On August 30th, 2022, the Deputy Minister of
Development and Investments presented the new NSRF Program
“Competitiveness” regarding the support for small and
medium-sized enterprises. The new program amounts to 4 billion
euros and is confined to four pillars:
- Enhancing entrepreneurship and competitiveness (41%)
- Access to financing and funding tools (24%)
- Enhancing research and innovation (20%)
- Developing of the human capital (reskilling and specialized
training of staff (13%).
The rest of the budget will cover the technical assistance
needed for the program's implementation.
According to the Deputy Minister, the program will operate on a
“first come, first serve” basis. The invitations
– which are expected to be issued in early October –
will remain open until the funds concerned have been used up. The
first enterprise to apply will be the first to be evaluated
“with simplified and almost automated
criteria”.
