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This month’s partner spotlight features two organisations from the POLICY ENLARGE consortium: DLR and FundingBox Accelerator (FBA). Between them, they cover two of the project’s most substantive responsibilities: building the evidence base for R&I policy across the enlargement region, and running the open call mechanism through which the project funds innovation collaboration in ten countries.
DLR
Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) is Germany’s national research centre for aerospace, energy, transport, security and digitalisation, and one of the largest organisations for implementing R&I funding programmes in Germany. Its Project Management Agency, with its main branches in Bonn, Berlin and Brussels, provides funding management, strategy consulting, analysis, evaluation, communication, and capacity building services to more than 130 countries, with approximately 1,600 staff.
In POLICY ENLARGE, DLR leads the work package WP2 Policy Guidance and Learning covering the analytical work on ERA Integration and Widening: investigating how the enlargement economies participate in EU R&I calls, identifying obstacles to their integration into the European Research Area (ERA), documenting success stories from Horizon Europe applicants in the region, and producing a Policy Brief with findings and recommendations. DLR also co-organises a regional policy conference bringing together policy makers, researchers and funding agencies from the enlargement countries. Furthermore, DLR co-designs the open call mechanism with the partner FBA, defining the terms and criteria for the funding instruments, and oversees the follow-up of third-party projects selected through those calls, evaluating their progress and validating results before payments are made.
DLR has worked with the Western Balkans and the enlargement region for over two decades in the frame of EU funded projects. Since 2017, it has led the European Commission’s International Service Facility and Global Service Facility consortium, facilitating R&I policy dialogue among others between the EU and the Western Balkans through Ministerial Meetings, Steering Platform meetings and analytical studies. In the EU funded predecessor project POLICY ANSWERS, DLR led the work package on monitoring for agenda setting, producing ERA Country Reports and Monitoring Cards on the implementation of the Western Balkans Agenda. DLR has also been managing multilateral calls for research projects between German researchers and Western Balkans partners on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space since 2019.
FundingBox Accelerator (FBA)
FundingBox Accelerator sp. z o.o. (FBA) is a Warsaw-based SME, part of the FundingBox Group, acting as a key innovation orchestrator by supporting, promoting and launching technological and innovative scale-up initiatives in Europe. As a leader in Financial Support to Third Parties (FTSP) management under EU Horizon framework programmes, FBA has managed FSTP in 56 projects, signed over 2,460 sub-grant agreements, and run more than 200 international open calls, processing over 45,000 applications from 40 countries through its FundingBox platform. In 2022, the European Commission validated all FBA procedures across five audited FSTP projects, confirming its status as a trusted partner for large-scale funding distribution. In POLICY ENLARGE, FBA leads WP3 Joint Actions and Financial Instruments.
FBA runs the open calls from end to end: preparing legal documents and application forms, managing the digital platform, co-organising InfoDays, and facilitating matchmaking between potential applicants to foster cross-border collaboration. FBA also co-designs the open call mechanism with DLR and co-leads the production of video success stories, showcasing the tangible impact of the EU-funded innovation, FBA has an established presence in the Enlargement region, with connections to over 6,400 intermediary entities, including more than 700 in enlargement economies through the Regional Cooperation Council. With a proven track record in building digital ecosystems, FBA has established Digital Innovation Hubs in Ukraine, Moldova, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and is currently running capacity building programmes for Western Balkans EDIHs and National Contact Points to strengthen the region’s innovation legislative and financial framework.