Call for Proposals for the egg Scale Up platform

The programme under the title “egg – enter grow go” (hereinafter the Programme or the egg Programme or egg) is organised by the company under the corporate name “Eurobank SA” (hereinafter Eurobank) and a unit of the private-law legal entity under the corporate name “Athena Research & Innovation Center in Information Communication & Knowledge Technologies” (hereinafter Corallia).

Eurobank (www.eurobank.gr) has a long history in carrying out significant corporate social responsibility actions, and constantly updates its actions with new initiatives. This particular initiative aims to support entrepreneurship. Corallia (www.corallia.org) expands the initiatives it carries within the context of the innovation ecosystems it has developed and the innovation centres it operates to support entrepreneurship.

The Programme consists of two distinct and complementary platforms that support entrepreneurship, the “Start Up” platform, which is addressed to business teams or startups (up to 3 years old) with new business ideas, and the “Scale Up” platform, which is addressed to more mature startups seeking to accelerate the development of their products, increase their turnover and/or attract (further) financing. The Programme, in terms of the “Scale Up” platform (hereinafter egg Scale Up or the Scale Up Platform), is governed by the provisions included in the terms and conditions of this Call for proposals and by the participation agreement, which must be signed by anyone who qualifies to the grow phase of egg Scale Up. The competition process (assessment process) to enter the grow phase of egg Scale Up will be conducted according to the terms and conditions of this Call for proposals as specified hereinafter. Participating in egg Scale Up constitutes a statement that the participants are fully aware and unreservedly accept these terms and conditions, as well as the assessment judgements and decisions made by the Programme’s competent bodies, which are binding for the participants. The participants waive any relevant opposing claims.

It is explicitly stated that Eurobank and Corallia reserve the right, following a unanimous decision of the Programme’s Steering Committee, to unilaterally amend the egg Scale Up terms and conditions, even cancel it for significant reasons, as well as extend or curtail its duration, by posting the respective notification on the Programme’s dedicated website (www.theegg.gr) or by any other appropriate means. No claim against Eurobank and Corallia may arise as a result of the aforementioned actions or in relation to them.

The egg Programme is a Corporate Social Responsibility initiative aiming to support innovative entrepreneurship and foster sustainable employment prospects for the country's workforce. It currently is the most recognised and comprehensive support framework in Greece for new business ventures during their most crucial development steps towards professional accomplishment and success.

Specifically, egg Scale Up is a comprehensive framework for business growth, networking and scalability, with a duration adapted to the needs and special features of each participating company, providing throughout the grow phase of egg Scale Up a set of supportive actions and tools to help the participants raise the necessary capital, target the right client base, accelerate the promotion of the product or service they offer, and ensure the success and viability of their business. It is mainly addressed to companies (irrespective of how long they operate) and subsequently to companies in the process of being incorporated, which demonstrate advanced technology readiness of their products and services (levels TRL 7 – system prototype demonstration in operational environment, TRL 8 – system complete and qualified or TRL 9 – actual system proven in operational environment). Ideally, anyone interested in participating should be able to show that they are already selling their products/services and/or have already concluded an initial round of raising investment capital (e.g. seed capital).

egg Scale Up consists of the competition part (enter phase, see below, specifically Article 8) and of the participation-implementation phase in a narrow sense (grow phase, see below, specifically Article 2). The go phase (see below) follows the official completion of egg Scale Up and essentially is its capstone. Specifically:

• enter (the phase to be included in the Programme): egg Scale Up is open to innovative businesses in all sectors of economic activity, especially sectors with significant market size and growth potential. Interested parties should submit, according to the provisions of this Call for proposals (see Article 9), an application form and a business plan / pitch deck, which will be assessed in terms of its innovation, competitive advantage and growth prospects, inter alia, by distinguished experts with experience in assessing innovative business plans and managing venture capital (VCs). The companies whose business plan will be positively scored during this phase, in compliance with the terms and conditions of this Call for proposals, will qualify to the next grow phase of egg Scale Up.
• grow (the phase of business acceleration): The companies that qualify to this phase will initially receive support to incorporate the company or convert it to the right company form (e.g. sole proprietorship to private company), if they have not done so already. Then, and after having set the targeted business milestone (e.g. raising capital, penetrating the target-market, etc.) jointly with the egg Scale Up contributors, they will have the chance to enjoy the entire range of services provided within egg Scale Up, accelerate the development of their products, increase their turnover and/or attract financing, making the most of the tools and consulting services provided by egg Scale Up (see Article 2), exchanging business experiences with other participants as members of a growth ecosystem, and expanding the potential and value of their business.
• go (achievement of business milestone): Participation in egg Scale Up is concluded when the agreed business milestone set at the grow phase of egg Scale Up for the participating company is achieved, meaning tangible results in terms of increasing sales and/or raising investment or other capital, aiming at substantial acceleration and scalability of their business operations.

The main egg Scale Up benefits which the qualifying businesses may enjoy, as provided in this Call for proposals, are the following:

• Business and financial consulting through regular monitoring and guidance to the teams by the Programme contributors on issues that include implementing the agreed business milestone, organising and managing the business, focusing on the target-market, prioritising products/services, carrying out gap analysis of the company's executives, planning and managing projects, and getting advice on financial management matters (Virtual CFO), such as monitoring corporate expenses, corporate financial planning, financial reporting, financial planning/forecasting, choice of best government subsidy framework, submission of proposals to suitable R&D financing frameworks, etc.
• Financing tools and business networking to support the development and scalability of businesses during the acceleration stages within egg Scale Up. The aim is to support the businesses in preparing and making presentations before private investors, identifying, assessing and improving submitted project proposals in co-financed framework programmes, and networking with potential strategic partners and clients. For example, provided they meet the requirements in force (such as provision for the companies to pay a consideration, etc.), the egg Scale Up companies will have access to or opportunities for:

1. Raising capital through private venture capitals for companies with a particularly competitive and innovative idea, which has reached an advanced development stage, by networking and being supported by Eurobank when pitching their business ideas to active Venture Capitals (VCs) in Greece. To this end, VCs have already started operating, supported by Equifund.
2. Being supported and networking with potential customers / strategic partners (Β2Β match-making) for the products and services developed by the companies, making the most of the existing mature innovative ecosystems (clusters) managed by Corallia or participating in potentially new theme clusters (e.g. in Tourism, Energy, FinTech, Logistics, etc.) that will be formed in the future under the management of the Programme contributors.
3. Receiving dedicated support from Eurobank to identify, assess and improve the submission of proposals to framework programmes at a European or national level, with the aim of the company getting financing in the form of a subsidy for its research, technological and innovative activities.
4. Receiving support for extroversion and exports through the Εxportgate.gr international trade portal, which offers the egg Scale Up companies that have an exportable product or service the opportunity to network in the global market and look for synergies for their products around the world, as well as to be included in the Trade Club Alliance international business network, which covers twenty-two (22) countries and is supported by seven (7) banking groups.

• Accessing facilities with fully functional and well-equipped office spaces at 190 Syngrou Avenue, Kallithea, Greece, which the companies may use, provided they wish so and in accordance with the Participation Agreement, for as long as they participate in the grow phase of egg Scale Up. The facilities are easily accessible by public transport, are equipped with the latest technology, and have been set up accordingly to be able to expand in the future and to assist the participants in receiving advisory guidance, support services and business training. Specifically, the Facilities provide:

1. Office spaces for the entrepreneurs which include: fully furnished offices, high-speed internet connection (cable and wi-fi), office software licences, web hosting and shared printing/photocopying/scanning equipment.
2. Collaborative spaces to promote the exchange of ideas, complementarity and cooperation to achieve economies of scale and joint initiatives. The participants in the egg Scale Up grow phase will have access to: meeting rooms, training and brainstorming rooms, and recreational facilities.

• Mentoring by distinguished and established economists and scientists working in various industries, who will provide guidance on business growth opportunities to each participating business team. These are established professionals with experience and a business background, willing to foster and support entrepreneurs, who will regularly meet with the participants, aiming to discuss how the business milestone achievement is progressing, and to advise, guide, inspire and propose solutions for any challenges the entrepreneurs may be facing.
• One-stop-shop Support Services for all crucial operational issues and for helping each business team participating in the grow phase of egg Scale Up to spread its wings and specifically:

1. Accounting and corporate management services.
2. Human resources management services.
3. Corporate branding and communication services.
4. Intellectual property and patent services.
5. IT and telecommunication technical support services.

• Business Training on crucial issues for successful business operation, provided in the form of a hands-on and not theoretical predefined intensive training programme (“business bootcamp”), as well as through other dedicated lectures throughout the grow phase of the egg Scale Up. The bootcamp seminars will be available in e-learning format and will cover the following seven (7) crucial issues on the growth and viability of a business:

1. Lean Start-up Management (Lean Start-up Principles, Agile methodology, Project Management)
2. Business Strategy (Business Model Canvas, Business Planning, Product Development, Crisis Management)
3. Marketing Strategy (Market Research, Marketing Planning & Corporate Communications, Customer Development, New Digital Marketing)
4. Communications Strategy (Effective presentation, Public Relations Management)
5. IP Management (Patents, Copyright & Intellectual Property Law)
6. Financial & Funding Management (Financial Planning, Funding Capabilities & Opportunities, Funding & Investment Tools)
7. People Management (Human Resource Management, Talent Acquisition & Retention).

This Call for proposals sets no restrictions in terms of sectors/industries, provided that the submitted business plan meets the requirements for business innovation, excellence and viability in the context of Greek and international market trends. We particularly encourage business plans that build on long research activity or extensively use innovations in sectors such as Artificial Intelligence / Big Data, Cybersecurity, Tourism Technology and Modern Services, FinTech, Robotics, Virtual/Augmented Reality, Industry 4.0, Biotechnology, Medical Technology and Methods, Agricultural Technology, Environmental Technology, Energy, Education / Modern Methods and Tools, major social challenges such as unemployment, healthcare, ageing, nutrition, CO2 emissions etc.

The assessment criteria for the participation applications and the submitted business plans are simple, transparent, business oriented and of an investment nature. Specifically the assessment criteria of the business plan mainly assess product/service excellence and competitive advantage, the skills and adequacy of the company’s executive team to achieve the milestone, the market size that the business plan targets, the feasibility of the product activities increasing to support business scalability, the potential of the company to attract strategic and institutional investors (investment attractiveness), and the relevance of the business plan to the strategic priorities of egg Scale Up.

The following bodies have been established to ensure the unhindered management and smooth operation of egg Scale Up and the Programme in general:

• Steering Committee: A 7-member committee responsible for overseeing all issues relating to planning, organising, implementing, auditing, monitoring and reviewing the egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, including the egg Scale Up Call for proposals, as well as anything else provided in the terms and conditions of this Call for proposals. Its responsibilities include, inter alia, conducting the formal check of the applications submitted to egg Scale Up, supported by the Programme Secretariat, in accordance with the provisions of this Call for proposals, as well as approving or rejecting them for formalities.
  
  The Steering Committee is composed of:

1. Michael Vlastarakis, General Manager, Group Marketing and Corporate Communication, Eurobank
2. Nikolaos Vogiatzis, Chief Development and Operations Officer, Corallia
3. Martha Kesisoglou, Marketing, Wholesale Banking, CSR and Public Relations Director, Eurobank
4. Vasileios Makios, General Director, Corallia
5. Stavroula Bachtalia, egg Programme Manager
6. Jorge-A. Sanchez-P., Chief Strategy and Financial Officer, Corallia
7. Kostis Chlouverakis, Group Chief Digital Officer, Eurobank.

In case a member of the Steering Committee is replaced, the replacement will be posted on the Programme website www.theegg.gr.

The Steering Committee convenes following an invitation extended by any of its members, the required quorum is present when all seven (7) members are present and takes its decisions by simple majority of the attending members, unless otherwise provided in these terms and conditions. The Steering Committee may also convene via teleconference.

