20 million euros will soon be available to companies to strengthen their competitiveness

 

The announcement of the tender, which should achieve the goals of the Smart Specialization Strategy, is expected in the third quarter of this year. The state last provided support for these activities in 2018.

The business sector can soon expect the publication of tenders for product certification and the introduction of management systems. According to the document submitted by the Ministry of Economy for public consultation, which is open until August 31, companies will have 20 milion euros at their disposal for this purpose. According to the proposal, the allocation of non-refundable money will be carried out in the modality of a permanently open call, i.e. the so-called of the fastest finger, in which the speed, not the quality of the project, is the key to getting support. Grant amounts will range from 5,000 to 200,000 euros. The aim of the competition, which is financed from the Program for Competitiveness and Cohesion 2021-2027, i.e. the European Fund for Regional Development, is to facilitate access to the international market for small and medium-sized enterprises and to increase their competitiveness by applying internationally recognized norms and management systems.

The support, the intensity of which ranges up to 75% of acceptable costs for micro and small enterprises and 55% of costs for medium-sized enterprises, will be able to finance product certification activities, i.e. evaluation of product conformity with a certain norm or specification. Many products must carry the CE mark in order to be sold on the EU market, and it indicates that the manufacturer meets the requirements in the field of safety, health and the environment. Management system certification activities, such as ISO and similar standards, may also be financed.