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.