VAPRO

According to the last published calendar, AMPOCU will launch in February a new financing line – “Innovation through training”, within which LARGE companies can reimburse their investment in professional training programs for employees, especially the directly productive ones.

The call is dedicated to human resource development through:

• professional training programs (qualification/ specializations /short term programs / informal courses); minimum 60% of the courses should be for qualification (level 2-4);
• learning and development planning;
• evaluation / validation and certification of the competencies previously acquired;
• development of an own training system at employer level – learning at workplace;

How long does it take to implement a project?

• maximum 18 months;

What is the maximum value of the project?

• 500.000 euro of which the percentage of non-reimbursable financing is 50-95% depending on specific activities.

Who can apply?

• Large enterprises with activity in priority sectors: tourism / ecotourism, textiles / leather, wood / furniture, auto and components, IT and communications, food / beverage processing, energy / environment, health / pharmaceutics, bio economy / bio pharmaceutics / bio technology, creative industries.

Which employees can be involved in the project (target group)?

• Employees seeking the development of their knowledge, competencies and aptitudes levels or who seek the certification / validation of the competencies, especially in the priority economic sectors;
• Employees with present / future activities in the priority economic sectors.

Minimum target group: 50 persons

Draft guidelines can be downloaded here.

According to the latest calendar of the calls within the Human Capital Operational Program, published by the Ministry, a series of interesting calls for the private sector will be launched by June 30, 2018.

The calendar contains information about: the launch of the draft guidelines, the launch of the call and allocation for each call.

The estimative launch dates for the main funding lines dedicated to private beneficiaries are:

February 2018:

• Axes 1 & 2 – Entrepreneurship projects for young NEETs;
• 3.12 – Training for own direct productive employees (for large companies);
• 3.12 – Training for directly productive employees from SMEs and large companies (for training providers);
• 4.16 – Social economy enterprises;
• 6.3 & 6.5 & 6.6 – Measures for pupils to reduce the early school leaving phenomenon, training of teaching staff in pre-university education, including the development of educational offers;
• 6.4 & 6.6 – Second chance and professional training programs;

March 2018:

• 4.4 – Integrated measures for people belonging to vulnerable groups;
• 4.12 – Measures to reduce the number of institutionalized children and young people;
• 4.13 – Measures to prepare institutionalized young people for an independent life;
• 6.12 – Providing adult vocational training programs;

The calendar has been published by the Ministry here.

The Ministry of European Funds launched under public consultation the Applicant Guidelines – Specific Conditions: “SOLIDAR START-UP”, related to the Specific Objective 4.16 within POCU 2014-2020.

The projects aim at setting up social enterprises, including social insertion companies, to integrate people from vulnerable groups into the workforce and combating poverty.

The project beneficiary shall ensure to the target group:

• Entrepreneurship education courses;
• Advice on implementing the business plan;
• A mentoring and business development program;
• A micro-grant within 40.000-100.000 euro/business plan;

Maximum project value: 3.000.000 euro.

Eligible applicants/partners:

• Social economy entities;
• Accredited public and private training providers;
• Authorized public and private employment services providers;
• Social services providers;
• Trade unions and employers;
• Professional Associations; NGOs;

Target group:

• Individuals who intend to establish a social enterprise;
• Individuals from newly established social enterprises (staff, members, volunteers, beneficiaries of services provided by social economy entities).

The guideline is under public consultation until 20^th of December, 2017. More information here.

AM POR launched a new type of financing under the Regional Operational Program: 2.1B “Business Incubators”. The submission of the projects will be opened for 3 months, in the period: 05.02.2018 – 07.05.2018.

Total call allocation: 117,65 mil. euro.

Eligible applicants:

• Founders of business incubators (local public authority, territorial administrative unit, research & development centers/institutes, Chambers of Commerce, companies,
  associations / foundations, employers / unions) or
• Partnerships between business incubators founders.

Value of no reimbursable grant: min. 200.000 euro – max. 7 mil. euro.

Financing percentage:

• For regional aid component: up to 70% (depends on the dimension of the applicant and location of investment);
• For minimis aid component: up to 90% and within the minimis ceiling.
  The minimis component can not exceed 50% of the total eligible costs.

Types of eligible investments:

Investments financed through the regional state aid:

• Creation of sectoral business incubators by building the related spaces and equipping them with tangible and intangible assets. It is also eligible to rehabilitate / reconvert an existing unused building and equip it with the purpose of creating a business incubator;
• Equipping business incubators with tangible assets, intangible assets;

Investments financed through the minimis aid:

• Development of services provided within the business incubators.

For more details from the Applicant Guideline you can find here.

The Ministry issued a communication cancelling the call “Professional Romania – Competitive Enterprises” and its re-launch on 7 December 2017, with a deadline for submitting applications for funding until 28 February 2018.

We remind you the main conditions:

The tender is dedicated to the improvement of LARGE enterprises’ management and human resources management through: training, coaching, seminars, workshops, conferences, lectures, long-term strategic planning etc

How long does the project take?

• maximum 12 months;

Which is the maximum budget of a project?

• 150.000 euro, the non-reimbursable grant is between 50% and 95%, depending on the activities.

Who can apply?
 
Employers (large enterprises) :

• from economically competitive sectors identified by Romania’s National Competitive Strategy: tourism/ ecotourism, textiles/ leather, wood/ furniture, automotive and components for automotive, IT and communications, beverage/ food processing, energy/ environment, health/ pharmaceutical, bio-economics/ bio-pharmaceuticals/ bio-technologies or
• intending to adapt their activity to above-mentioned economic sectors / intelligence areas.

