The Action "Advanced Digital Transformation of SMEs" is part of the state aid package "Digital Transformation of SMEs" and concerns businesses that aim to expand their digital and technological maturity with integrated investments in new ICT that will upgrade their competitiveness.
❖ Beneficiaries of the Action
Beneficiaries of the Action are existing very small, small and medium enterprises, which:
1. To submit a single investment proposal per VAT number.
2. To be active in the Greek territory and to invest exclusively in a single Category of Region/Regional units that have the same aid intensity.
3. To keep Aplographic or Diplographic books and have them closed at least one (1) full administrative use.
4. Be active in one of the eligible KAD of the investment plan at least for one (1) year.
5. To have at least one (1) eligible KAD activity, when submitting the application for financing the investment project.
6. The investment should exclusively concern KAD included in the eligible KAD of the Action.
7. To have at least five (5) EMEs dependent work during the calendar year preceding the submission of the funding application.
8. To present when submitting the financing application a responsible declaration of guaranteeing the private participation in the percentage at least of 25%. Private participation must not involve any element of state support.
9. The investment projects should have the character of an initial investment, as defined in Article 13 "Scope of application of regional aid" and in Article 14 "Regional investment
aids" of Reg. EU 651/2014.
10. Work on the investment project has not started before the submission of the aid application. Otherwise, the entire investment plan becomes ineligible for financing.
11. To collect at least a grade of 80 in the invitation's digital maturity questionnaire.
❖ Investment plans
It is pointed out that the investment plans that will be submitted in the context of this action, in accordance with the EU Regulation 651/2014 (GAK), should have the character of an initial investment and specifically meet one of the following:
• Creation of a new business establishment.
• Expanding the capacity of an existing unit.
• Diversification of a unit's output into products or services that have never been produced in it.
• Fundamental change of the entire production process of an existing unit.
❖ Subsidized budget
Within the framework of the Action, funding applications of the amount from €50,000 to €650,000.
The subsidized budget of the investment project may not exceed three times the highest turnover achieved in one of the three closed management periods preceding the year of submission of the funding application.
❖ Subsidy rates
Subsidy rates vary Aid rate from 10% to 50% depending on the Region, the size of the business and the eligible expenditure.
❖ Eligible Expenses
The main categories of expenses are:
• Equipment Expenses with indicative costs: Supply of advanced systems for operating facilities or personnel, automation of production with robotic systems, upgrading of internal data transfer networks, etc.
• Equipment Expenses for Production of modern technological equipment and advanced digital systems with indicative but focused costs: Supply of advanced technological systems and mechanical equipment for the production of Industry 4.0 systems and equipment, security systems and equipment (e.g. premises surveillance, cyber-protection, etc.), automation systems, robotic systems
• Software Expenses, with indicative costs: Provision of modern applications of administrative and financial planning, digital security, customer and supply chain management, data analysis with artificial intelligence tools, production optimization, upgrading of services provided, etc.
• Costs to Provide Services associated with the digital upgrade with indicative costs: Technical support for the parameterization and integration of the new systems in the operation of SMEs, system certification, etc.
The date of application submission is defined as the start date of expenditure eligibility.
❖ Implementation of Action
The maximum duration of completion of the physical and economic object of the investment project cannot exceed them fifteen (15) months, from the date of issuance of the Incorporation Decision.
The company can implement expenses at its headquarters and/or in its branches, as long as all implementation points belong to the same Region Category and as long as they have the same intensity of support.
❖ Reinforcement Regime
EU Regulation 651/2014 (GAC)
❖ Submission of applications
The start date for electronic submission of funding applications is defined as Thursday 23/02/2023 at 12:00.
The Call will remain open until the available budget is exhausted.
The evaluation of the funding applications is done by the method of the direct procedure, respecting the order of priority.
For more details, information and for any clarification regarding the eligibility of your own business, please contact us at the contact numbers 2392306040 / 6947273850 or by emailing to gp@ipconsulting.gr
