In particular, the following entities may apply for support under the Smart Growth Programme:
- enterprises (in particular SMEs),
- research units,
- consortia of enterprises and research units,business environment institutions.
Who are the projects for?
There are two ways to make use of support offered under the Smart Growth Programme – as project implementers or participants. The first category includes projects which primarily contribute to the development of entities that implement them. This concerns for instance enterprises, which enter new markets and improve their products through investments, development and implementation of innovative products and/or services or cooperation with R&D units.
The second category includes projects, whose implementers only act as contractors or intermediaries in providing specific solutions for selected target groups. One example could be projects executed by business environment institutions which provide free or partly financed advisory services or by entities implementing financial instruments and providing support in form of loans, guarantees or capital interventions. Such projects under the Smart Growth Programme are addressed in particular to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups.
The Smart Growth Programme is a single-fund programme financed entirely by the European Regional Development Fund. This fact determines its investment nature.
Areas and types of projects supported under the Programme in the period 2014–2020 are defined in the Programme itself and in the detailed description of its priorities.
What actions may be implemented?
- research and development projects (R&D),
- implementation of the results of R&D works,
- infrastructure for conducting R&D works,
- technology transfer,
- purchase of services necessary for starting and/or carrying out innovation activities,
- activities related to entering foreign markets,
- development of R&D personnel.
The Smart Growth Programme is financed through two sources:
- European Regional Development Fund, from which EUR 8,613.9 million is allocated to the Programme;
- national funds – public and private, which minimum contribution amounts to of EUR 1,575.9 million.
The final amount of national funds, mainly private, at the time of closure of the Programme will be substantially higher. The stated amount was calculated based on general Union rules, according to which the minimum contribution of national funds in 15 less developed voivodeships amounts to 15%, and in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship – 20%. However, State aid will be involved in many projects implemented under the Programme, requiring higher national contribution provided by project implementers, mostly from private funds.
Means of project financing
A beneficiary whose project was selected for support under the Programme concludes a contract on project co-financing with the competent institution. Contract on project co-financing specifies the amount of support provided for the implementation of the project and the conditions for its implementation.
The agreement or the decision contains in particular the following information:
- the amount of co-financing granted,
- the deadline and means of settling the funding granted,
- method to be used for reporting and settlement,
- sanctions for breaching the provisions of the contract/agreement or decision on co-financing.
Method of financing of a given project depends on the type of the entity using the funding and the specific nature of the project.
According to the general rule, co-financing may cover only the so-called eligible costs. A catalogue of eligible costs is established for each programme and for each type of project. If during the implementation of a project there arises a need to carry out tasks which were not included on the list of eligible costs, such tasks should be financed from beneficiaries’ own funds.
The majority of projects financed under the Programme may require that the entities implementing the programme participate in the covering of its costs by making the so-called own contribution. This principle is applicable to projects involving State aid.
Beneficiaries receive co-financing in the form of:
- a refund – support constitutes a repayment of all or part of expenditure actually incurred by the entity implementing the programme and financed from its own funds,
- advance payment – paid out for planned expenditure.The final settlement is made on the basis of documents indicating actually and appropriately incurred expenditure.
- repayable instruments.
