Attracting EU funds by encouraging the active participation of the local ecosystem in European calls: this is the mission of the HUB for European projects in the social economy, which serves as a reference point for organizations and businesses interested in seizing the opportunities offered by EU funding.

In this context, the HUB recently worked on an open call within the FuTOURiSME project – Fostering Digital & Sustainable Transition of TOURism SMEs for FUture Innovation and Resilience, co-financed by the European Commission’s Single Market Programme.

The Call’s Objective: Innovation and Green Transition for Tourism

The call aims to support the development, implementation, and scalability of innovative solutions – whether products, processes, services, or business models – by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the European tourism sector. The goal is twofold: to foster innovation in tourism offerings and to accelerate the green and digital transition of the sector.

A Structured Path to Support Project Applications

To facilitate the participation of interested entities, the HUB has set up a project support path, structured in multiple phases and led by Gaia Bacin and Maria Chiara Pizzorno, experts in EU project management from Weco Impresa Sociale.

The process began with a collective webinar focused on the key aspects of the call:

• Completing the descriptive form
• Creating the activity plan in Excel
• Interpreting the evaluation grid

Following the webinar, participants developed their project proposals with support through several stages:

1. Project idea abstract: sharing via email a summary of up to 3,500 characters containing:
   • Description of the entity or partnership
   • Project objective in relation to the call topics
   • Innovative aspect of the proposal
   • Planned macro-actions
   • Expected impacts on the applicant and the tourism sector
2. Abstract review: providing feedback and suggestions to improve the proposal
3. Development of project documents: drafting the descriptive form and activity plan
4. Review of project documents: detailed feedback to refine the proposal
5. One-hour individual call: direct discussion for a final review of the application

Thanks to this structured and collaborative approach, two socially impactful projects were submitted to the open call, involving a total of five organizations from the Turin area. Among the themes addressed were a proposal for a tourism offering that combines environmental sustainability and social participation, and the creation of a dialogue platform for cultural organizations across Europe.

The HUB for European projects is co-designed with Weco Impresa Sociale, with the support of the Turin Chamber of Commerce and the Compagnia di San Paolo Foundation.