Smart Regions Enterprise Innovation Scheme | 30
Stream 3 – Services to SMEs to drive innovative solutions (De Minimis) The support is designed to be strategic in supporting the transformation of Regional SMEs operating in an ecosystem that requires support. The services to be provided by Not-for- Profit DAC’s / CLG’s will be made accessible to eligible Regional SMEs by way of De Minimis Passthrough/pass-on aid, meaning these SMEs will be able to benefit from these services at reduced rates, while other businesses will have to pay the higher market rates. The amount of that reduction will be recorded as De Minimis aid for the applicant SME. The aid will be provided to SMEs by the full passthrough/pass-on of the funding received by the DAC’s/CLG’s. In this regard, the DAC’s/CLG’s will fully pass-on the entire benefit of the funding received to their eligible users (including, where applicable, interest reflecting the time advantage of funding received but not passed-on, which will be determined at the end of each year based on the Commission’s standard rates and methodology) and any remaining benefit at the level of DAC’s/CLG will have to be recovered at the end of the project. Stream 4 – Feasibility and Priming Grant (De Minimis Aid application) This aid will fund costs towards the investigation of new projects from early-stage project concepts to development of business propositions or through priming funding to support detailed development of projects through design/costing and planning to enable an application for project support at a future stage. Appendix G – Eligible Costs Stream 1-4 All expenditure must comply with the National Eligibility Rules (NERs) for the 2021-27 ERDF Programme. The eligibility rules shall cover all expenditure declared for Programmes co-financed by the ERDF under the Partnership Agreement for the 2021-2027 programming period and shall be applied when considering items of expenditure to be included in the declarations of expenditure. STREAM ONE Funding for Stream One – Local Infrastructure Projects ώ A funding decision under Stream One (GBER Article 56) will be made based on the evaluation of a detailed business plan submitted by the applicant, that meets or exceeds the 70% scoring threshold. ώ The Article 56 GBER funding will be for Strategic Change Infrastructure Projects where the infrastructure aligns with the strategic objectives set out within the Department of Enterprise, Trade & Employment’s Enterprise White Paper 2022-2030; Regional Enterprise Plans, Our Rural Future: Rural Development Policy 2021-2025 Project Ireland 2040, Climate Action Plan, Enterprise Ireland’s Strategy 2022 –2024 and the National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2022 – 2027 or future national/regional strategies within the lifetime of the fund. ώ Funding will be provided to Not-for-Profit DAC’s / CLG’s to upgrade or construct local infrastructure that supports enterprise development.
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