Guidelines for Submission of Concept Papers
A non-profit institution or consortium of cluster members will need to develop a Concept paper up to 10 pages (not including attachments) Which clearly states the problem and proposed solutions and includes all of the
Following Sections:
The Concept paper and supporting documentation should include the following parts:
1. Consortium/Institution profile
This should describe the production or service providing background and present situation of the organization(s). The profile should include ownership, financial situation, profitability, products and present markets.
2. The Concept Paper (incorporating sections 1-8 noted above)
The Concept paper should outline the range of activities to be undertaken to achieve both the cluster development objectives. It should detail those activities for which grant assistance is being sought and state how they will contribute to the firm growth and sustainability. The Concept paper should demonstrate that the objectives are realistic and achievable. All targets should be quantified and related to time so the impact of the activities can be measured.
A non-profit institution or consortium of cluster members will need to develop a Concept paper up to 10 pages (not including attachments) Which clearly states the problem and proposed solutions and includes all of the
Following Sections:
- Problem Statement
- Background-on the nature of the problem and how it came to exist; includes as necessary: technology issues, competitive pressure, new market trends, communication issue, etc.
- Proposed Solutions- what is being recommended and how do these need to be implemented, include individual recommendations step to undertake them and timeline?
- Impact -to result from correcting the problem and how it will improve the competitive position of a specific industry cluster or value chain.
- Sustainability – how the new technology will be maintained and adopted in everyday business activities to achieve impact over the long term.
- Cash flow – a simple, two-year projection of impact to cash flow resulting from the grant with assumptions to support major revenue and expense items.
- Estimated Budget – how much will it cost to implement the proposed activities? This should be broken down under the appropriate headings.
- Possible suppliers- of the technology, methodology or idea.
The Concept paper and supporting documentation should include the following parts:
1. Consortium/Institution profile
This should describe the production or service providing background and present situation of the organization(s). The profile should include ownership, financial situation, profitability, products and present markets.
2. The Concept Paper (incorporating sections 1-8 noted above)
The Concept paper should outline the range of activities to be undertaken to achieve both the cluster development objectives. It should detail those activities for which grant assistance is being sought and state how they will contribute to the firm growth and sustainability. The Concept paper should demonstrate that the objectives are realistic and achievable. All targets should be quantified and related to time so the impact of the activities can be measured.
