29.3.2011

Official Journal of the European Union

C 96/8

CALL FOR PROPOSALS — No 6/G/ENT/CIP/10/E/N01C21

European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs

2011/C 96/06

1. Objectives and description

This project is intended to encourage and support entrepreneurship among women by creating a European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs.

The project recognises and supports the distinctive nature of women’s business start-ups and aims to ensure that women entrepreneurs can keep their new businesses going throughout the first, very challenging years.

It is designed as a contribution to implementing the Small Business Act, particularly Principle 1: ‘Create an environment in which entrepreneurs and family businesses can thrive and entrepreneurship is rewarded’.

What activities are eligible for funding?

This call is intended to set up national networks of mentors for women entrepreneurs in at least 15 countries. These networks will jointly form the European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs.

Organisations active in business support and/or in the promotion of women entrepreneurs are invited to participate.

The main role of the national networks will be to:

—	identify, select and train mentors for women entrepreneurs,

—	identify and select women entrepreneurs to be mentored,

—	form the best and most efficient ‘mentor/mentoree’ relationships based on the experience and expectations of those taking part,

—	monitor and facilitate these relationships for the duration of the action,

—	evaluate and report on these relationships in a comprehensive and consistent manner,

—	ensure the visibility of the national networks of mentors as part of an EU-funded and supported initiative.

Mentors are men or women, who:

—	have personal experience of owning and managing a small or medium-sized company (1) successfully for at least five years,

—	be aware of specific challenges women entrepreneurs may face (e.g. in starting up a business, accessing finance, networking, etc.), and

—	be ready to share their know-how with mentorees and be available to meet them regularly over a period of at least a year.

Each mentor is expected to take on at least two mentorees for the duration of the project.

Mentors will act on a voluntary basis, and will commit to refrain, during the two years following the end of the mentoring scheme, from taking any participation in the company led by their mentorees.

2. Eligible applicants

Applications from organisations in the following countries are eligible:

(a)	EU Member States;

(b)	EEA countries: Liechtenstein and Norway;

(c)	candidate countries: Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Montenegro and Turkey;

(d)	countries taking part in the competitiveness and innovation programme: Albania, Israel and Serbia.

2.	Applicants must act in a national consortium of at least two partner organisations established in the same country (ie., a minimum of two organisations should be involved).

3.	The applicant will act as coordinator for the consortium. All partners must satisfy the eligibility criteria.

Applications must be submitted by a legal person. Applicants must correspond to the definition of the following target organisations: any public or private entity, the core activity of which is in the field of business support and/or in the promotion of women entrepreneurs. This may in particular include:

—	public authorities responsible for or active in the fields of economic affairs, enterprise, business support or related issues,

—	chambers of commerce and industry, chambers of handicrafts or similar bodies,

—	business support organisations, start-up centres and incubators,

—	business associations and business support networks,

—	women entrepreneurs’ associations,

—	public and private entities offering business support services.

5.	Corporate bodies must be properly constituted and registered under the law. If a body or organisation is not constituted under the law, a physical person must be designated to take legal responsibility.

3. Budget and project duration

The maximum budget allocated by Commission Decision C(2009) 10196 of 21 December 2009 (Revision C(2010) 3477 of 4 June 2010) for this call for proposals is: EUR 1 000 000.

—	Indicative number of projects: National networks of mentors set up in at least 15 countries.

—	Maximum EU co-financing rate of eligible costs: up to 60 % for all projects.

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EU co-financing — ceiling per project: according to the proposed number of mentorees, the following ceilings are applied:

Proposed number of mentorees	5-10	10-20	20+
Maximum EU co-financing ceiling per scheme	Up to EUR 35 000	Up to EUR 50 000	Up to EUR 75 000

—	The maximum duration will be 24 months.

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The indicative timetable is as follows:

Signature of agreements	September 2011
Selection of mentors at national level	September-October 2011
Kick-off event for mentors at the European Network of Mentors for Women Entrepreneurs	November 2011
Network activity	November 2011 onwards

4. Deadline

Applicants must send their proposals to the Commission no later than 20 April 2011.

5. Further information

The full text of the call for proposals, the guide for applicants and application forms are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/newsroom/cf/itemlongdetail.cfm?item_id=4975&lang=en

Applications must comply with the requirements set out in the full text and be submitted using the forms provided.

(1) i.e. an SME, cf. definition at: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm