VAPRO

A revised version of the Applicant Guideline for: “Innovative companies: start-ups and spin-offs”, Competitive Program, has been published.

This scheme aims to support the creation of innovative SPIN-OFF and development of START-Ups. The call has a continuous submission, with periodic evaluation every 3 months, in the limit of the allocated budget.

Eligible beneficiaries:

• Start-ups (up to 3 years of activity);
• Spin-offs: companies that will be set up on the basis of results obtained in public research organizations;

Project eliminatory condition:

The project is based on a previous result of R&D, which may be:

1. Patent;
2. Patent application;
3. ;
4. Rights to use the research findings of a research project financed through a public program;
5. Rights to use the research findings of a research project conducted for the case of a research institution funded by the applicant company (only for start-ups).

Eligible grant: maximum 200.000 euro

Non-reimbursable grant percentage: 90% of total eligible project costs;

Eligible expenditures:

• Expenditures with research and development activities;
• Expenditures for introducing in production the research and development results of products / processes / technology / services – mandatory activity;
• Expenditures with consulting services for innovation area and for innovation support services;
• Expenditures with general administration of project;
• Expenditures with information and publicity for the project – mandatory;
• Expenditures with taxes / subscriptions / fees / agreements / authorizations.

VAPRO Romania together with Structural Consulting™ Group – www.fonduri-structurale.ro developed a series of recommendations to improve the Applicant Guideline, Specific Conditions “Traineeship and internship for students from agro-food field, industry and services” financed within The Human Capital Operational Programme.

The recommendations have been submitted today, 30^th September 2016, to the Ministry of European Funds – MA POCU.

Some of the main aspects proposed in the submitted document by VAPRO and Structural Consulting Group experts are listed below:

• to allow the organization of the same types of activities for projects implemented in all sectors of activity;
• to provide access to financing also to large and medium sized enterprises from the food sector;
• to introduce as eligible in the target group students of ISCED 2-3, skill level 2;
• the implementation of the projects should be multi-regional;
• to publish the list of definitions of the indicators and the expenditures list;
• to downsize the target indicators;
• to eliminate the special allocation for agro-food sector;
• to publish the Applicant’s Guide at least two weeks before the launching of the call for proposals.

For more information about the submitted recommendations download the document from here.

The call dedicated to social economy “SOLIDAR. Support for consolidation of social economy” (SO 4.16) within POCU 2014-2020 has been launched!

Project proposals can be submitted, through MySMIS, until November 14^th, 2016, at 16:00.

Eligible activities:

• Counseling/mentoring/training and development of abilities for persons involved in the social enterprises;
• Development of production capacities;
• Promotion of social enterprise visibility;
• Jobs accessibility;
• Know-how transfer with other communities and with relevant actors;
• Development of social programs/partnerships and good practices dissemination;

Target group:

• persons from social enterprises: staff, members/associates/shareholders (according to the organization and functioning papers), volunteers (with contract).

Project value: minimum 40.000 euro – maximum 100.000 euro as minimis aid.

Non-reimbursable financing: up to 100%.

Eligible applicants:

• social economy structures organized as: I-st degree cooperative, cooperative credit institution, association/foundation, credit union, federation or union,  any other category of legal person with minimum 1 year of activity and certified or under progress accreditation process as a social enterprise.

For more information click here

SMEs, including micro-enterprises, can apply for a grant from 200.000 euro up to 1.000.000 euro. The launch is estimated in September-October 2016, for now is available only a consultative version of the Applicant Guideline.

 Eligible beneficiaries:

• non-agricultural SMEs (with up to 250 employees and up to 50 million euro turnover) from urban areas (also micro-enterprises) and
• non-agricultural medium enterprises from rural areas.

It is required for a beneficiary to have at least 3 years of activity and to register operational profit for the year prior to project submission.

Eligible regions: North-East, South-East, South Muntenia, South-Vest Oltenia, North-West, Centre (Projects implemented in the Bucharest – Ilfov development region cannot be submitted);

Eligible investments:

a) Construction, modernization, extension of the production/services areas;

b) Acquisition of tangible (equipment, tools etc), intangible assets (patents, licenses etc), including e-commerce tools.

c) Implementation of quality environmental or health management systems;

d) Participation to international fairs and exhibitions, trade missions etc.

