Subsidies: also available for large enterprises?
In the second half of April, the Investment and Business Development Agency ceased to accept applications for support under the Potential and Innovation Programmes, falling under the Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness Operational Programme. What’s the outlook for future subsidies? Will large enterprises be allowed to continue to draw them? What other investment support options are available?
According to the latest information, total funds allocated to both programmes have almost been exhausted. The summary of final balances relating to these programmes should be available sometimes in mid-May. New calls for applications under the Potential Programme (support of research and development) and the Innovation Programme (support to introduce new technologies and products in manufacturing) are expected to be announced at the end of June or at the beginning of July 2017. Information about the final balances of applications filed within these programmes will be crucial for deciding whether large enterprises will also be allowed to apply for subsidies during the summer calls.
Within the Enterprise and Innovations for Competitiveness Operational Programme, calls remaining open are as follows: Energy Saving (support of measures saving energy; applications accepted until 30 March 2018), Low-Carbon Technologies (support of electric mobility; applications accepted until the end of May 2017), and Renewable Energy Sources (support of energy generation and distribution; applications accepted until mid-July 2017). Large enterprises may also draw subsidies from these programmes.
Moreover, other investment support options applicable for large enterprises are programmes announced by the Technology Agency of the Czech Republic to support applied research and experimental development. Currently open programmes are, for example, the EPSILON programme (applications accepted until 17 May 2017). Within the DELTA programme, the agency plans to announce the fifth public tender intended to support research and development on an international cooperation basis.
In addition to direct subsidies, it is possible to make use of investment incentives granted to support the introduction or expansion of production, or technological and strategic centres (shared services centres or data centres, etc.). These offer ten-year tax holidays or other forms of aid in selected regions. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is also currently preparing a number of interesting changes within a new amendment to the Act on Investment Incentives.