The Steering Committee and the Programme in general are supported by the Programme Secretariat, which is appointed by Eurobank with the consent of Corallia. The Programme Secretariat provides administrative support to the Steering Committee and all egg Scale Up actions and to the Programme in general, is the contact point between the public and egg (contact details are available on the Programme website www.theegg.gr), and is also tasked with taking down the minutes of the relevant meetings.

• Advisory Board: This Committee is composed of scientists and entrepreneurs, and is responsible for: (i) providing guidelines when planning and/or implementing egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, aiming to improve the sought goals and its viability and (ii) assess the major goals, achievements and results of egg Scale Up and suggest any corrective actions.
  
  The Steering Committee is responsible for appointing the Advisory Board, which is composed of:

1. Efthimios Vidalis, BoD Secretary General, Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV), Chairman, Sustainable Development Committee of SEV
2. Dimitris Vlastos, BoD President, Bodossaki Foundation
3. George David, BoD Chairman, Coca-Cola HBC A.G.
4. Georgios Doukidis, Professor at the Athens University of Economics and Business, Director of ELTRUN
5. Nikolaos Empeoglou, BoD Chairman, ΑLBA Graduate Business School
6. Stavros Ioannou, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Eurobank
7. Nelly Katsou, BoD Vice President, Pharmathen SA
8. Michael Bletsas, IT Director, ΜΙΤ Media Lab
9. Marie Bountrogianni, Dean of the G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education, Ryerson University
10. Raphael Moissis, 2nd BoD Vice Chairman, Foundation for Economic and Industrial Research (IOBE)
11. Marina Hatzopoulos, Business Angel, AB Member at MIT Technological Innovation Center.

In case a member of the Advisory Board is replaced, removed or added, this will be posted on the Programme website www.theegg.gr.

The Advisory Board convenes following an invitation extended by the Steering Committee, the required quorum is present when the majority of its members attends the meeting and takes its decisions by simple majority of the attending members. The Advisory Board may also convene via teleconference. The Advisory Board is supported by the Programme Secretariat, which is tasked with taking minutes at the relevant meetings.

• egg Programme Manager: A Programme executive who monitors the overall development and progress of egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, and specifically of the participating teams, making contact and assessing their overall presence in egg Scale Up. This is the highest point of contact between the teams and the Programme and their main responsibility is to solve their problems, manage relationships with suppliers and coordinate the Support Services provided, oversee the proper operation of the Facilities and the Business Training of the teams, ensure the integration of all egg Scale Up benefits, represent the teams before the Steering Committee and inform the Steering Committee about the needs and progress of the egg Scale Up and the Programme in general. Stavroula Bachtalia is appointed as egg Programme Manager. In case the egg Programme Manager is replaced, the replacement will be posted on the Programme website www.theegg.gr.
• egg Site Manager: A Programme executive who ensures the proper operation of the Facilities and proposes, when required, changes or improvements. This is also the first point of contact for the teams, and their main responsibility is to provide first-level solutions to their problems, monitor that teams adhere to the terms and conditions and monitor their conduct in general, ensure the implementation of all actions taking place within the Facilities, activate the available internal mechanism aiming to optimise services provided within egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, plan and propose amendments to services based on needs, regularly inform the egg Programme Manager, represent teams before the egg Programme Manager, make proposals on decisions to be made by the egg Programme Manager or by the Steering Committee and is responsible to timely forward any requests/information to the egg Programme Manager. Efthimios Georgakopoulos is appointed as egg Site Manager. In case the egg Site Manager is replaced, the replacement will be posted on the Programme website www.theegg.gr.

