All your questions get answered! Underneath you can find frequently asked questions and answers to them.
You can not find your question underneath? No problem – do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected]. We are happy to answer your questions!
WHO CAN APPLY?
Any legal entity that fulfills the following conditions is allowed to submit its application for funding under the call:
1. Be a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) as defined by the EU recommendation 2003/3612; In this sense, start-ups, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, same as any other type of SME falling under this definition are eligible to apply to the call.
Company category | Staff headcount | Turnover | or | Balance sheet total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medium-sized | < 250 | ≤ € 50 m |
| ≤ € 43 m |
| Small | < 50 | ≤ € 10 m |
| ≤ € 10 m |
| Micro | < 10 | ≤ € 10 m |
| ≤ € 2 m |
2. Be registered in one of the participating EU-member countries of ETSM2030 partnership:
- Austria,
- Germany,
- Italy,
- Poland,
- Romania,
- Slovenia.
3. Be established for at least three financial years to be proved through the Company Registration Report;
4. Work in tourism, i. e. belong to one of these categories of the tourism industry (NACE classes and categories):
- H4910 — Passenger rail transport, interurban
- H4932 — Taxi operation
- H4939 — Other passenger land transport n.e.c.
- H5010 — Sea and coastal passenger water transport
- H5030 — Inland passenger water transport
- H5110 — Passenger air transport
- I5510 — Hotels and similar accommodation
- I5520 — Holiday and other short-stay accommodation
- I5530 — Camping grounds, recreational vehicle parks and trailer parks
- I5610 — Restaurants and mobile food service activities
- I5630 — Beverage serving activities
- N7710 — Renting and leasing of motor vehicles
- N7721 — Renting and leasing of recreational and sports goods
- N79 — Travel agency, tour operator reservation service and related activities
- N8230 – Organisation of conventions and trade shows
- R90 — Creative, arts and entertainment activities
- R91 — Libraries, archives, museums and other cultural activities
- R92 — Gambling and betting activities
- R93 — Sports activities and amusement and recreation activities
5. Has not been declared bankrupt or has initiated bankruptcy procedures
6. Be not under liquidation; an enterprise under difficulty accordingly to the Commission Regulation No 651/2014 art. 2.18.
7. Conducts activities that respect climate and environmental priorities of the EU and cause no significant harm to them [reference to EU horizontal principle]
HOW CAN I APPLY TO THIS CALL?
In the first place, you’re required to carefully read the Guidelines of the open call as well as the five annexes that can be found www.etsm2023.eu/apply. You will see that all the details are specified here, however if you have any questions do not hesitate do contact us via [email protected]
You can only apply via the webpage www.etsm2023.eu/apply.
Please be aware of the following important dates:
Submission opening date: 3rd of May 2023
Submission deadline: 5th of July 2023, 17:00 CET
All submitted proposals received after the submission deadline will not be considered.
HOW DO I KNOW IF MY COMPANY IS A SME?
You can find the SMT definition according to the EU recommendation 2003/361 here, including the user guide and the self-assessment tool.
CAN MICRO COMPANIES OF LESS THAN 10 EMPLOYEES APPLY?
Yes, micro enterprises are eligible as they fall under the definition of SMEs (less than 10 employees and less than 2m€ turnover or total balance sheet).
UNTIL WHICH DATE DO I HAVE TO SUBMIT MY APPLICATION?
The application time is between the 3rd of May 2023 till the 5th of July 2023 (17:00 clock CET).
HOW WILL MY APPLICATION FORM BE ASSESSED?
This section includes information about the evaluation and selection process ESTM2030 will be carried out. An independent Selection and Evaluation Committee will manage and supervise the process, ensuring fairness and transparency. The evaluators will generate a ranked list using the overall scores for each application.
- Formal eligibility check of proposals
- Technical evaluation with appointed experts
- Selection procedure
CAN I SUBMIT MY APPLICATION IN LOCAL LANGUAGE?
It is recommended to fill in an application in the English language. Due to the fact that applicants would be non-native English speakers, the applications will not be evaluated based on the use of language but on the provided content. Please be clear and precise in the explanations provided in the project proposal. If any questions arise please do not hesitate to contact us via [email protected].
I HAVE ALREADY SUBMITTED MY APPLICATION BUT I WOULD LIKE TO CHANGE SOME DETAILS. CAN I ACCESS IT AGAIN?
Through your registration you have the possibility to save your application. After the final submission of your application, the submission can no longer be changed.
For urgent cases of changes we will contact you via e-mail.
HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION?
For all interested SMTEs please feel free to contact us using our general e-mail adress [email protected] or the local contact point in your country: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] or [email protected]
How does the financial compensation for participating SMTEs work?
The financial compensation gets paid in form of four lump sums, which means that the participating SMTEs will get a certain amount of money for the completion of a task or activity. In the following you will find for which activitiy, when and which amount will be paid. In total the participating SMTEs can get up to 7.840,00 Euro for the participation in ETSM2030.
The first lump sum amounting to 1.590,00 Euro will be paid for the assessment of the status quo of the SMTEs sustainability via a questionnaire. This eligible acitivity will take place from August 2023 until September 2023 and the lump sum will be paid in the end of October 2023.
The second lump sum amounting to 1.550,00 Euro will be paid for the participation in trainings and coachings regarding sustainability. These trainings and coachings will take place from January 2024 until June 2024 and the lump sum will be paid in the end of July 2024.
The third lump sum amounting to 2.100,00 Euro will be paid for the implementation of a sustainable innovation project together with at least one other beneficiary SMTE (e. g. organizing a workshop regarding a sustainability topic or implementing measures for energy saving). This elgibile activity will take place from April 2024 until September 2025 and the lump sum will be paid in the end of October 2025.
The fourth and last lump sum amounting to 2.600,00 Euro will be paid for giving a final interview to monitor the SMTEs improvements as well as the preparation and application for sustainabilty certifications. This eligible activity will take place from July 2024 until November 2025 and the lump sum will be paid in the end of December 2025.
You can find further details on the payments and the eligible activities in the Call (Section Apply) starting from page 7.
How much time does the participation in ETSM2030 take for the SMTEs?
Participating SMTEs will have the following estimated effort for the participation in the ETSM2030 project:
- for the participation in trainings and coachings at least about 3 to 4 workdays
- for the implementation of sustainability innovation projects with at least one other participating SMTE about 4 workdays
- for the application for certification about 2 to 4 workdays
In total therefore it will be an effort of about 2 work weeks for participating SMTEs as a minimum. The financial support can help here to finance someone who is responsible for the project.
What ist the project duration?
The duration of ETSM2030 is until December 2025. For clarification: The Titel ETSM2030 has nothing to do with the project duration.
What is the timeline of activities participating SMTEs take part in?
Step 1: From 3 May 2023 until 5 July 2023 (17:00 CET) the application process for 84 SMTEs from 6 different countries starts. This is the chance for interested SMTEs to apply for ETSM2030 and foster sustainability!
Step 2: From 6 July 2023 until 31 July 2023 the selection process of SMTEs takes place, which means that our expert team will select the participating SMTEs. SMTEs which applied will be informed if they will be part of ETSM2030!
Step 3: From 1 August 2023 until 29 September 2023 the status quo of the participating SMTEs' sustainability will be assessed. For the participating SMTEs this means that they will undergo a questionnaire about sustainability in their company!
Step 4: From 1 January 2024 until 28 June 2024 the SMTEs will participate in coachings and trainings dedicated to sustainability with the goal to improve their knowledge in this area!
Step 5: From 1 July 2024 until 31 December 2025 the SMTEs will develop a sustainability monitoring tool which ist suitable for SMTEs and can easily be integrated in their daily routines. This process will be accompanied by our expert team!
Step 6: From 1 April 2024 until 30 September 2025 participating SMTEs will develop togehter with other participating SMTEs sustainability innovation projects (e. g. organizing a sustainability workshop or implementing energy saving measures). Through this activity exchange between SMTEs will be fostered!
Step 7: From 1 July 2024 until 28 November 2025 SMTEs will prepare and apply for a sustainabily certification. This process will be accompanied by our expert team!
Step 8: From 1 July 2024 until 31 December 20254 a network for fostering exchange between sustainable working SMTEs is developed and strategic competitive advantages can be ensured!