“Enterprise – Innovate in Epirus”

Beneficiaries of the action are Existing, Small, Micro, and Medium-sized Enterprises.

The basic conditions that must apply are the following:

1. They must have at least two (2) complete closed fiscal years for the years preceding the year of submission of the funding application. A closed complete fiscal year is defined as the year for which the appropriate tax forms (e.g., tax forms E3 & N) have been submitted to the AADE and which has a duration of 12 months.
2. They operate substantially in Sectors of the Regional Dimension of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy (ESEE), i.e., they have, in the calendar year preceding the date of publication of the Call, a main NACE code or a NACE code with the highest revenues included in the call.
3. The proposed investment plan (investment NACE code) concerns at least one of the eligible NACE codes. It is clarified that the enterprise is not obliged to have the investment NACE code at the time of submitting the funding application, but must have it before submitting the first verification - certification request.
4. They must submit one and only one funding application per Tax Identification Number (TIN) for this Action.
5. They must operate in the Greek Territory and the action must be implemented entirely within the Region of Epirus.
6. The financial contribution of the beneficiary of the aid must amount to at least 25% of the eligible expenses of the investment plan, either through own resources or through external financing.
7. They must operate legally possessing the appropriate licensing document, in accordance with current legislation and their supported activity.

The above conditions, in combination with the other conditions of the call, must be fully met.

The investment plans of the call must be demonstrably linked to at least one Priority of the Regional Dimension of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy to be eligible. Enterprises must operate substantially, i.e., have, in the calendar year preceding the date of publication of the Call, a main NACE code or a NACE code with the highest revenues, in the sectors of the regional dimension of the National Smart Specialisation Strategy 2021-2027, for the Region of Epirus:

- 01. Materials - Construction and Industry

- 02. Tourism - Culture - Creative Industries

- 03. Agri-food Chain

- 04. Environment - Circular Economy

- 05. Life Sciences - Health and Pharmaceuticals

- 07. Sustainable Energy

- 08. Digital Technologies

(Eligible activity codes are detailed in the call for action)

The call provides the option to choose the institutional framework for granting state aid,

either based on Regulation (EU) 651/2014 (GBER)

− Article 14 "Regional investment aid",

− Article 18 "Aid for consultancy services to SMEs",

− Article 19 "Aid for SME participation in trade fairs"

− Article 41 "Investment aid for promoting the production of energy from renewable sources, renewable hydrogen, and high-efficiency cogeneration",

or based on Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 (De minimis), as applicable.

The enterprise must compulsorily choose one of the two Regulations when submitting the funding application.

The subsidized budget of investment plans is determined:

A) For investment plans with the option of choosing Reg. (EU) 2023/2831 (De minimis) as the aid scheme upon submission of the funding application, the subsidized budget (total public and private expenditure) ranges from €100,000 to €500,000.

B) For investment plans with the option of choosing Reg. (EU) 651/2014 (GBER) as the aid scheme upon submission of the funding application, the subsidized budget (total public and private expenditure) ranges from €200,000 to €800,000.

The subsidized budget of the investment plan cannot exceed the highest turnover, increased by 40%, which was achieved in one of the two closed fiscal years preceding the submission of the funding application.

Expenses that can be included as eligible, provided they meet the conditions set out in the detailed call for action, are the following:

The eligibility start date for expenses is the date of electronic submission of the funding application regardless of the chosen aid scheme.

The duration of the investment plan implementation is set at twenty-four (24) months from the date of electronic notification of the final approval of the funding application (evaluation result or appeal evaluation result). Within 12 months from the date of electronic notification of the final approval of the funding application, the beneficiary submits a certification – verification request, which includes implementation of at least 30% of the subsidized physical and financial object.

The electronic submission start date for funding applications is 2025-11-04 and the end date is 2025-01-27.