2017 CALL FOR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST Deadline May 5th for registration and May 12th, 2017, for submission of the Application Form.
THE CALL This is the second of four annual Calls planned for the TCBL project until 2019. If you are a business or enterprise large or small – even individuals may apply – in any way connected with design, production, and distribution in the Textile and Clothing (T&C) sector, the TCBL Project invites you to apply to become an Associate Enterprise through the second Call for Expressions of Interest opening April 5th, 2017. If your Expression of Interest is successful, you and your company will become one of the prominent members of a growing global community open to anyone interested in innovating business systems to build a more inclusive, and sustainable production ecosystem in Europe.
W HAT’S ON OFFER As an Associate Enterprise in TCBL your business will primarily interact with the project’s network of Business Labs, who have already launched their explorations of inspiring and stimulating ideas for business model innovation. You will probably also want to explore new partnerships with other Associate Enterprises, benefit from trial subscriptions of Associate Service Providers, and participate in the experimental settings of the TCBL Business Cases, designed to lower the risk of innovation. Your business will be assigned to one of the TCBL Associates or Project Partners, who will help you navigate among the network of Labs and Enterprises and find the best resources and opportunities. In addition, the majority of project partners also offer business support and training services as a part of their normal activities. The TCBL Project (www.tcbl.eu) TCBL is a major EU funded project that aims to transform the T&C industry and bring production capacity back to Europe, by applying new business models that support local design and production, adopt best of breed technology advances and reduce the T&C sector’s impact on the environment.
Participation as an Associate Benefits of participation Enterprise in the TCBL ecosystem is As a TCBL Associate Enterprise, your company will: • Join a business community of innovating enterfree of charge and implies no formal prises, all under the TCBL label. obligation to the TCBL project • Become part of a closed user group that will test consortium nor to the European innovative value chains and approaches to the reCommission. This is the second of vitalisation of the T&C sector. • Work together with TCBL partners to co-design infour annual Calls planned for the novation services best fit for business like yours. TCBL project until 2019. The results of business interactions of the first Call Associates within the TCBL ecosystem have already led to the launch of six concrete Business Cases (see box following). The Associate Enterprises who have been most actively participating in these experimental activities are also gaining the additional benefit of participating together with TCBL consortium partners in the governance of the TCBL business ecosystem, co-design of its services, and evaluation and selection for the 2017 Calls.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, under grant agreement No 646133.
HOW TO APPLY To apply, simply complete the on-line application form at the link you will be provided upon registration (together with your registration number) and submit by midnight, May 12th, 2017. You must first sign up to the TCBL website (www.tcbl.eu), if you have not already done so, by May 5th, to receive your registration number. Note that registration is for individuals rather than companies, even though your application may be on behalf of a company. It is also in your interest to engage business On-going Business Cases partners and other like-minded Natural Cotton: rebuilding value chains for natural fibres innovators in the TCBL ecosystem (including also linen, silk, hemp, etc.) through wide diffusion of the Call Short runs: partnerships and services to support short link above. runs for sustainable fashion Evaluation of applications will follow a rigorous peer review process, and will be based on three main criteria: •
• •
Eco-production: ways to reduce chemical usage, energy consumption, and environmental impact Bio-shades: developing the use of bacteria based dyes as an industrial option Digital heritage: digitization of textile and clothing archives and collections as a source of design inspiration Independents: empowering and networking independent designers and producers
Value added to the network: profile and location, originality of approach Innovation capacity: contribution to the on-going Business Cases, willingness to cocreate new value chains Coherence with community values: alignment with and contribution to the TCBL Principles
TCBL Principles Curiosity: learning and innovation for relevant issues. Viability: business value and alignment with market trends. Durability: sustainable design and environmental commitment. Multiplicity: inter-disciplinary approach to capturing diversity. Openness: open innovation, resource sharing, transparency Respect: soundness of authorship, IPR and privacy policies, respect for supply chain business information, social responsibility and fair trade practices. Responsibility: availability of resources, timeliness, quality
Evaluation procedures will be managed by the TCBL project consortium, in respect of principles of openness, fairness, and transparency. There is no set limit for the number of Associate Enterprises to take on board, so the evaluation is more a filter of readiness to innovate than a competition between proposers.
The selection procedure will involve teams of 3 reviewers each, with each reviewer either and existing Associate Enterprise or belonging to a different TCBL partner organisation. Your proposal will therefore have 3 readers, none of whom will be from your country. The final selection will take issues of overall balance into account, if and when necessary.
W HEN WILL YOU KNOW THE OUTCOME ? Evaluation outcomes will be communicated to applicants by May 30th, and a public, anonymized report distributed by early June. Unsuccessful applicants will receive a note with suggestions for improving their proposals for future calls. Successful applicants will be invited to participate in the second annual #TCBL_2017 on June 20-21 in Athens, Greece. Five exemplary proposers will be identified by the Conference organizing committee as invited speakers (with reimbursement of travel expenses) for one of the Conference workshop sessions. On that occasion, the results of the 2017 Call will be publicly announced. Responsible for the TCBL Call procedures: Paolo Guarnieri, tcbl@comune.prato.it.