• Participation in egg Scale Up is governed by the provisions included in the terms and conditions of this Call for proposals, as well as by the additional terms and conditions provided in the egg Scale Up Participation Agreement (hereinafter Participation Agreement), which must be signed by the participants whose business plans qualify from the assessment process for entering the grow phase of egg Scale Up. The Participation Agreement will include reasonable terms and conditions, in accordance with the principle of good faith and commercial practices, relating to the conduct expected by the participants with regard to the Facilities and towards other participants, as well as relating to the provision of the other egg Scale Up benefits, as those are described in this Call for proposals (see Article 2), specifying the benefits and how these are provided (for example, minimum requirements as to the physical presence at the Facilities in general, making the most of the Support Services, framework for receiving business and financial consulting services, participating in the Mentoring services, attending Business Training and generally using the egg Scale Up facilities and services, monitoring the progress of the submitted business plan based on certain KPIs, detailed description of the bodies and other actors of the Programme etc.).
• Hereinafter, participating in egg Scale Up means participating in any phase of egg Scale Up. Submitting an application to participate in egg Scale Up constitutes a statement that the participants are fully aware of and unreservedly accept the governing terms and conditions.
• Companies (legal entities) which have already been incorporated or are in the process of being incorporated are entitled to apply to egg Scale Up, while their main actors/members (natural persons) (hereinafter the Business Teams and each member of the team hereinafter the Participant) must meet the following criteria on the announcement date of this Call for proposals:

1. They are between 18-65 years old.
2. They are Greek citizens or EU citizens or third-country citizens who can legally reside in Greece and participate in egg Scale Up throughout its duration.

Members of the Steering Committee, members of the Advisory Board and other executives/employees working in implementing egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, Corallia employees, Eurobank and subsidiary employees and incapacitated persons are excluded from applying to participate in egg Scale Up.

Also, note that hosting of the company (as the registered office, or as a branch, or as the registered office of a subsidiary, or as an office) at the Facilities for a specific period of time and access to the other egg Scale Up benefits is only available to the members of each qualifying Business Team who had been originally nominated when submitting the application, namely the members of the Business Team, are specified above, since each time they will be the ones who will be checked as to whether they fulfil the criteria under 1 and 2 above. The members of the Business Team must be shareholders/partners and/or other people running the company and implementing its business plan. In cases of grounded needs, it is possible to replace and/or add Business Team members, following the approval of the Steering Committee, which has the discretion to reject such requests without justification, provided that the new Participants meet all the criteria under 1 and 2. In addition to these, a Business Team may have other partners, under any capacity, and/or partners who do not meet the aforementioned criteria for applying.

