Finding a partner for your EEA Grants project idea: facilitating bilateral matchmaking online.
One of the two main goals of the EEA Grants is to increase cooperation and relations between the beneficiary and donor countries. Partnerships between entities from the beneficiary countries and their counterparts in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway are a fundamental part of the Grants.
However, finding the right partner for your project idea might be a challenging task under the covid-19 era. Although face-to-face contact is often preferred for the development of bilateral relations, across the EEA Grants countries, bilateral matchmaking has moved to the online world. This article summarizes some of the resources that are currently available in an attempt to facilitate the process of bilateral matchmaking online.
Getting in touch with Donor Program Partners
The Donor Program Partners may often be able to assist you in finding the right partner for your project idea. In this link you will find a list of the entities acting as donor program partners from the donor countries, including area of activities, website, contact person and contact details. The right person to talk to is just a click away!
Exploring opportunities for the Active Citizens Fund
Looking at the Active Citizens Fund in particular, both the Norwegian Helsinki Committee and the Icelandic Human Rights Centre can assist you in finding a project partner. The Norwegian Helsinki Committee maintains a searchable online database of registered entities across the EEA Grants beneficiary countries, available through this link. Now is a great time to register in this database in order to find possible partners! The Fund Operator of the Active Citizens Fund in Greece has also developed an online portal inviting all parties interested in a project partnership to register. Follow the link and contribute to the development of this database with your organization’s profile and contact details.
Looking at the business and innovation sector
Innovation Norway, Fund Operator of the Business Innovation Program in Greece, also provides various databases to facilitate online search for a partner in the business, research and technology sectors.
The Explorer is the official database for green technology from Norway, offering a plethora of resources, project ideas, articles and case studies that can help you take your green business idea to the next level.
The Research Council of Norway maintains an online database for research projects.
TechTransfer is a website dedicated to innovative technology solutions from the oil and gas sector, highlighting some of Norway’s leading examples where such technology has been applied in other industries across the world.
Innovation Norway has also published a recently updated excel spreadsheet of registered companies from the various beneficiary countries as partners.
One should add to this list the EU EEN portal, which also includes contacts from the donor states.
Online information sessions and matchmaking events
Make sure you follow the EEA and Norway Grants and the Norwegian Embassy’s social media to get all the latest updates regarding online information sessions and matchmaking events engaging entities from Greece.
Innovation Norway publishes online matchmaking opportunities and events in their facebook page.
Sign up here to receive updates for the Active Citizens Fund across all countries through the Norwegian Helsinki Committee’s newsletter.
More resources
The Financial Mechanism Office has published a detailed guide to facilitate bilateral matchmaking online. Here is the link to download the document.
Questions?
If you have any questions related to the EEA Grants in Greece, please contact the Norwegian Embassy in Athens by e-mail emb.ath@mfa.no or the EEA Grants Special Service at the Greek Ministry of Development & Investments by e-mail: contact-eeagrants@mnec.gr.