EU Funds
The 2014–2020 programming period provides the opportunity to draw financial aid from European Structural and Investment Funds via several operational programmes. Allocated funds are intended, inter alia, for research and innovations (EUR 2.2 billion), improvement of the quality of the environment (EUR 3.1 billion), and HR development (EUR 2.2 billion). Funding can be requested via projects submitted under the currently announced calls. Individual calls define the supported areas and the basic requirements for the allocation of funds.
Are you planning to implement an R&D or a product and process innovation project at your company and are seeking a public subsidy? Are you engaged in areas related to the automotive industry, manufacturing or the processing of metal, plastics, rubber or other products? Or are you interested in ICT or the creative industry and would like to learn more about it?
Our team will be pleased to provide you with detailed information and can also assess your project’s eligibility based on the specific open call criteria.
Currently, several calls from the Research and Innovations Operational Programme have been announced, seeking solutions in various areas which apply smart innovations in industry or the origination and activities of innovation platforms. In research and innovations, funds have also been designated for technological development and the increase of competitiveness of SMEs, and for financing R&D and innovation capacities in industry or services provided by large enterprises. The goal of these calls is to promote cooperation between the business sector and scientific and research institutions, thus contributing to the formation of partnerships when applying R&D outputs to manufacturing processes based on actual needs. Most current calls are valid for all Slovak regions, with the exception of the Bratislava region, for which calls with specific terms and conditions apply.
Under the call to support an increase in the quality and efficiency of manufacturing and technological processes by increasing the technological and innovation level at companies, projects in a total amount of EUR 383 million have been contracted, with grants totalling up to EUR 173 million. Each project can receive a subsidy of up to EUR 5 million.
Are you considering implementing measures aimed at increasing energy effectiveness and using energy from renewable energy sources in your business? Have you received the results of an energy audit and want to take action? Do you handle waste and are interested in recycling and applying circular economy principles and increasing the recycling percentage? Would you like to install and upgrade devices reducing pollutant emissions from your plant?
All of these activities and many others can be supported by a grant from EU funds.
Almost EUR 940 million in total has been earmarked by the Slovak Innovation and Energy Agency for funding projects and measures to assist the transition to a low-carbon economy by the use of renewable energy sources and improved energy effectiveness. Currently, projects for the construction of equipment for the production of biomethane, biogas, and gas at wastewater treatment facilities, for utilizing water and geothermal energy, and for implementing measures to reduce energy consumption and increase the use of renewable energy sources in production plants can be submitted. Other calls are being prepared in other areas, i.e. building more efficient systems for centralized heat supplies by combining heat and power generation (cogeneration).
Do you need to improve the professional qualifications of your employees, develop their ICT technical skills and competencies due to changed conditions in the production process or new market demands? Are you considering a project in which an employee acquires targeted working skills according to the employer’s needs for specific jobs and professions? Do you want your employees to extend their acquired theoretical knowledge, experience, and procedures practically from working in your plant?
Under the currently open call for projects in the Human Resources Operational Programme, EUR 10 million is available for training courses and practical professional training of employees or job applicants for your firm with competencies and technical skills in line with your needs.
“The Innovation Union Scoreboard rates the performance of Slovakia together with those of the Czech Republic, Hungary etc. as "moderate innovators", which is below that of the EU average. Inadequate enterprise expenditures on R&D are among the lowest in the OECD.”
