BIG Lottery Fund Grant to Hub Launchpad

BIG Lottery Fund

Grant to Hub Launchpad(Westminster)

State aid reference no: xxxx/xxx

1. Member State

United Kingdom

2. Region

England

3. Title of Aid Scheme

SIF: Hub Launchpad(Westminster)

4. UK legal basis

The powers of the BIG Lottery Fund to grant public funds under this scheme are contained in the following legislation:

National Lottery Act 1993 (as amended in 2006)

5. EC legal basis

All aid provided under this Scheme will be within the limits set out in Article36 of Commission Regulation (EC) 800/2008 (General Block Exemption Regulation)[1]

Summary information relating to the Scheme has been registered with the Commission under reference XXXX/XXXX

6. Definitions

In this Scheme, the following expressions have the meanings assigned below:

“SME” means an enterprise that falls within the criteria and parameters of the

definition of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises contained in the

Commission Recommendation of 6 May 2003 concerning the definition of micro,

small and medium-sized enterprises (2003/361/EC), which took effect on 1

January 2005[2]

7. Objective of the Scheme

Hub Launchpad aims to address the weaknesses of start-up social enterprises by focusing on providing assistance to social entrepreneurs/intrapreneurs in the journey from the idea to start up phase through supporting business development and access to early stage finance.

We increasingly recognise that emerging social ventures need time and space to develop ideas; detailed access to the market disjunctions and market makers, introductions to co-founders and access to great support that goes beyond the basic business 101 skills. In order to address these particular and specific issues, the Hub

Launchpad programme has been designed to operate over three phases.

Phase 1 of the Hub Launchpad programme is designed to address these issues by

awarding low threshold access via night memberships to hubs and learning

programmes of ideation workshops. This is where participants will pitch for cofounders and gain access to experts in Hubs in London and Birmingham. They will beopen to promising social entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs with social venture ideas.

Phase 2 of the Hub Launchpad programme is focused on inviting and attracting micro communities of data scientists, designers, entrepreneurs, service professionals, who are excited, inspired to ideate, hack and attack specific market disjunctions through a series of weekend ‘thematic camps’. Examples could include: public hackathons focused on health, and education. The overall aim of this phase of the programme is to build sector specific quality, diversity and develop the skills base of the entry personnel of the next phase of the programme - the accelerator.

Phase 3 - Following the two precursor phases and an open call supported by invitations to peer

selected participants of Phases 1& 2, the accelerator programme (Phase 3) lasting 14 weeks takes place, delivered by our sector specific expert delivery partners, for which participants will receive stipend investments and investment prizes will be awarded at the end.

Hub Launchpad aims to not only directly and equitably grow new entrants, entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs to the social economy from across England, but it will openly share the performance data the Hub Launchpad incubator generates. We believe this will help de-risk and seed a next generation of targeted, private sector led sustainable social start-up investment funds and incubators. Throughout the programme we will gather performance data and market insight reports which will be openly shared with the public, the sector and investors.

8. Government body authorised to implement the Scheme

The BIG Lottery Fund

9. Scope of the Scheme

10. Duration of the Scheme

The General Block Exemption Regulation funded budget over the period from the 1st April 2013 to the 1stApril 2015 will be £739,500, with Hub Launchpad meeting the remaining 50% balance of costs from private funds.

11. Form of aid

All aid awarded under the Scheme will be transparent and in line with criteria set out in Article 36 of the General Block Exemption Regulation.

12. Eligible costs

“Eligible costs” shall be the following;-

(a)as regards innovation advisory services, the costs relating to: management consulting, technological assistance, technology transfer services, training, consultancy for acquisition, protection and trade in Intellectual Property Rights and for licensing agreements, consultancy on the use of standards;

(b)as regards innovation support services, the costs relating to: office space, data banks, technical libraries, market research, use of laboratory, quality labelling, testing and certification.

13. Aid intensities

The aid intensity for awards made under Article 36 or Aid for Innovation Advisory Services shall not exceed 50% of eligible costs.

14. Incentive effect

Aid recipients must demonstrate that the aid is required for projects to proceed.

Funding will not be awarded where the activity has already started before anapplication for support is made.

15. Cumulation

Aid provided under this Scheme will not be cumulated with other forms of aid nor with aid classed as de minimis aid[3]in regard to the same eligible costs if the result would breach the aid intensities set out above.

16. Budget

The total budget for the programme is £2,978,999of which £1,500,000 will be awarded in grants to the ventures and £1,479,000will be spent on business support services and innovation advisory services. The GBER funded business support services component will be funded by the BIG Lottery Fund at 50% intensity and the De Minimis grants to start-ups will be funded at 50% intensity also.

17. Monitoring and reporting requirements

All recipients of aid under the Scheme will be informed that aid has been provided under the Scheme, registered under X792/2009, pursuant to Article 36 of Commission Regulation (EC) No 800/2008 (General Block Exemption Regulation).

Records will be kept for 10 years from the date of the last award of aid under the Scheme. Records will be sufficiently detailed to establish that the conditions ofthe Scheme are met.

Contact information:

Legal Team

BIG Lottery Fund

1 Plough Place

London EC4A 1DE

United Kingdom

Tel: + 44 (0)207211 1800

Fax: +44 (0)207211 1750

[1]

[2]

See also the New SME Definition User Guide and Model Declaration

[3]Aid fulfilling the conditions laid down in Commission Regulation (EC) No 1998/2006 on the application

of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to de minimis aid.