Overview
This incentive scheme aims to operationalise support for small-scale investment operations focused on the creation of micro and small enterprises,It also covers projects aligned with territorial strategies and place-based approaches, contributing to employment creation and to the modernisation and resilience of local economies.
Beneficiaries
Application Modality
Applicable Legislation
Eligible Expenditure
The following expenses are considered eligible, provided they are directly related to the implementation of the operation:
- Tangible assets, including the acquisition of machinery and equipment, costs directly attributable to placing them in the required location and operating conditions, as well as IT equipment, including the software necessary for its operation;
- Intangible assets, including technology transfer through the acquisition of national and international patent rights, licences, non-patented technical knowledge, and standard software or software developed for a specific purpose;
- Studies, diagnostics, audits, marketing plans, and architectural and engineering services related to and essential for the implementation of the investment project, subject to proportionality limits to be defined in the relevant call for applications;
- Costs incurred through participation in international trade fairs and exhibitions, including space rental, stand construction and operation;
- Specialised consultancy services provided by external consultants, provided that such services are not continuous or periodic in nature and are not related to the normal operation of the beneficiary’s activity, including costs associated with certified accountants or statutory auditors for the validation of expenditure in payment requests;
- Costs associated with the certification of products, processes or services, as well as costs related to the design and registration of new brands;
- Indirect costs, calculated in accordance with the methodology to be defined in the relevant call for applications.
Nature, Form and Aid Intensity
Support under this intervention takes the form of grants, awarded on the basis of actual costs and/or simplified cost options (SCOs), as defined in the relevant call for applications.
The funding rate applicable to eligible expenditure is determined through the application of a base rate, as follows:
– Up to 65% for territories covered by Territorial Plans for a Just Transition (PTTJ);
– Up to 60% for investments located in low-density territories or territories affected by natural disasters;
– Up to 50% for investments located in other territories, under the terms to be defined in the relevant call for applications.
The base rates may be increased through the following uplifts:
- Vulnerable Territories Uplift: up to 10 percentage points for the sub-regions of Alto Alentejo, Beiras and Serra da Estrela, in accordance with the Regional Aid Map 2022–2027 approved by the European Commission;
- Regional Priorities Uplift: up to 10 percentage points, under the terms to be defined in the relevant call for applications.