Action 2.b.1 – Digital Upgrading of Media in the Region of Crete

Action 2.b.1 – Digital Upgrading of Media in the Region of Crete - The program

Action 2.b.1 concerns the strengthening of investment projects of very small, small and medium enterprises (MME) in the Region of Crete within the framework of the "Crete" Operational Program 2014-2020.

The purpose of the action is to support very small, small and medium enterprises through the purchase of innovative ICT applications. with the aim of strengthening the part of ICT application, as a basic supporting technology, to achieve improvements in terms of productivity and promotional actions by businesses and farms.

Through the Action, priority investment projects in areas of the Regional Strategy "Smart Specialization" (Regional RIS3) are strengthened, namely:

• Agri-food
• Energy
• Tourism
• Cultural - Creative Industries
• Wholesale - Retail trade
• Materials - Constructions
• Supply Chain
• Environment
• Education
• ICT Information and Communication Technologies
• Health - Medicines

In particular, the individual objectives of the specific action may include the following:

• Development of businesses in the secondary sector and tourism-culture for the introduction of processes, organizational or promotional innovations, supported by T.P.E.
• Strengthening investments for integrated information and communication applications
• Development of secondary sector and trade businesses to implement e-commerce or supply chain management solutions.
• Promotion of ICT applications in the social economy and the environment

Beneficiaries

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

• are active or will be active, as well as will carry out the corresponding expenses in the Region of Crete including the areas of SBAA,
• have at least one of the eligible SCAs before the date of publication of the call, i.e. before 17/02/2020 as well as the declared SCA(s) of their investment plan in the place of implementation of the investment before the publication of this call, i.e. before the 17/02/2020,
• have closed at least two (2) full twelve-month management years, i.e. they must have been incorporated before 1/1/2017 (for businesses with a management period from 1/7 to 30/6 they must have been incorporated before 1 July 2016 ) and
• no work has started on the project prior to the publication of the call

Eligible NACE code

It is pointed out that according to Reg. EU 1407/2013, the total amount of de minimis aid granted to the single enterprise cannot exceed the amount of 200,000 euros in any period of three financial years. The total amount of de minimis aid granted per Member State to a single undertaking carrying out road freight transport on behalf of third parties may not exceed the amount of EUR 100,000 in any period of three financial years. These de minimis aids may not be used for the acquisition of road freight vehicles]

They are not eligible to apply for funding:

• Public enterprises, public bodies or public organizations and/or their subsidiaries, as well as enterprises assimilated to them.
• Businesses that are part of an already organized uniform network of product distribution or service provision and which exploit licenses for the exploitation of intellectual property rights, usually related to trademarks or distinctive titles and know-how for the use and distribution of goods or services (e.g. .franchising, Shop in shop, agency network etc).
• The businesses included in the following Funding Withdrawal Decisions:

1. 606/9.9.2015 Decision of Withdrawal of Funding - Incorporation of Acts of beneficiaries within the framework of the NSRF State Aid Action "Strengthening retail businesses for the implementation of digital investments (digi-retail)", of the OP "Digital Convergence" of KtP S.A. of the General Secretary of Telecommunications and Communications (ADA 68TY465ΦΘΘ-2YD),
2. 377/2.3.2016 Decision of Withdrawal of Funding - Incorporation of Acts of Beneficiaries, within the framework of the NSRF State Support Action "Strengthening of hotels and tourist accommodations for the creation of online promotion sites and electronic reservation systems (digilodge), of the OP "Digital Convergence" of the Ministry of Finance. E. (ADA 7FRΦΨ4653OX-ΦΦΕ),
3. 605/9.9.2015 Decision of Withdrawal of Funding - Incorporation of Acts of beneficiaries, in the framework of the NSRF State Aid Action "Strengthening of hotels and tourist accommodations for the creation of online display sites and electronic reservation systems (digilodge), of the OP "Digital Convergence" of the Ministry of Finance. E. (6AA9465FTHTH-7NX)
4. 4401/13.6.2016 Decision of Withdrawal of Funding - Incorporation of Acts of beneficiaries, in the framework of the NSRF State Aid Action "Strengthening Businesses for the implementation of Investments in the field of Digital Broadband Content (digi-content), of the OP "Digital Convergence" of KtP S.A. . (OY5K4653OX-6IN)

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

Program Budget

The Public Expenditure budget of the call "Support for the establishment of businesses, as a priority in areas of the Regional Smart Specialization Strategy (Action 2.b.1)" amounts to €4,000,000. The possibility of overcommitment at a rate of 40% or more is also foreseen with the approval 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 Resources. The ERDF contributes to the financing of aid to stimulate economic, social and territorial cohesion by reducing regional disparities and supporting structural improvements and adjustments of regional economies, including the reconstruction of declining industrial areas.

Financing will be done in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1407/2013 (de minimis).

Amount of subsidy

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

The Public Funding rate amounts to 100% of the value of all eligible and subsidized costs.

If the total cost incurred by the company exceeds the amount of €15,000.00, the additional cost will be paid by the company.

Subsidized expenses

In Action 2.b.1 the following expenditure categories will be financed:

• EXPENDITURE CATEGORY 1: EQUIPMENT (Hardware): Up to 100% of the total subsidized PC

1. Servers for hosting applications-software for investment purposes, with its accompanying components (keyboards, screen, etc.) and the required operating system.
2. Wired and/or Wireless Network Equipment & cabling [Routers, Switches, Firewalls, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi infrastructure (access points, antennas, etc.)]
3. Computers (Desktop/Laptop)
4. Office equipment (projectors, scanners, printers, etc.)
5. ICT equipment related to the company's activities (e.g. Bar code readers, Interactive tables) with a maximum eligible percentage of 10% of the subsidized project budget

• EXPENDITURE CATEGORY 2: SOFTWARE: Up to 100% of the total subsidized PC

1. Office applications, antivirus, etc
2. Programs that help optimize production and business processes (eg ERP, SCMS, WMS, PMS CRM, HRMS etc.)
3. Specialized software related to business activity
4. Website development (should work in at least 2 languages): Up to €2,000
5. E-shop development (should work in at least 2 languages): Up to €4,500

• EXPENDITURE CATEGORY 3: Provision of services: Up to 40% of the total subsidized PC

1. Participation in Greek Electronic Markets (e-Marketplaces), whether they concern B2C (Business to Final Consumer) or B2B /B2E (Business to Business) type activities, for sales, purchases, display and catalog of products, price comparison, participation in supplies, invoices and payments, participation in electronic tenders and auctions, etc.: Up to €3,000
2. Digital marketing services (e.g. google ads, facebook ads, social media presence): Up to €1,000
3. Website and/or online store content translation services: Up to €1,000
4. Data registration, transformation and transfer services: Up to €2,000

Important dates

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

Deadline for electronic submission of investment plans to the State Aid Management Information System: 30/06/2020 at 15:00

Duration of implementation of investment projects: 4 months from the date of issuance of the Incorporation Decision

Expenditure eligibility start date: Date of publication of the call for this Action.

Necessary supporting documents for submission

Submission/joining documents

Useful files

17/02/2020
Invitation to submit proposals for financial support of investment projects

06/03/2020

1st amendment to the Call for proposals for financial support for investment projects

07/05/2020

2η τροποποίηση Πρόσκλησης υποβολής προτάσεων χρηματοδοτικής ενίσχυσης επενδυτικών σχεδίων

17/02/2020

Eligible NACE code