All SME beneficiaries in the EDF calls can benefit from business coaching for free.
Coaches will guide SMEs in their business challenges to ensure the SME can accelerate growth and transition quicker from the research to the development phase or from the development phase to the market
Rewards and Benefits
SME beneficiaries in EDF calls are invited to take advantage of coaching services.
In the first year of the project, SMEs can receive guidance from experienced entrepreneurs and experts in the defence sector to boost growth.
These services are offered for free and focus on specific business challenges SMEs face, such as commercialisation, legal and financial challenges, strategy for defence market, and strategic partnerships.
How does it work?
- Each year, SME beneficiaries will be invited to participate in the business coaching services.
- SME beneficiaries in those calls can register to the EUDIS coaching platform and submit a coaching services request (this process takes around 30min).
- The SMEs will be provided with a needs analysis report, recommended assistance packages and the best matching coach to support them. The SME and the coach initially define a coaching plan to guide their collaboration the goals of the partnership and decide how often they meet. The coaching takes place over a period of 6 months.
Business coaching adds additional support and empowerment to all SME beneficiaries in all the EDF calls.
The following eligibility criteria apply to business coaches:
- Able to coach in a personal capacity;
- Possessing EU or Norwegian nationality and residence of at least 5 years;
- PSC or confirmation of absence of criminal record;
- At least 3 years’ experience as a coach;
- At least 5 years demonstrated experience in one of the following areas: defence technology, defence industry, EU procurement of defence products in the EU;
- Experience in at least one of the sectors covered by the EDF Calls (list of sectors);
- Fluency in English (level C1 or C2);
- Fluency in an EU MS language or Norwegian (level C1 or C2);
The Commission started recruiting coaches in July 2023, interested coach candidates may apply on an ongoing basis via the EUDIS coaching platform.
SMEs will receive recommendations for the best suited coach after applying for the services. However, in the application form they can express one or more preferences.
Topics covered via the coaching services include commercialisation, corporate strategy, business development and strategic partnerships, investment readiness and access to finance, scaling up and internationalisation, improving operations and execution capacity, sales and marketing, or legal and regulatory advice. For more information on the assistance packages, please click here.
Coaching will be provided in the first year of the EDF project. The coach is assigned to the SME, addressing business challenges. The services are provided for free and can last up to 15 days over a period of up to 6 months.
SMEs will receive coaching after the grant agreement has been signed, and the coaching services itself will be available during the first year of the project.