Closed NSRF (ESPA)

Action 2.b.1 – Digital Upgrade of SMEs in the Region of Crete

Status
Closed
Opening
12-03-2020
Deadline
30-06-2020
Subsidy
100%
Investment
+4.000.000

The programme

Under Action 2.b.1, support is given to the investment plans of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Region of Crete under the Operational Programme "Crete" 2014-2020.

The purpose of the action is to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises through the purchase of innovative ICT applications, in order to strengthen the use of ICT, as a key enabling technology, and so achieve improvements in productivity and in the promotional activities of enterprises and holdings.

Through the Action, priority is given to investment plans in sectors of the Regional "Smart Specialisation" Strategy (Regional RIS3), namely:

More specifically, the sub-objectives of this action may be the following:

  • Development of enterprises in the secondary sector and in tourism and culture, to introduce process, organisational or marketing innovations supported by ICT.
  • Support for investments in integrated information and communication applications
  • Development of enterprises in the secondary sector and in trade, to apply e-commerce or supply chain management solutions.
  • Promotion of ICT applications in the social economy and the environment

Who it concerns

Beneficiaries who can receive public funding under this call are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that:

  • operate or will operate, and will incur the corresponding expenses, in the Region of Crete, including the areas of Sustainable Urban Development Strategies (SVAA),
  • hold at least one of the eligible KAD codes before the date the call was published, i.e. before 17/02/2020, as well as the declared KAD code(s) of their investment plan at the place where the investment is implemented before the publication of this call, i.e. before 17/02/2020,
  • have closed at least two (2) full twelve-month financial years, i.e. they must have been set up before 1/1/2017 (enterprises with a financial year from 1/7 to 30/6 must have been set up before 1 July 2016) and
  • have not started work on the project before the publication of the call 

It is noted that, under Regulation (EU) 1407/2013, the total amount of de minimis aid granted to a single undertaking may not exceed €200,000 over any period of three financial years. The total amount of de minimis aid granted per Member State to a single undertaking that performs road freight transport on behalf of third parties may not exceed €100,000 over any period of three financial years. This de minimis aid may not be used to acquire road freight transport vehicles

The following are not entitled to submit a funding application:

  • Public enterprises, public bodies or public organisations and/or their subsidiaries, as well as enterprises treated as such.
  • Enterprises that belong to an already organised uniform network for the distribution of products or the provision of services and which, under relevant contracts, exploit licences for intellectual property rights, usually concerning trademarks or trade names and know-how for the use and distribution of goods or services (e.g. franchising, shop in shop, agency network etc.).
  • Enterprises that are included in the following Funding Revocation Decisions:
    • 606/9.9.2015 Decision Revoking the Funding – Inclusion of Operations of beneficiaries under the ESPA State Aid Action "Support for retail enterprises to implement digital investments (digi-retail)", of the OP "Digital Convergence" of Information Society S.A. (KtP A.E.), by the Secretary General for Telecommunications and Communications (ADA 68ΤΥ465ΦΘΘ-2ΥΔ),
    • 377/2.3.2016 Decision Revoking the Funding – Inclusion of Operations of beneficiaries, under the ESPA State Aid Action "Support for hotels and tourist accommodation to create promotional websites and online booking systems (digilodge)", of the OP "Digital Convergence" of Information Society S.A. (ADA 7ΦΡΨ4653ΟΞ-ΨΔΕ),
    • 605/9.9.2015 Decision Revoking the Funding – Inclusion of Operations of beneficiaries, under the ESPA State Aid Action "Support for hotels and tourist accommodation to create promotional websites and online booking systems (digilodge)", of the OP "Digital Convergence" of Information Society S.A. (6ΑΑ9465ΦΘΘ-7ΝΞ)
    • 4401/13.6.2016 Decision Revoking the Funding – Inclusion of Operations of beneficiaries, under the ESPA State Aid Action "Support for Enterprises to implement Investments in the field of Digital Broadband Content (digi-content)", of the OP "Digital Convergence" of Information Society S.A. (ΩΥ5Κ4653ΟΞ-6ΙΝ)

The proposed investment plan must be located exclusively in the Region of Crete.

Program Budget

The Public Expenditure budget of the call, Support for the establishment of enterprises, with priority to sectors of the Regional Smart Specialisation Strategy (Action 2.b.1), amounts to €4,000,000. There is also the possibility of over-commitment of 40% or more, with the consent of the Ministry of Development and Investments.

The Public Expenditure of Action 2.b.1 is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union and by national funds. The ERDF contributes to the financing of aid that strengthens economic, social and territorial cohesion by reducing regional disparities and supporting the structural improvement and adjustment of regional economies, including the redevelopment of declining industrial areas.

The funding will be provided in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 (de minimis).

Amount of subsidy

The subsidised budget of each investment proposal of a potential aid beneficiary may range from €5,000 to €15,000.

The rate of Public Funding is 100% of the value of all eligible and subsidised expenses.

If the total expense incurred by the enterprise exceeds €15,000.00, the additional expense will be paid by the enterprise.

Expenses subsidized

The following expense categories will be funded under Action 2.b.1:

  • EXPENSE CATEGORY 1: EQUIPMENT (Hardware): Up to 100% of the total subsidised budget
    • Servers for hosting applications and software for the purposes of the investment, with their accessories (keyboards, monitor etc.) and the required operating system.
    • Wired and/or wireless network equipment & cabling [routers, switches, firewalls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi infrastructure (access points, antennas etc.)]
    • Computers (desktop/laptop)
    • Office equipment (projectors, scanners, printers etc.)
    • ICT equipment related to the activities of the enterprise (e.g. bar code readers, interactive whiteboards) with a maximum eligible rate of 10% of the subsidised budget of the project
  • EXPENSE CATEGORY 2: SOFTWARE: Up to 100% of the total subsidised budget
    • Office applications, antivirus etc.
    • Programs that help optimise production and business processes (e.g. ERP, SCMS, WMS, PMS, CRM, HRMS etc.)
    • Specialised software related to the activity of the enterprise
    • Website development (it must work in at least 2 languages): Up to €2,000
    • Development of an online store (e-shop) (it must work in at least 2 languages): : Up to €4,500
  • EXPENSE CATEGORY 3: Services: Up to 40% of the total subsidised budget
    • Participation in Greek e-marketplaces, whether for B2C (business to end consumer) or B2B/B2E (business to business) activities, for sales, purchases, product promotion and catalogue, price comparison, participation in procurement, invoices and payments, participation in electronic tenders and auctions etc.: Up to €3,000
    • Digital marketing services (e.g. Google Ads, Facebook Ads, social media presence): Up to €1,000
    • Translation services for the content of the website and/or the online store: Up to €1,000
    • Data entry, transformation and transfer services: Up to €2,000

Important dates

Start of electronic submission of investment plans in the State Aid Management Information System: 12/3/2020 at 13:00

End of electronic submission of investment plans in the State Aid Management Information System: 30/06/2020 at 15:00

Implementation period of investment plans: 4 months from the date the Inclusion Decision is issued

Start date for the eligibility of expenses: The date of publication of the call of this Action.

Supporting documents required for submission/inclusion

Book a free consultation
Free strategy session

Book your free consultation

A 15-minute call is all it takes to find the right programs for your business.

Choose a day & time
15 minutes No commitment Free advice