The deadline for submitting registrations to the Fanbest Coaching Service, which originally ended on 11 April, has been extended to 23 April! The FAN-BEST Coach Network is designed to provide support to SMEs running innovative projects within the Blue Economy sector, enabling the start-up and scale-up phase. No matter if you are an entrepreneur or an existing SME, this programme is for you.

The main objective of the FAN-BEST Coach Network is the selection, accompaniment and follow-up of at least 7 innovation projects from the Atlantic Blue Economy sectors, so that technologies and innovations “made in Atlantic” reach the market and become successful business projects. All FAN-BEST partners will collaborate with this programme, taking care of the selection process and providing coaching to the beneficiaries, monitoring the whole process.

Some of the main tasks that will be carried out is to provide information, advice and coaching to the SMEs so that they can better understand all the key strategic aspects related to the project such as intellectual property, marketing, commercialisation, technology, financing and human resources, as well as the available funding opportunities, which are the most appropriate instruments and grants among the whole wide panorama of programmes and instruments from local to international level, in order to help them to get the right funding.

The updated schedule of the programme is as follows:

• 1 st March – Opening date
• 23th April – Deadline date for submitting proposals
• 4th May – Communication of STEP 1 results and pre-selected proposals
• From 18th to 21th May – Estimated dates for the Pitch Event
• 24st May – Communication of the selected proposals
• 28th May – Joint Presentation Event
• 1st June – Estimated date for the start of the coaching (it will be re-adjusted by each partner-selected
  applicant)