Once selected, start-ups/SMEs will be asked to sign an agreement outlining the terms and conditions of their involvement. This contract will be signed between each participant selected for the Mentoring Programme and Politecnico di Milano, in charge of organizing this phase. Contextually, all mentors and mentees will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. It is to be noted that the contract will stipulate that participants will have to participate and complete the entire Mentoring Programme unless they may be required to refund DeFINE Programme with the costs incurred through the mentoring hours received.

Start-ups/SMEs will then have to take part in the online induction process in October 2019 which will kick off the Mentoring Programme activities, which will be then developed following a calendar individually agreed with their personal mentor.

Different types of innovation projects will be eligible, in particular those concerning:

• Products and services

Examples are:

• Exploring technologies and the IoT paradigm to enable the fashion and lifestyle objects to reconfigure themselves according to consumers’ needs and context’s characteristics.
• Developing tools to test prototypes in the upstream phases of the supply chain (research and concept development), including through digital social platforms.
• Implementing existing/ developing new retail devices (app, protocol systems, etc.) to support cross-channeling and cross borders distributions.
• Processes

Examples are:

• Exploring design processes and experimenting with digital components, fabrication tools and processes to promote technological innovation, consumer and the social need economy.
• Linking materials and components to craft and advanced manufacturing to enable “reframed” creative and capacity in production processes.
• Developing service oriented by the specific characteristics of retailing channels and markets for both home and EU markets.

• Market approaches/business models

Examples are:

• Innovating business models and developing tools to innovate the downstream supply chain including buying and retail management.
• Developing tools to test prototypes in the downstream phases of the supply chain (product test and beta versions) through digital social platforms, and new concept retailing.
• Implementing retail and communication platforms to develop a reframed cross-channel strategy for deepening EU and export markets.

The Bespoke Mentoring Programme will deliver to 25 businesses technical and strategic support in order to facilitate and scale-up innovations in term of products/services, processes, and market approaches within the Fashion-Tech field. Mentorship aims to boost innovation through knowledge transfer and cross-sectoral collaboration. Mentors will be selected from the consortium partners which are European leading fashion and design academic institutions, Business Support Organizations and industry specialist networks. Additional relevant support from external sources will be provided, when required.

Mentoring and coaching will be delivered to the selected candidates for a duration of 8 months and will lead to the launch of a proof of concept or prototype illustrating the innovation development. We will provide 10 days’ support delivered over 8 months, a dedicated programme of 80 hours mentoring according to the selected businesses specific needs.

• 24 hours of support from a lead supervisor
• General direction on the development and innovation process
• Monitoring performance ensuring proper due diligence
• Initial assessment of the start-up’s/SMEs’ needs
• Tracking progress
• Ensuring additional support if required

• 40 hours of technical mentoring
• Technical and scientific support to research
• Product development
• Prototyping and testing
• Product-Service System Innovation

• 8 hours of business management support
• Tailored made business support
• IP Mentoring, including half an hour of private legal consultancy with a leading legal firm
• Technology transfer and exploitation

• 8 hours of investment readiness support
• Financing and business planning, and investment strategies
• Identifying the right type of finance and getting investment ready
• Preparing to professionally pitch to equity investors at designated investment forums
• Guiding through due-diligence processes and developing of term sheets.

The selected start-ups and SMEs will have the chance to access relevant facilities and physical spaces (labs and technical resources, equipment, infrastructure, and tools) made available by four leading Fashion, Technology and Design institutions members of the DeFINE Consortium e.g. London College of Fashion’s Digital Learning Labs, CyRIC Business Innovation Centre and Gravity Incubator, CEEI-Burgos Business Incubator, Politecnico LAB-Photo and LAB-Moda Polifactory, FashionInk Smart Textile Prototype Factory, Institut Français de la Mode incubators and Paris La Fabrique Fablab.

In addition to one-to-one mentoring, selected businesses will be able to access the online resources (as webinars and toolkits) to facilitate their business development.

Further benefits are included within the DeFINE Mentoring Programme. The results of the start-ups/SMEs supported by the project will be showcased at industry events and promoted through the online platform and the channels of the partners. Investments forums will be organized for selected Fashion-Tech businesses to pitch their ideas. Mentees will also be linked with a network of accelerators and incubators who can support them also after having taken part into the Bespoke Mentoring Programme.

The project will select businesses according to the exclusion criteria as for the partners:

• It is not bankrupt or being wound up, is not having its affairs administered by the courts, has not entered into an arrangement with creditors, has not suspended business activities, is not the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or is not in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
• It (or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over it) have not been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata;
• It has not been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the Commission can justify;
• It is in compliance with its obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions and the payment of taxes, in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which it is established and with those of the country of the authorizing officer responsible and those of the country where the action is to be performed;
• It (or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over it) have not been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organization or any other illegal activity, where such illegal activity is detrimental to the EU’s financial interests; − is not currently subject to an administrative penalty under Article 131(5) of Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 966/2012;
• It is not subject to a conflict of interest in connection with the grant;
• It will inform the Contractor, without delay, of any situation considered a conflict of interests or which could give rise to a conflict of interests;

It has not granted and will not grant, has not sought and will not seek, has not attempted and will not attempt to obtain, and has not accepted and will not accept any advantage, financial or in kind, to or from any party whatsoever, where such advantage constitutes an illegal practice or involves corruption, either directly or indirectly, inasmuch as it is an incentive or reward relating to the award of the grant.