META Group (META) operates internationally to shape knowledge-based opportunities from the idea to the start-up and scale-up stages. The focus is use of research results and innovation support, including open innovation, start-up creation, access to early-stage funding and Smart Specialisation Strategies.

META is the Contractor of the European Commission in promoting and supporting innovation, deriving from projects in FP7, H2020, Horizon Europe and cohesion funds (ESIF), including S3 Platforms.  META is leader in the exploitation of research results funded by the Framework Programmes, with over 1600 projects supported. It is also in charge of providing services for the international scale-up, through InvestHorizon 2.0, of over 500 companies, accompanied to private investors.

Thanks to the relationships with international associations and networks within the innovation ecosystem META can count on over 20,000 direct contacts and reaches out over 200,000 companies and start-ups internationally.

META has links to risk capital funds through META Ventures (currently managing €100 million invested in over 100 companies in Italy, Slovenia and Poland). Thanks to this collaboration, META staff gained over 15 years of experience in public-private investment funds and financial instruments including grants schemes for third parties financing (e.g. www.socialchallenges.eu).

META has offices in Italy, Belgium (Bruxelles) Poland and Slovenia.

ROLE IN THE PROJECT

 

Within DeremCo project, META is responsible for WP4 – “Business modeling, exploitation, financing and market uptake” to support consortium partners in developing business models and plans to ensure sustainability of business after the end of the project.

META is also responsible for WP7 – “Management of the Open Calls” dedicated to the creation of an ecosystem with representatives of all the different stakeholders interested in the DeremCo value-chain solutions. In particular, META will coordinate and manage 2 open calls for the provision of grants for an overall amount of €1,25mln. Grants will be provided to six-months third party projects, aiming at supporting demonstration activities focused on (i) new circular business cases in the composite sector (ii) new SME driven technological solutions.

META will contribute also to the analysis of the potentials for implementation of DeremCo solutions in futuristic industrial scenarios (WP1), the definition and implementation of a toolkit of methods to facilitate change management (WP3), the identification of the proper financial instruments and mechanisms to support the extended industrial uptake of the circular business cases beyond DeremCo (WP6).