Eligible grant: minimum 200.000 euro and maximum 1.000.000 euro.

Non- reimbursable financing rate:

For investments mentioned at points a) and b):

• Small enterprises: 60% (from North-East, South-East, South Muntenia, South-West Oltenia, North-West, Centru regions) and 45% (from West region);
• Small and micro enterprises: 70% (from North-East, South-East, South Muntenia, South-West Oltenia, North-West, Centru regions) and 55% (from West region);

For investments mentioned at points c) and d): up to 90%;

More information here.

Micro-enterprises can still apply for up to 200.000 euro grants for investments in constructions / expansions / modernization / endowment within Regional Operational Programme (POR)!

Eligible beneficiaries: Micro-enterprises from urban areas (companies under 9 employees and up to 2 million euro turnover / total assets), with at least 1 year of activity.

Eligible investments:

• Construction, extension, modernization of the production / services areas;
• Acquisition of tangible and intangible assets, including e-commerce tools.

Minimum eligible value of the project: 25.000 euro;

Grant: maximum 200.000 euro;

Grant financing percentage: maximum 90% from the eligible costs of the project.

Investments in the Bucharest–Ilfov and Danube Delta development regions are still NOT eligible.

For more information please contact us!

The draft form of the POCU 2014-2020 Applicant Guideline “Diaspora Start-up” (SO 3.7) has been published. The Beneficiary can support Romanian citizens living abroad to open a business in Romania through micro-grants of up to 40.000 euro.

Maximum project value: 5.000.000 euro.

Implementation period: maximum 36 months

Eligible applicants/partners:

• Public and private training providers;
• Chambers of commerce and industry;
• NGOs;
• Trade unions;
• Members of Sectoral Committees and legal Sectoral Committees;
• Authorities of local public administration;
• Professional Associations;
• Universities;
• Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business Environment and subordinated/ coordinated: institutions / agencies / organizations;

Target group:

• Romanian citizens (minimum age: 18 years old) that can prove their residence or domicile abroad for at least 1 year in last 3 years and who intend to establish a business in Romania.
  They also must prove entrepreneurial experience or specialization courses or professional experience in the field.

Activities:

• Entrepreneurship training programs, authorized by ANC;
• Internships;
• A micro-grant of maximum 40.000 euro/business plan, in 2 instalments (1^st  instalment – 30.000 euro, 2^nd instalment – the difference) and 10.000 euro subsidy for relocating their entrepreneurial activity;
• A monitoring program of the business functioning and development;

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be supported to develop their investments under a new multi annual state-aid scheme!

The scheme is drawn up for the period 2017-2020.
The estimated date of its coming into force is October 2016.

Total state aid scheme budget: 900 million lei (200 million euro), with an annual budget of 225 million lei (50 million euro).

The state-aid will be given to enterprises as non-reimbursable grants, within the maximum limit.

According to press release, it is estimated that the scheme will support investment projects ranging between 1 million and 10 million euro.
Estimated number of beneficiaries: 200.

State aid scheme administrators: Territorial Offices for SMEs and Cooperatives, subordinated to the Ministry for Economy, Trade and the Business Environment.

Large companies and SMEs can submit projects within POIM 6.2 “Reducing the energy consumption of industrial consumers” starting with 17 October 2016.

Eligible beneficiaries are companies activating in industry (sectors related to CAEN section – “B – Extractive industry” and CAEN section – “C – Manufacturing industry”) with consumption of more than 1.000 toe/year, (defined as major energy consumers, according to ANRE), for which monitoring systems must be implemented in order to identify quick solutions for immediate consumption reduction and for which there must be a powerful tool to quantify the positive effects of the application of measures for increasing energy efficiency.

Implementation region:

• All country regions, excepting Bucharest-Ilfov;

Grant:

• Up to 200.000 euro, minimis aid;

Grant financing percentage: 

• 100% non-reimbursable;

Eligible expenditure:

• Acquisition and implementation of a monitoring system of energy consumption at the level of industrial platform (installations, equipment, monitoring systems, RTU-remote terminal units, data communication system, master stations, computerized data processing devices etc.);
• Project preparation (studies, permits, authorizations etc.);
• Project management, audit;
• Information and publicity.

For more information consult the Applicant Guideline here.