Applications for the new subsidised programme have started: Digital Tools for SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises).

The aim of the Digital Tools for SMEs Programme is to enhance the digital maturity of the country's SMEs operating in a wide range of sectors of the economy. This program is funded by the Recovery Fund and falls under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan Action Greece 2.0.

Eligible for subsidy from the Program is the supply of digital products and services, as well as related complementary services, through a voucher system.

Which businesses are affected by the Digital Tools for SMEs

The Digital Tools for SMEs programme is aimed at SMEs that meet all the following conditions:

• They operate in the Greek Territory with a Greek VAT number.
• They are active on the date of submission of the application for participation in the Program.
• They have been established before 01.01.2022.
• They are active in an eligible activity (the main SMR is taken into account when submitting the application).
• During the period 01.01.2021-31.12.2021 they provided employment in terms of employment, which expressed in terms of Annual Work Units sums up from 0.01 to 250.00 AWU (Annual Work Unit).
• They operate legally and comply with the relevant EU and national environmental legislation, having the appropriate licensing document, in accordance with the applicable legislation and their activity.
• They constitute a legal entity (Public Limited Company, Limited Liability Company, General Partnership, Limited Partnership, Private Limited Company, Private Limited Company, Social Cooperative Enterprise, Cooperative) or Sole Proprietorship, and they keep simple or double-entry books. They are not bankrupt, wound up or administered by the courts.
• No State aid recovery proceedings are pending against the undertaking.
• The total amount of de minimis aid received as a single undertaking, including aid from this Programme, shall not exceed EUR 200 000 over a period of three years (current fiscal year and two (2) preceding fiscal years).
• There are no grounds for exclusion under Article 40 of the Law. 4488/2017 (concerns fines imposed by the competent control bodies of the Labour Inspection Body for violations of labour legislation)

The amount and percentage of funding

The total budget of the "SMEs Digital Tools" Program amounts to 180,000,000 euros and is divided as follows:

CATEGORY 1: Companies from 0.01 to 10 SRM: 90.000.000€ – Maximum eligible cost: 2.000€.

CATEGORY 2: Companies from 10 to 25 SRM: 40.000.000€ – Maximum eligible cost: 6.000€.

GROUP 3: Companies from 25 to 40 PE: 30.000.000€ - Maximum eligible expenditure: 12.000€.

GROUP 4: Companies from 40 to 250 PE: 20.000.000€ - Maximum eligible expenditure: 20.000€.

In all cases, the financing concerns 90% of the investment.

Each Category 1 beneficiary may be funded for the purchase of a single subsidized solution, which is invoiced and repaid in total in one transaction, with part of the repayment coming from the redemption of Program cheques.

Any beneficiary in Category 2, and Groups 3 or 4 may be funded to purchase one or more subsidised solutions. Each subsidized solution is invoiced and paid for in one transaction in total, with a portion of the repayment coming from cashing Program checks. In order to be able to purchase solutions through multiple transactions, the corresponding aid can be allocated to more cheques (which in total will add up to the total voucher value attributable to the beneficiary).

What are the eligible costs? for the Digital Tools for SMEs

In the Digital Tools for SMEs programme, businesses have the opportunity to invest in a range of different solutions (products/services). The categories are several, however, the most basic are as follows:

• E-commerce platforms (eshop)
• Customer Management & Support Applications (e.g. CRM)
• Personnel Management (HR) Applications
• Εφαρμογές διαχείρισης αποθηκών (WMS)
• Sales, reservations, ordering and invoicing applications
• Cloud Infrastructure & cloud Platforms services
• Remote work support tools and more

The timetable of the grant scheme

The application and implementation timetable for the Digital Tools for SMEs programme varies depending on the category to which the company belongs. More specifically:

For beneficiaries of Lot 1

Funding applications: from 22/06/2022 to 27/07/2022

Make purchases of digital products and services using vouchers: until 31/10/2022

Completion of all kinds of payments & completion of the program: until 30/12/2022

For beneficiaries of categories 2, 3 and 4

Funding applications: from 22/06/2022 to 14/09/2022

Make purchases of digital products and services using vouchers: until 31/03/2023

Completion of all payments & project completion: by 31/05/2023.