• For each qualifying application once the enter phase of egg Scale Up is completed, in accordance with Article 8 of this Call for proposals, the Business Team will be invited to participate in the grow phase of egg Scale Up through a corporation of any legal form (Private Company, LLC, SA), either existing or new. Note that consulting will be provided through the relevant support services within egg Scale Up so entrepreneurs (for companies in the process of being incorporated) may conclude the incorporation process quicker and easier or convert the existing legal entity to the required legal form (e.g. sole proprietorship to private company). The address of the egg Scale Up Facilities will be declared as the registered office of the company, or the subsidiary, or the branch, or the office, where the company, or the subsidiary or the branch may be hosted, in accordance with these terms and conditions for participation in egg Scale Up, throughout the duration of egg Scale Up. Note that it is allowed to incorporate a new or use an existing company with a registered office abroad, provided that the registered office is transferred or a subsidiary is incorporated or a branch is established in Greece, as described above.
• The Participation Agreement that the Business Team will sign to participate in the grow of egg Scale Up specifies the payment of ninety euros (€90) monthly for the distinct office space each Business Team will be leasing – with the option, depending on the needs of each Business Team and the options offered by the Programme, to use additional distinct office spaces, by paying ninety euros (90€) for each space – and all the relevant detailed terms of use for the facilities and services of egg Scale Up and the Programme in general. The entire amount paid by the Business Teams, as specified above, will be used to further reinforce the egg Scale Up benefits to Business Teams (e.g. extroversion activities, networking, etc.) as well as for charities chosen by the Business Teams. Note that even if the Business Team does not wish to move into the egg Scale Up Facilities, they ought to, throughout the duration of their stay in the Programme, keep a distinct office space at the Facilities, as specified above, as an office/presence to facilitate the Business Team member visits and their participation in the egg Scale Up and the Programme events in general.
• The qualifying Business Teams must accept and sign the Participation Agreement within fifteen (15) days from the announcement of the Business Teams that have qualified to enter the grow phase of egg Scale Up for Business Teams.
• Note that in the event that the Participation Agreement is not signed on time, in accordance with the above, the Steering Committee may decide not to include these Business Teams in the grow phase of egg Scale Up and/or may – at its discretion – replace them with the next ones in rank order, according to the final ranking after the enter phase of egg Scale Up.
• The Facilities of the Programme have limited space capacity, so the Programme contributors reserve the right not to make the office spaces available to a Business Team that has qualified to the grow phase of egg Scale Up if there is objective difficulty in the availability of the office spaces at that given time.
• The qualifying Business Teams which meet these terms and conditions may enjoy all egg Scale Up benefits, as described in this Call for proposals, for a period from the starting date of the grow phase of egg Scale Up up to the time set jointly with the egg Scale Up contributors as the targeted business milestone, which will have also been clearly recorded in the Participation Agreement.
• Any unacceptable conduct in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Participation Agreement, damages due to the Participants’ fault or other Participants’ conduct which violates moral rules and specifically commonly accepted rules of accepted social and professional conduct, as well as any kind of misuse of egg Scale Up and the Programme in general may lead to a Business Team being disqualified from egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, following a proposal of the egg Programme Manager and an approval granted by the Steering Committee.
• Each Business Team is entitled to apply to participate in egg Scale Up with only one business plan.
• The Business Team may submit its business plan to secure funding from national or EU resources, without impairing its participation in egg Scale Up.
• The Business Team is solely responsible for any applications it submits, as well as for the accuracy and completeness of the information it submits. Eurobank and Corallia are not liable in case a Business Team submits false or inaccurate applications, hides material information or submits business plans with illegal content, of any form.
• Any costs incurred to prepare the submitted business plans and achieve the business milestone shall be borne solely by the Business Teams.
• Each Participant declares and guarantees, inter alia, that their participation is submitted legally and in compliance with the terms and conditions of egg Scale Up, and they have obtained all required authorisations, consents and/or licenses. In addition, the Participant declares they hold the legal rights over the submitted business plan and that submitting, using, promoting or in any other way exploiting it, does not infringe intellectual or industrial property rights, commercial or industrial secrets or other third-party, legal or natural person rights, neither in Greece nor abroad.
• The Participants are fully and solely responsible to patent or protect the submitted business plans in any other way, as well as any rights arising from those. By submitting their application to participate in egg Scale Up, the Participants declare they take all responsibility and release the egg Scale Up organisers from any relevant liability.
• All information submitted by the Participants within the context of egg Scale Up will be kept confidential, unless otherwise provided in these terms and conditions.
• Each Participant explicitly expresses their acceptance of a brief description of their company, following their approval of the final text, to be presented in public and promoted through online, printed or other means, within the context and for the purposes of egg Scale Up and its promotion.
• Participants reserve all intellectual and other rights over their business plans and their results, in compliance with the law. In all other respects, Participants undertake to provide Eurobank and Corallia with permission to use and promote the progress and achievements of their business plan, following their prior consent as to the final texts, exclusively for the purpose of implementing, promoting and advertising egg Scale Up for a total period of five (5) years from their inclusion in the Programme.
• Eurobank and Corallia will keep copies of all submitted files and business plans for archiving.
• All announcements relating to egg Scale Up are only posted on the Programme website (www.theegg.gr), are effective from the posting date and in case of conflict, they supersede any other information (e.g. information provided via email, letter etc.).

In the context of carrying out and advertising egg Scale Up and the Programme in general, Eurobank and Corallia and/or third parties (either persons processing data on their instructions and on their behalf or third parties to whom the data are disclosed) will process personal data of the Participants in egg Scale Up, in accordance with the provisions of the relevant “Information on the processing of personal data in the context of the egg – enter grow go Programme”, in compliance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 and the provisions of the Greek and EU legislation on the protection of personal data, which is available on the Programme website (www.theegg.gr).

The application and business plan assessment process will be carried out in three (3) phases.

• Phase A: Checking eligibility criteria – completeness of the application file: Once the cut-off date for submitting an application has elapsed, the Programme Secretariat will record the submitted applications for egg Scale Up and organise them along with the attached documents, to forward them to the Steering Committee that will check the eligibility criteria. The Steering Committee will check whether all eligibility criteria are met in accordance with these terms and conditions and whether the submitted information is appropriate and sufficient, and will then decide to exclude from the remaining assessment process all applications that do not meet the requirements.
  
