Key SME Digital Transformation: First funding approvals announced

The completion of the first evaluations of the funding applications for the program “Competitiveness” in the context of the NSRF 2021/27 through the Integrated State Aid Information System, announced the Ministry of National Economy and Finance.

Specifically, the 1st Decision to Approve Evaluation Results of funding applications submitted to the “Basic Digital Transformation of SMEs” Action was published.

According to the decision, 101 applications were evaluated, of which 73 applications for funding of subsidized public expenditure of 1,062,280.28 euros were deemed eligible.

The evaluation is immediate and beneficiaries are informed electronically via OPSKE about the progress of their funding application and the detailed evaluation result.

The evaluation continues at an intensive pace, in order to immediately complete the process for all the applications that have been submitted.

Key Digital Transformation of SMEs – The Action

The priority of Action 1: Basic Digital Transformation of SMEs is to cover the basic needs of SMEs with modern information and communication technologies (ICT).

The Action encourages, as a matter of priority, the implementation of targeted investment projects of key digital transformation that contribute to an extroverted, innovative and competitive production of products or services of higher added value

Rate of aid

From 50% to 60% depending on the region

Action budget

90,000,000 euros

The Public Expenditure is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union and by National Participation. For greater complementarity, funding is provided using Common Support (Article 25 C(EU) 2021/1060) to finance interventions falling within the scope of ESF+.

Budget breakdown by category of regions

• 19,800,000 euros for the Regions in Transition: Attica and South Aegean
• €70,200,000 for the Less Developed Regions: North Aegean, Eastern Macedonia – Thrace, Central Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece, Crete, Western Macedonia, Ionian Islands, Peloponnese, Sterea Greece

Key Digital Transformation SMEs – Beneficiaries

Existing very small,small and medium-sized businesses, which, among other things, should:

• Have at least one (1) full financial year closed
• Have been operating in one of the eligible CDOs of the investment project for at least one (1) year
• Have at least three (3) PES of paid employment in the calendar year preceding the submission of the application for funding
• The physical object of the investment has not been completed or has not been fully implemented before the submission of the application for funding.
• The overall conditions of participation of the beneficiaries are presented in detail in the Call for Proposals

Eligible expenditures

• Equipment costs (indicative): purchase of digital office equipment, upgrade of internal data transfer networks, interaction with employees, customers or suppliers, etc.
• Software Expenditure (indicative): procurement of modern business resource & process management applications (e.g. ERP, WMS, KPIs, EDI, BMPS, etc.), image processing, 3D models and CAD, digital security, customer and supply chain management, production optimization, etc.
• Expenditure for the provision of services related to the digital upgrade (indicative): consultancy support for monitoring the implementation of the investment project, technical support for the implementation of the investment project, installation or configuration of applications included in the funding application
• Indirect Costs