It is an initiative created to generate new opportunities for collaboration between SMEs and startups; opportunities based on a model of joint sectoral challenges posed between the participating SMEs.

Applications must meet the following minimum requirements:

• Each ODC will prepare a single application proposing a group of companies to participate.
• These groups of companies must be made up of a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 SMEs.
• Each working group can propose up to a maximum of 2 challenges. All SMEs in the working group must participate in the challenges, which means that no subgroups can be made within each ODC.
• The applications (challenges) will have a specific structure, must meet standard requirements for all of them, and will be evaluated on the basis of a set of predefined criteria. For more details on this point, see sections 5 (Application structure) and 6 (Criteria for evaluating applications).
• Those that meet the minimum quality criteria will be selected.

These are the characteristics that participating SMEs must meet:

 

• SMEs associated with the ODCs that are members of the initiative.
• SMEs external to the ODCs that have been accepted by the corresponding sectoral ODC to be included in its application.
• SMEs linked to the BIND 4.0 verticals and/or to the areas of the Basque Country RIS 3 smart specialisation.
• SMEs with at least one centre of activity in the Basque Country.
• SMEs with less than 250 employees.
• SMEs with interest in and commitment to working with the startups and that have the resources to provide sufficient dedication and involvement in the different activities of the initiative.
• SMEs with sufficient technological maturity, or human resources trained for the process, who assign a person to be responsible for the programme and who commit to the different activities of the initiative

BIND SME Connection is mainly focused on the following startup profiles:

• Startups that develop new innovative technologies applied to the industrial sector and its related services, or that have direct application in the production processes and/or services of the participating SMEs that have already completed their technological development, and that are in a position to finalise the configuration of their service/product. That is, that have a product or service that can be seen, tested, proven, or that is already available on the market.
• Startups no more than 8 years old, proposing the use of new technologies to improve business processes, and that need to accelerate their business development.
• Startups with application in the challenges proposed by the SMEs, and that are a fit with the specialisation sectors and opportunity areas of the Basque Country Specialisation Strategy.

Participating SMEs commit to:

• Accept and comply with the terms and conditions of the initiative.
• Attend and actively participate in the dynamics proposed in the initiative, and comply with the work and tasks defined.
• Provide the required dedication for the development of the project once a collaboration contract between the SME and the startup has been signed.

The latter implies a minimum dedication of 40 hours in order to get involved and benefit from the programme, which implies a proactive participation in the programme and the work to be done internally in the organisation.  The minimum tasks and hours to be performed are as follows:

• Launching + Identification and Characterisation of challenges = 12 hours
• Analysis + Selection of startups = 8 hours
• Matchmaking Sessions (Pitching + B2B Event with startups) = 10 hours
• Other internal reflection work + Communication = 10 hours