have been depicted and addressed.
- to what extent the requested support (financial and non-financial resources) is adequate to achieve the described milestones, taking into account other available resources if applicable.
Business Case
This criterion evaluates the commercial potential of the Asset, considering:
- to what extent the market opportunity has been correctly identified and dimensioned.
- to what extent the Asset represents an added value in comparison to existing solutions addressing the same problem.
- to what extent the Business Model has been correctly outlined and it incorporates the necessary business dimensions.
Team and implementation
This criterion evaluates the capabilities of the proposed team to successfully lead the project, considering:
- how team members capabilities and complementarity are relevant to carry out the project (consider here Consortium if applicable).
- how the Project Leader is committed to the project and envisages leadership management in later stages of the project.
Responsible Innovation
This criterion evaluates to what extent social responsibility is considered in the project conception, design, development, and outcomes:
- to what extent the involvement of social stakeholders is considered in relation to the objectives addressed.
- to what extent ethical, social, legal, and environmental implications derived from the innovation development are tackled.
See the guide for evaluators and the code of conduct for collaborators.
Check the list of the most frequently asked questions.
Questions and answers: ci_info@fundaciolacaixa.org.
DOWNLOAD PDF RULES FOR PARTICIPATION
DOWNLOAD PDF GUIDE FOR EVALUATORS
DOWNLOAD PDF CODE OF CONDUCT FOR COLLABORATORS
DOWNLOAD PDF USER MANUAL OF THE APPLICATION PLATFORM
DOWNLOAD PDF PRESELECTED FULL PROPOSALS
DOWNLOAD PDF LETTER OF INTENT
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