• Phase B: Assessing the Business Plan – Written stage: The Business Teams that qualified from Phase A will be assessed and rated in this stage based on six (6) criteria, specifically:

1. Product/Service excellence and competitive advantage.
2. Skills and adequacy of the company’s executive team to achieve the business targets (team capacity).
3. Market size that the business plan targets.
4. Feasibility of the product activities increasing to support business scalability.
5. Prospects of the company to attract strategic and institutional investors (investment attractiveness).
6. Relevance of the business plan to the strategic priorities of egg Scale Up.

Two (2) separate assessors per business plan will be chosen from the assessor list that the Steering Committee is tasked with preparing, who will assess each application based on the six (6) criteria above. Note that the six (6) criteria are equal and are rated on a scale of one (1) to ten (10), integral scores only. The final score of the business plan will be the arithmetic average of the score provided by the two (2) assessors. Each of these scores will be the average of the score assigned to each of the six (6) criteria. A minimum score of six (7) out of ten (10) is the sufficient and necessary condition required for a business plan to qualify from this stage to the next assessment phase.

• Phase C: Assessing the Business Plan – Oral stage: The Phase B qualifiers will be invited to present their business plan before the assessors. The pitch will run for thirty (30) minutes with the additional option of a live demonstration of the company’s product that will run for another fifteen (15) minutes, followed by questions from the assessors. The six (6) criteria of Phase B will be taken into account for the assessment of the pitch, but there will be no scoring anymore, other than a positive or negative recommendation for inclusion (which will be made by the majority of the total assessors present) in the grow phase of egg Scale Up, as per everything else described in the Call for proposals. The Steering Committee will then send informational letters to all Participants, whether they qualify to the grow phase of egg Scale Up or not.

It is explicitly noted that the Steering Committee may undertake any required initiative to ensure the smooth completion of the assessment process for the submitted business plans, including replacing assessors who fail to fulfil their tasks, at the Committee’s discretion. It is also explicitly noted that the Steering Committee will not select natural persons to act as assessors, when such natural persons are connected in any way beyond the Programme to the business plan they will have to assess.

The application must be submitted using the standard Participation Application form/template, which is available on the Programme website (www.theegg.gr). In addition, the application form is accompanied by a pitch deck of the business plan, using either the relevant template which is available on the Programme website (www.theegg.gr) or a template chosen by the Business Team.

These electronic application files are emailed to info@theegg.gr.

The Business Teams which will ultimately qualify after the assessment process, as described in detail in Article 8, must submit any supporting documents the competent egg Scale Up bodies may require, at their discretion, to verify or certify the accuracy of the submitted information (for example: ID cards, passports, residence permits, proof of CV details, legal documentation of a company already operating and any other document is specified in this Call for proposals or may be deemed required on a case-by-case basis).

The Steering Committee will check all relevant documents, reserving the right to disqualify any application, for which no or insufficient supporting or other requested documents were submitted. The Steering Committee reserves the right, throughout egg Scale Up, to request any additional legal information or document it may consider necessary, in the context and for the purposes of carrying out and implementing egg Scale Up, as well as the right to disqualify a Business Team which never submitted the requested documents or submitted insufficient documents.

Information about the egg Scale Up timeline, and specifically about the assessment phases (enter phase) will be posted on the dedicated Programme website (www.theegg.gr). For 2019, the cut-off dates by which the Business Teams may send their application online to info@theegg.gr are expected to be the following:

• 31 March, 12:00 noon
• 30 June, 12:00 noon
• 30 September, 12:00 noon

After these dates have passed, the dates for the assessment of the candidates and the presentation of the business plans will be posted on the Programme website (www.theegg.gr).

Note that irrespective of the cut-off dates above, submission of applications is possible throughout the year, however, as a rule, they will be assessed together, within a reasonable period after the aforementioned submission dates.

For more information, news and announcements, please visit the Programme website www.theegg.gr.