ACE Project

The ACE project developed a new, tailor-made acceleration programme – the ACE programme – to deliver targeted cross-border services to highly innovative ICT entrepreneurs, start-ups and SMEs with the potential to rapidly grow their businesses in international markets.

• Direct assistance in finding partners, clients and financing to accelerate their move into cross border and international markets.
• Open calls for candidates launched throughout Europe in November 2013 through relevant European networks and associations.
• Companies selected were assigned a lead mentor from the partner organisation in their own country. This ‘local’ mentor guided them through the overall ACE programme, develop an individual internationalisation action plan with them and put an internationalisation support team and package of support measures in place for them.
• Unsuccessful applicants received customised feedback and were encouraged to use the ACE online network to engage with other companies through the online stakeholder community and to use the online tools to prepare for internationalisation and subsequent cycles of the ACE programme.