Join the BEFuture
Acceleration Programme

Support for innovators: objectives of the Call for mentors 

The Acceleration Programme will provide financial and technical support to innovative projects. The implementation of these projects within the business events sector is driven by SMEs and other organisations from the tourism sector and related ecosystems.  

To do so, selected project beneficiaries will have to recruit verified mentors. The costs of these mentoring sessions are funded through the financial support received under the Acceleration Programme.  

Through the current Call, BEFuture will create a pool of potential mentors. Selected projects will then choose the mentor who best aligns with their project needs to assist with implementation.  

Hands-on support for ideas that break the mould: scope of the mentoring opportunity

We will select at least 80 innovative projects driven by SMEs from the 6 partner territories. These projects are expected to start on 1 April 2025 and last for 8 months. Within this timeframe, each project must foresee the support of one mentor, for at least 20 hours.

The projects will receive a lump sum ranging from € 20 000 to 30 000. The amount granted will depend on the type of innovation: radical, disruptive or substantial. (To find out more on each type of innovation, please refer to the Call for projects. 

Projects will allocate a portion of the financial support granted to them to bring in a mentor from the pool established through this Call.

This is an exceptional opportunity to work with creative people and organisations to make a difference in the business events sector. 

Your experience will play a crucial role in turning innovative ideas into concrete solutions.

Profile of funded projects: mentors and consultants for SMEs

The BEFuture consortium invites interested professionals to apply to join the BEFuture Pool of mentors.  

Profiles of mentors admitted under the Call may include experts or consultants that accompany SMEs, providing expertise, advice or services to support their innovative projects from the first steps until finalisation.  

The aim of the Call is solely to create a pool/short-list of mentors for selected SMEs to choose from. The admission into the Pool of mentors does not entail an automatic right or guarantee to be contracted by SMEs under the BEFuture Acceleration Programme.

Practical details 

Who can apply

To be admitted into the BEFuture Pool of mentors, individual professionals must fulfil the following admission requirements: 

• A minimum 3 years of experience supporting SMEs and other stakeholders within the business events industry and related sectors, through innovation processes. 

• Being a resident of the European Economic Area (= EU countries + Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein) or Switzerland. 

• Appropriate working knowledge of English (minimum B1). Knowledge of other languages of the project (Spanish, Catalan, French, Flemish, French, Dutch, German, Italian) is an asset.  

Professionals are excluded from participation if they or the companies they work for are in one of the following situations: 

1. They are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
2. They or persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgement of a competent party of a Member State which has the force of res judicata;
3. They have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting party can justify including by decisions of the European Investment Bank and international organisations;
4. They are not in compliance with their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the contracting party or those of the country where the contract is to be performed;
5. They or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been the subject of a judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such an illegal activity is detrimental to the Union's financial interests.

 

Timeline

• Opening of the Call for mentors: 3 October 2024 

• Call for projects: 15 November 2024 to 15 January 2025 

• Notification of admission to the pool of mentors: Within 30 days after application 

• Closing of the Call for mentors: 15 May 2025 

• Selected projects’ kick-off (earliest start of assignments): 1 April 2025 

• End of Acceleration Programme (max. end date for assignments): 30 November 2025 

Application and admission procedure

Candidates are invited to apply to this Call by submitting their application online in English using the form available on this page, filling in all the required fields.

They will need to provide their CV and can optionally provide further supporting documentation to showcase or justify their expertise, such as a service portfolio.  

After submission, applicants who have been verified will receive an e-mail confirming their admission to the Pool of mentors.  

If there is a need for additional or specific mentor profiles based on SMEs’ projects and necessities, applicants will be admitted until one month after selected projects under the BEFuture Acceleration Programme have started (end of May 2025). 

 

What happens once a mentor has been admitted to the pool?

The information contained in the application form (except the attached documentation like CVs and other supporting documents) will be made available to selected SMEs. All applicants need to give their explicit consent for this during the application process. 

Project beneficiaries can choose their desired mentor from the pool. Only one mentor by project can be chosen. 

Project beneficiaries and mentors need to sign a collaboration agreement indicating the tasks to be carried out, the value of the contract, the duration of the service provision and payment conditions. 

The mentors’ place of work needs to be agreed on with the beneficiaries. The work can be either carried out remotely, at the premises of the beneficiary, or at any other agreed location.

More information

You can find more information on the following pages of the BEFuture platform: 

• General information on the BEFuture project 
• Information on the Acceleration Programme 
• Information on the Call for projects 
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) 

An online information session for potential applicants was organised on 17 October 2024 at 15h CET. You can watch the recording here:

View the presentation