A few of the last calls to participate in the Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness Operational Programme (OPEIC) were announced during the course of June, including favourite programmes such as Potential, Innovations and Applications. Large enterprises may also submit their applications if they meet a number of new conditions.
The Potential programme, providing support to investments in research and development, will start accepting applications on 1 October 2018. The level of provided support continues to be 50% of eligible expenses and an individual subsidy per one project may amount to up to CZK 30 million. A large enterprise as an applicant (under one identification number - IČO) may only file one application.
The Applications programme will accept applications starting 28 August 2018. Support will primarily be provided in respect of operating expenses incurred for development projects relating to industrial research and experimental development. The level of provided support may amount to up to 70%, depending on the supported activities and the level of cooperation. A subsidy’s maximum amount has been limited to CZK 40 million.
Within the Innovations programme, it will be possible to apply for support to introduce new products/processes and other innovations from 26 September 2018. The maximum amount of a subsidy per one project is CZK 40 million with a limit of 25% for large enterprises.
Within the above programmes, large enterprises may only receive support for projects that meet one of the following conditions:
- Intervention field code 063 Cluster support and business networks primarily benefiting SMEs, i.e. projects carried out by large enterprises in direct collaboration with a SME that participates in the total eligible project expenses. The extent and form of collaboration must be supported with appropriate documentation at the time of filing an application.
- Intervention field code 065 Research and innovation infrastructure, processes, technology transfer and cooperation in enterprises focusing on the low carbon economy and on resilience to climate change, i.e. projects focusing on low carbon economy and on resilience to climate change. In practice, this should involve projects with the main or one of the main goals being a positive impact on the environment, such as the reduction of CO2 and other harmful emissions (e.g. production or development of spare parts for electric vehicles, etc.).
In the Potential and Applications programme, one of the above intervention fields must be met. In the Innovations programme, there is no choice and projects must fall within intervention field code 065.
In addition, a call to participate in the Establishment and Operation of Shared Services and Data Centres within the ICT and Shared Services Programme has also been announced. Applications will be accepted from 28 August 2018. The level of provided support for large enterprises may amount to 25%. The maximum subsidy per one project is CZK 100 million.
A large enterprise as one applicant (under one identification number) may only file one application within each individual programme. Considering the restricted amount of funds for allocation, it is absolutely vital to file an application for support as soon as possible on or after the application acceptance date, since the support provider may terminate the acceptance procedure early, once total funds for allocation have been exhausted. But it may not do so earlier than fourteen days after the opening of the acceptance procedure.