Programme & Call
How to participate in this call
Requirements
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, having performed significant valorisation activities and a defined Commercialisation Strategy.
- Projects must 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.
Rules for participation
All the information about the programme, the conditions for participating in the selection process and the legal aspects can be found in the following document.
We strongly recommend reading carefully the following documents before submitting your proposal.
How do I apply?
- Submit your applications and additional documents by entering the private area for applying for all the “la Caixa” Foundation programmes. 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 CaixaImpulse Programme and complete the application form. Following the selection process of the CaixaImpulse Consolidate programme, 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 CaixaImpulse Form Samples (Letter of Intent and Preselected Full proposal). 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.
- Questions and answers: ci_info@fundaciolacaixa.org
Selection process
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.
Project selection criteria
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:
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how accurately the medical need has been identified.
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to what extent the proposed solution will address the unmet need.
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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:
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what are the scientific fundamentals underlying the proposal.
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how the current stage of development has been reached.
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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:
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to what extent the stated actions and milestones contribute to the advancement of the roadmap.
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how the participation in the CaixaImpulse Programme implies a decisive impetus for the roadmap’s advancement.
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to what extent the valorisation process needs have been depicted and addressed.
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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:
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how team members capabilities and complementarity are relevant to carry out the project (consider here Consortium if applicable).
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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:
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to what extent the involvement of social stakeholders is considered in relation to the objectives addressed.
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to what extent ethical, social, legal, and environmental implications derived from the innovation development are tackled.
Calendar for the submission and selection of the projects
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.
Cut-off moments will be defined based on the volume of applications and will be accordingly notified.
A maximum of three cut-offs per year for review and selection of proposals will be announced.
FAQs
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Who can be a Beneficiary of the programme?
The Beneficiary can be an entity that owns or co-owns the Asset(s) resulting from the scientific research and/or innovation activities and whose main activity has to be located and registered in Spain or Portugal. Beneficiaries must be non-profit organisations.
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Must applicants have previously participated in the CaixaImpulse Programme?
It is not mandatory. The call is open to any application that fits the established requirements. Projects under the CaixaImpulse programme can apply to the CaixaImpulse Consolidate Call as long as the Valorisation Plan of the Asset(s) has been approved by the Programme Office before the application.
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At what point of development should projects be to participate in this Call?
We recommend to be at a TRL 4 or higher.
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What does the Call offer?
It offers financial support of up to EUR €300,000 for a maximum of 24 months, and ad-hoc non-financial support.
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What is the duration of participation in the programme?
A maximum of 24 months.
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What costs are eligible to be covered by the grant?
All valorisation actions included in the project development plan such as technological development of the Asset(s), consulting and market study services, studies for regulatory approval, hiring of personnel, management of IP and travel expenses, among others.
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Is it required that the beneficiary institution owns the Asset(s)?
Yes, Beneficiaries must be public and non-profit organisations that own or co-own the Asset(s).
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Are overhead expenses covered by the grant?
Yes, 10% of the total budget may be intended for overhead expenses.
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What is the non-financial support offered by the programme?
The programme offers mentorship, training and suppport actitivites such as expert advice and acces to the CaixaImpulse experts’ network. Other types of support might be offered upon request.
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Can one participant lead different projects in the Programme?
The Project Leader may be involved in more than one application, but cannot be Project Leader in more than one.
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Can we participate in the programme if our Asset(s) is not protected by IP?
Eligible projects must have IP registration or proven IP strategy for the protection of the Asset(s).
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Are actions to evaluate efficacy or safety of products eligible in the programme?
Yes, all those actions needed for regulatory approval of the Asset(s) are eligible.
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Would consortia be elegible to participate in the programme?
Yes, consortia are eligible as long as they are led by the Beneficiary that owns or co-owns the Asset(s). In this case, the Beneficiary will receive and distribute the project funding among the other consortium members and will be responsible for justifying the expenses incurred by all consortium members and the reimbursement of the grant.
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Can we participate if our Asset(s) has been transferred to a Spin-off company?
Yes, as long as the Beneficiary of the grant is a public or non-profit institution and the project has previously participated and been awarded a grant in CaixaImpulse Validate.
Questions and answers: ci_info@fundaciolacaixa.org