What employees can be targeted by the project?

• management&leadership positions;
• human resources departments staff;

What’s the minimum target group?

• 50 persons;

For more information click here.

Today, November, 15, 2017 has been launched the financing scheme: “Proiect Tehnologic Inovativ” (POC 1.2.1) for private companies.

The call for projects will be opened for 3 months, until February, 15, 2018.

This action aims to fund projects that develop new or substantially improved products and/or processes or technologies, developed through research activities for the purpose of production and commercialization. The call has a total allocation of 286 million lei (about 64 million euro).

Eligible applicants:

• large enterprises and SMEs, with R&D activity, but not as main activity.
• The R&D component can be implemented individually by the applicant only or in a partnership with one or two research organizations.

Value of grant: up to 22.500.000 lei (aprox 5 mil euro);

Financing percentage:

• For companies, variable percentage, between 10%-80% (depends on the type of activities included in the project, the dimension of the applicant and location if investment).
• The activities performed by the research institutions are financed with up to 100% of the eligible costs

 Types of eligible activities:

• industrial research;
• experimental development;
• preparatory feasibility studies for R&D activities;
• innovation activities for obtaining, validating and protecting patents, and other intangible assets;
• other innovative activities: high skilled personnel detachment, acquisition of innovation consultancy services, acquisition of innovation support services;
• initial investments for innovation for introducing in production of R&D results.

For more information please click here.

The Ministry of European Funds will launch on November 15, 2017 two financing lines dedicated to  the improvement of young people’s situation from NEETs (“Not in Education, Employment or Training”) category:

• “Future for youngsters I”– Centre, South-Muntenia, South-East regions;
• “Future for youngsters II”– Bucharest-Ilfov, North-East, North-West, West, South-West Oltenia regions;

Eligible activities:

• Personalized training;
• Evaluation and certification for the recognition of the skills gained in informal and non-formal context;
• Specialized services to stimulate employment – labor mediation;
• Support activities: accompaniment, promotion and animation;

Project duration: maximum 10 months.

Maximum project value:

• 1.000.000 euro, with a contribution from the beneficiaries of: 0%/2%/5%/8%, according with the organization type.

Eligible applicants/partners:

• Employers;
• Training providers; Providers of occupation/evaluation and certification of competences;
• Employers organizations/Trade unions;
• NGOs; Youth organizations
• Social inclusion enterprises;
• Chamber of commerce and industry;

Target group:

• NEETs youngsters, aged between 16-24 years, registered and profiled by the Public Employment Service (ANOFM/AJOFM) who are resident or established in the eligible regions.

Compulsory target group: min. 250 persons.

For more information you can consult the final Guidelines here.

An updated version of the estimated calendar of the calls within the Human Capital Operational Program has been published.

The calendar contains information about: the launch of the draft guidelines, the launch of the call and allocation for each call by June 30, 2018.

The launch dates for the main funding lines dedicated to private beneficiaries are:

November 2017:

• 3.1 & 3.6 – Employment and training projects for disadvantaged people: unemployed, rural, Roma;

December 2017:

• 3.9 – Outplacement measures projects for workers from “firms in difficulty”;
• 6.7 & 6.9 & 6.10 – Measures to increase participation in higher education and non-university education & improve the competencies of teaching staff & diversification of educational offers in university tertiary education and non-university.

Trim I 2018:

• 3.12 – Training for own direct productive employees (for large companies);
• 3.12 – Training for directly productive employees from SMEs and large companies (for training providers);
• Axes 1 & 2 – Entrepreneurship projects for young NEETs;
• 4.4 – Integrated measures for people belonging to vulnerable groups;
• 4.12 – Measures to reduce the number of institutionalized children and young people;
• 4.13 – Measures to prepare institutionalized young people for an independent life;
• 4.16 – Social economy enterprises;
• 6.3 & 6.5 & 6.6 – Measures for pupils to reduce the early school leaving phenomenon, training of teaching staff in pre-university education, including the development of educational offers;
• 6.4 & 6.6 – Second chance and professional training programs;
• 6.12 – Providing adult vocational training programs;
• 6.13 – Internship programs for students and doctoral programs;

The calendar has been published by the Ministry here.
For more information about the financing lines for private beneficiaries, access our synthesis here.

On October 18^th, 2017, the final guide for the financing scheme: “Proiect Tehnologic Inovativ” (POC 1.2.1) for private companies was published. This line will be launched within 5 working days of the publication of the approval order of the guideline.

This action aims to fund projects that develop new or substantially improved products and/or processes or technologies, developed through research activities for the purpose of production and commercialization. The call has a total allocation of 286 million lei (about 64 million euro).

Eligible applicants:

• large enterprises and SMEs, with R&D activity, but not as main activity.
• The R&D component can be implemented individually by the applicant only or in a partnership with one or two research organizations.

Value of grant: up to 22.500.000 lei (aprox 5 mil euro);

Financing percentage:

• For companies, variable percentage, between 10%-80% (depends on the type of activities included in the project, the dimension of the applicant and location if investment).
• The activities performed by the research institutions are financed with up to 100% of the eligible costs

 Types of eligible activities:

• industrial research;
• experimental development;
• preparatory feasibility studies for R&D activities;
• innovation activities for obtaining, validating and protecting patents, and other intangible assets;
• other innovative activities: high skilled personnel detachment, acquisition of innovation consultancy services, acquisition of innovation support services;
• initial investments for innovation for introducing in production of R&D results.

For more information please click here.