Strengthening Self-Employment of Higher Education Graduates

Program: Strengthening the Self-employment of Higher Education Graduates

The programme Supporting the Self-employment of Higher Education Graduates concerns the support of higher education graduates, either unemployed or self-employed, to start a professional activity related to their specialisation in a self-employed professional area.

An independent business space is defined as a space that is a separate property, has its own utilities (e.g. electricity) and is not used in any way as a residence (main or secondary).

Who it concerns

The programme concerns the support of the unemployed to start exercising a professional activity related to their specialty as well as self-employed persons who are already engaged in a professional activity related to their specialty. A prerequisite for their strengthening is the organization of their activity in independent professional spaces.

Specifically, the program is addressed to:

  • Unemployed graduates of higher education, registered in the unemployment registers of the OAED.
  • Natural persons who are graduates of higher education who, on the date of publication of the Call, are engaged in a professional activity related to their specialty and do not have an employment relationship, nor do they receive an old-age pension.

Partnerships between beneficiaries: The establishment of cooperating schemes/forms of enterprise, small and micro, in which partners/beneficiaries from the above categories of beneficiaries will participate, is allowed.

Programme Budget – Supporting Graduate Self-employment

The total amount is EUR 50 million. Euro and consists of 2 cycles :

FIRST SEMESTER 2016 (current cycle): 65% = 32.500.000€ allocated to the Regions as follows

  • Eastern Macedonia-Thrace, Central Macedonia, Epirus, Thessaly, Western Greece: 19.500.000€
  • Western Macedonia, Ionian Islands, Peloponnese, North Aegean, Crete: 5.785.000€
  • Attica: 5.070.000€
  • Central Greece: 1.261.000€
  • South Aegean: 884.000€

SECOND HALF 2016: 35% 17.500.000€

Amount of subsidy

Business plans with a total budget of € 5,000 to € 25,000 are supported and the aid rate is set at 100% of the eligible cost.

The maximum amount of € 25,000 is increased if the proposal is submitted by a collaborative scheme. In particular, in the case of cooperation between two participating beneficiaries, the total budget may reach up to € 40,000, while in the case of cooperation of three or more beneficiaries up to € 50,000.

Expenses subsidized

  • Operating (business premises, electricity, fixed and mobile business telephony, water supply, heating, other common expenses, hospitality costs in incubators, etc.) –> 60%
  • Expenses for third-party fees (legal, consulting, accounting support, drafting and monitoring of a business plan, incubator services, specialized vocational training seminars, etc.) –> 20%
  • Costs of promotion, networking and participation in exhibitions –> 10%
  • Consumables supply –> 15%
  • Beneficiary’s (entrepreneur/partner) insurance contributions –> 30%
  • Salary cost for new position(s) up to 12.000€
  • Depreciation of fixed assets / Financial leasing of equipment –> 20% ECB
  • Purchase/leasing of equipment/Small-scale interior design –> 40%

Important dates

Submission period from 8/3/2016 to 15/4/2016

Necessary documents for the submission of applications for the Graduate Self-employment Support

It requires, inter alia:

-Unemployment card from OAED(employment service)

-Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree

-Copy of E1 of 2015

-Certificate of commencement of business

More information about the action here.