The Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) of the European Commission has launched the H2020 SME Innovation Associate pilot project, as part of the Horizon 2020 programme.

This initiative aims to support 90 SMEs, including start-ups, in recruiting post-doctoral researchers for one year, to transform their innovative ideas into projects.

The H2020 SME Innovation Associate will assist companies through:

• visibility for their job vacancies at European and international level via the EURAXESS portal
• a grant to cover the researcher's salary costs for the period between September 2017 and August 2018.

The call for proposals has a total budget of 7,200,000 euros.

Applications may be submitted by SMEs (including start-ups) established in Member States, Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs), or in countries associated with the Horizon 2020 programme.

To be eligible for recruitment by the beneficiary company, the researcher must meet the following requirements:

• hold a doctoral degree;
• possess the skills required by the job advertisement;
• comply with the transnational mobility criteria set out in the call.

Applications may be submitted by interested SMEs no later than 30/06/2016.

For further information, please refer to the EASME website, the Participant Portal, and the dedicated page in the members' area of the Confindustria Brussels Delegation website.