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EU RURAL TOURISM: 2nd Open Call for tourism SMEs

Action acronym: EU Rural Tourism

Action grant agreement number: 101074557

Action full name: Eurocluster Rural Tourism

Call identifier: SMP-COSME-2021-CLUSTER

Project Timeline and Support

The 2nd Financial Support program will commence in January 2024 and last for 5 months. During this period, participating SMEs will work closely with qualified consultants from EU member states or third countries participating in the COSME program. These consultants will provide technical assistance and guidance to bridge the digital, eco-sustainability, and soft/social skills gap.

• Objectives:

  SMEs will have the opportunity to choose and improve at least 4 out of the following 12 action areas:

  Digital

  ●       Digitalization of processes in SMEs

  ●       Digital marketing and promotion

  ●       Marketing intelligence and data analysis, Marketing strategy based on data

  Green and Sustainable

  ●       Sustainable management practices for SMEs

  ●       CO2 management and reduction to address climate change

  ●       Sustainable mobility

  ●       Gastronomy and food based on local supply chains

  Soft/Social

  ●   Social-cultural skills (interaction with visitors from different cultural backgrounds)

  ●       Experience generation for visitors (development of corresponding products)

  ●       Inclusive tourism for visitors with special needs

  ●       Integration with the local community

  ●       Interpretation techniques for cultural, historical, natural resources

  The support provided to SMEs includes capacity building events, self-assessment, on-site audits, mentoring, technical advice, budget for additional external services, final evaluation, and follow-up visits by experts.

• Elegible applicants:

  This Call is open to SMEs that fall under the following NACE[4] classifications:

  • Accommodation (I55)
  • Travel agency, tour operator reservation service, and related activities (N79)
  • Other NACE coders or in general other activities (where NACE codes does not exist) referred to the rural tourism

  The official registration certificate provided by responsible national tourism authorities for any of the above classifications is sufficient, even if it does not contain the NACE classification code.

  Participation is limited to SMEs established in the following EU member states or their regions, as well as third countries participating in the COSME program or their regions:

  Belgium: Wallonia	Bosnia-Herzegovina	Estonia	Georgia
  Greece	Ireland	Italy	The Netherlands
  North Macedonia	Romania: Harghita	Slovenia	Spain: Aragón, Cataluña, La Rioja, Navarra

  Consortium and Partners

  The EuroCluster Rural Tourism Project consortium consists of six partners based in different countries:

  ●       Venetian Cluster - Italy

  ●       Czech National Cluster Association - Czech Republic

  ●       Asociatia de Dezvoltare Intercomunitara Harghita - Romania

  ●       Asociación Cluster De Turismo Sostenible de Aragón - Spain

  ●       Federation Europeenne de Tourisme Rural (Ruraltour) - France

  ●       EURACADEMY Association - Greece

  Additional Information

  To apply for the project, interested SMEs, represented by their legal representatives, need to submit their applications online[1] through the Cluster Submission Platform.

  The application deadline is 16 January 2024, 17:00 Brussels time. The ONLINE application process requires answering all mandatory questions and ensuring compliance with the eligibility criteria outlined in Section II.a and II.b of the Open Call[2].

  Applicants should demonstrate clear objectives aligned with the project goals, expected outcomes, innovation, and implementation potential. The evaluation criteria for ranking applications are described in the evaluation forms[3] provided in Annex III of the Open Call.

  For more detailed information please refer to the open call guidelines available on the project's website at https://www.euroclusterruraltourism.eu/en/calls/.

   

  If you have any inquiries regarding the application process, you can contact info@euroclusterruraltourism.eu

  [1] Online application form (this page)

  [2] Call for SME

  [3] Evaluation Form

  [4] NACE Code List

  Other useful documents

  Annex 1 - Application form template

  Annex 2 - Declaration Form

  Annex 4 - Draft Grant Agreement

  ECRT - Full pack

• Maximum Budget per application: 5000
• Type of activity supported: Innovation | Twin transformation | Training
• Type of financial support: Lump sum
• Start date: 16/11/2023 08:00
• End date: 16/01/2024 17:00
• Email Address: info@euroclusterruraltourism.eu
• Link to guides for applicants: https://clustersubmissionplatform.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/V3-ECRT-SME-2nd-CALL_20231222-1_Call-document.pdf
• Link to profile page at the ECCP : https://profile.clustercollaboration.eu/profile/cluster-partnership-initiative/b48b2857-13af-4005-b324-34642279ea06
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• Tags: EURURALTOURISM