SME grants 2024: The PNRR aid scheme of EUR 500,000-3 million for the digitization of companies was published in the Official Gazette

Are you a business owner in Romania with a groundbreaking idea for an advanced digital technology? Great news! There are grants available to help you on your path to success. The SME grant scheme, offering EUR 500,000-3 million for digitization projects of non-IT companies partnering with IT companies, has been officially published in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR).

These cool projects, done in partnership between non-IT and IT small businesses, will make things more competitive, boost innovation, and make it easier to try out new work methods. The PNRR aid scheme in Romania has a total budget of EUR 150 million, with EUR 105 million set aside for regional investment aid, EUR 25 million for research and development aid, and EUR 20 million for de minimis aid. This budget will provide non-repayable funds ranging from EUR 500,000 to 3 million per project, in the form of state aid and de minimis aid.

TYPES OF GRANTS AVAILABLE FOR ADVANCED DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES

The “Grants to support entrepreneurs in the development of advanced digital technologies” scheme will provide support to entrepreneurs (SMEs) in the development and implementation of advanced digital technologies such as:

• data and cloud computing,

• blockchain technology,

• high performance and quantum computing,

• the internet of things,

• cyber security,

The projects, which a non-IT small business will work on in partnership with an IT small business, will help them compete better, promote innovation, and make it easier to try out new ways of working.

TOTAL BUDGET OF PNRR AID SCHEME IN ROMANIA

The total budget of the scheme is EUR 150 million, of which:

• EUR 105 million to finance regional investment aid,

• EUR 25 million for aid for research and development projects,

• EUR 20 million for de minimis aid.

THE BUDGET ON CATEGORY OF COMPANIES

From this budget, non-reimbursable funds of EUR 500,000-3 million per project will be granted, in the form of state aid and de minimis aid. The value of cumulative non-reimbursable funding (regional state aid, for research and development and de minimis aid) can be granted for a joint project (partnership leader and partner) will be determined according to the category in which the project leader falls, regardless of the SME category in which the partner falls, as follows:

a) micro-enterprises — 500,000-700,000 euros;

b) small businesses — 500,000-1,500,000 euros;

c) medium enterprises — 500,000-3,000,000 euros.

The part of de minimis aid within the granted grant cannot be higher than 300,000 lei/project, with a maximum intensity of 90% of the related eligible expenses. Beneficiaries will ensure their own co-financing of 10% related to the de minimis aid.

For regional aid, the intensity of support is 30-70%, depending on the county of project implementation and the size of the non-IT SME (partnership leader), i.e. a micro-enterprise or a small firm can come with own co-financing less than a medium sized company.

In the aid component for research and development, the intensity of the support varies as follows:

Industrial research 50%,
Experimental development 25%,
Feasibility studies 50%.

The aid scheme will be included as an attachment to the Applicant’s Guide, which MIPE should release together with other attachments. Once the final guide is out, MIPE should also give everyone a heads up about the timeframe for submitting projects in the PNRR electronic system.

The main challenge with this funding remains the effective formation of partnerships between the non-IT SMEs (partnership lead) that need digitization and the IT SMEs that develop their solutions.

For help with your application mail frjacobs@telenet.be