The objective of this call is to support initiatives of SMEs, cooperatives, social entrepreneurs, civil society organizations and NGOs in the Spanish Mediterranean Regions that wish to develop projects with social impact in the blue economy sector using crowdfunding.

To achieve this, the selected initiatives will be offered, in addition to a series of resources in terms of training in crowdfunding and communication of campaigns, tutorials and personalized follow-up throughout the ideation, launch and monitoring phase of their campaigns.

3.1 Projects' selection phase

Between February 16 and April 11, 2021 the call for projects will be open to receive applications for subsequent evaluation.

¿How to apply?

The application process will be carried out by creating a user and filling in a project description form available on the website of this call https://www.goteo.org/channel/bluecrowd after registering a user profile in Goteo.org

It is advisable not to leave the task of filling in the form until the last moment, but rather it is recommended to work on the edit-publication of the project by following the steps and using the available tutorial as soon as possible: http://goteo.cc/dashboard

All the required fields in the form must be filled in: title, subtitle, minimum and optimal budget, description, basic characteristics and objectives of the crowdfunding campaign, motivation and target group of the project, previous experience and team, individual rewards offered, social commitment, requested collaborations, etc., in addition to uploading a business plan.

It is convenient to bear in mind that a short video must be prepared as well as a selection of photos that illustrate the project. This video and the photos may be modified later on if the project is selected.

Once the form has been filled in, in any case, it is ESSENTIAL TO SEND IT FOR REVIEW WITHIN THE ESTABLISHED DEADLINE , so that each project is appropriately valued, according to its affinity with the general nature of BlueCrowdMED and with the defined evaluation criteria in the terms of reference of this call.

If the form IS NOT SENT FOR REVIEW, it will be not considered valid and will not take part in the selection preocess of the call.

The deadline for submitting projects is April 11, date from which no more new proposals will be accepted.

3.2 Projects' selection phase and publication of the results

Once the deadline for projects selection is closed, the projects will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Quality and viability of the project and its potential for adaptation to crowdfunding

  1. The project presents a coherent budget and a plan for the effective development of the initiative that takes into account its future sustainability (1 point)
  2. The project is original and innovative in offering products and services necessary for the target territory and its citizens (1 point)
  3. The project promotes a culture of transparency, both in its internal structure and in its results (1 point)
  4. The project is implemented by a team or individuals who have experience and capacity to communicate and disseminate results in an attractive way, who can count on a supportive community and who are committed to carrying out a communication plan to increase the chances of success of their campaign (1 point)

• Blue economy components

  1. The project provides social and economic benefits to current and future generations (1 point)
  2. The project seeks to restore, protect, maintain diversity, productivity, basic resilience functions and the intrinsic value of marine ecosystems (1 point)
  3. The project is based on clean technologies, renewable energies and circular material flows that will reduce waste and promote the recycling of materials (1 point)

In total, a maximum of 6 projects will be selected.

The Chamber of Commerce of Seville's technicians attached to the Blue Crowdfunding project will be the instructors and in charge of selecting the proposals received.

The list of accepted proposals can be consulted at the following link: https://camaradesevilla.com/programas/internacionalizacion/blue-crowdfunding/ before April 23, 2021

Notification to the promoters of the selected projects will be done individually.

3.3 Professional follow-up and tailored advice phase

Between April 26 and May 24, 2021 , the driving selected projects' promoters will receive specialized and personalized online advice, in order to finish adapting and optimizing the projects to the crowdfunding campaign and maximizing their objectives (social commitment and rewards, minimum and optimal budget, video and images ...).

3.4 Simultaneous launch of campaigns

On May 25, 2021, the crowdfunding campaigns of the selected projects will be launched simultaneously. The projects' promoters, the public, the Seville Chamber of Commerce, Goteo and other collaborating agents will join their forces to achieve the financing objective.

Each project will have its own space, blog for news and updates, 2.0 communication tools, payment gateway, etc. on Goteo.org
The crowdfunding campaign period will be from May 25 to July 23.

Also, once the financing objectives of the projects have been achieved, the promoters are invited to upload in their personal space on Goteo some relevant materials produced during their activities, that can be shared with the community and generate new knowledge, such as files, documentation, websites, source codes, etc. This can be done in the Manage campaign> Shared materials section.