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The Policy-Startup Feedback Loop: How Tech Entrepreneurs Can Shape Better Grant Programs
Subject area: Management and Commerce · Area of research: Accounting & Auditing
Abstract
This paper examines the fundamental disconnect between startup realities and public grant program design, calling for a systemic transition to collaborative policymaking. Startups, being pioneering front-line innovators, find themselves facing out-of-date criteria, overbureaucratic paperwork, and ill-timed funding mechanisms that suppress their growth and discourage participation. Through real-time research and global antecedents, including the EU's Horizon programs and street-level startup mobilization campaigns, the article illustrates how startup feedback through surveys, roundtables, open letters, and advice boards can inform superior and more distributive funding regimes. It argues for a cultural revolution: policymakers must engage startups as co-creators, rather than recipients, while startups must own their agency in shaping innovation policy. By incorporating structural feedback loops and adopting co-creation models, the future of grant funding can be more dynamic, fair, and accepting of innovation. It is not only cost-saving this collaborative approach is critical to the upkeep of an active entrepreneurial economy.
Keywords
Startup-Centered Grant Design, Co-Creation in Innovation Funding, Feedback-Driven Public Grants, Entrepreneur-Policy Collaboration, Inclusive Startup Funding Models
References
[1] European Commission. (n.d.). EIC Accelerator – European Commission. Retrieved from https://eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-funding-opportunities/eic-accelerator_en
[2] European Commission. (2023, February 9). Common mistakes to avoid when applying for Horizon Europe funding. Retrieved from https://rea.ec.europa.eu/news/common-mistakes-avoid-when-applying-horizon-europe-funding-2023-02-09_en
[3] TWI Innovation Network. (2024, October 24). How to Optimise Your Proposal for Horizon Europe Submission. Retrieved from https://www.twi-global.com/innovation-network/media-and-events/press-releases/2024/how-to-optimise-your-proposal-for-horizon-europe-submission
[4] EP Consulting Group. (n.d.). Horizon Europe Grant Writing: Expert Tips for Success in 2025. Retrieved from https://epconsgroup.com/horizon-europe-grant-writing-expert-tips-for-success/
[5] Horizon Partners. (2024, July 18). Overcoming Common Challenges in EU Grant Applications. Retrieved from https://www.horizonpartners.is/blog/overcoming-common-challenges-in-eu-grant-applications
How to cite this paper
@article{1709193,
author = {Elisha Oloruntobi Adeboye, Ekere Victor Ifeanyi, Gbemisola Labisi},
title = {The Policy-Startup Feedback Loop: How Tech Entrepreneurs Can Shape Better Grant Programs},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2022},
volume = {5},
number = {10},
pages = {373-379},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1709193.pdf},
abstract = {This paper examines the fundamental disconnect between startup realities and public grant program design, calling for a systemic transition to collaborative policymaking. Startups, being pioneering front-line innovators, find themselves facing out-of-date criteria, overbureaucratic paperwork, and ill-timed funding mechanisms that suppress their growth and discourage participation. Through real-time research and global antecedents, including the EU's Horizon programs and street-level startup mobilization campaigns, the article illustrates how startup feedback through surveys, roundtables, open letters, and advice boards can inform superior and more distributive funding regimes. It argues for a cultural revolution: policymakers must engage startups as co-creators, rather than recipients, while startups must own their agency in shaping innovation policy. By incorporating structural feedback loops and adopting co-creation models, the future of grant funding can be more dynamic, fair, and accepting of innovation. It is not only cost-saving this collaborative approach is critical to the upkeep of an active entrepreneurial economy.},
keywords = {Startup-Centered Grant Design, Co-Creation in Innovation Funding, Feedback-Driven Public Grants, Entrepreneur-Policy Collaboration, Inclusive Startup Funding Models},
month = {April},
}