Infrastructure services – second call is in preparation

Is your company active in the field of innovation infrastructure? Do you own or operate a science and technology park, innovation centre or business incubator and would you like to receive funding to further develop your project? Are you a large enterprise investing in your own open research infrastructure?

The Infrastructure Services programme, whose second call is currently underway, is for you. The programme has undergone a makeover and now includes areas that used to fall under the popular Potential programme.

The total allocation for this call is CZK 2 billion. The aim of the call is to focus on improving innovation support infrastructure services in order to increase the intensity of joint research, development and innovation activities between businesses and the public and corporate sectors.

Research and innovation infrastructure includes organisations of the following types:

  • science and technology park
  • a research and innovation centre
  • technology and business incubator.

Activities supported by this programme:

(A) provision of services to innovative enterprises

The Research and Innovation Infrastructure will provide specialised consultancy services to incubated and other innovative SMEs, either through its own experts or through outsourcing, in particular in the areas of commercialisation of research results, IP protection, cooperation with R&D organisations, etc.

B) expanding the existing innovation infrastructure, acquiring new equipment and improving capacity for technology sharing.

The prerequisite is the demonstrated absorption capacity and demonstrated need of SMEs carrying out their own R&D&I activities or start-ups creating or piloting innovative products or services based on new technologies.

Applicant

  • small, medium-sized and large enterprises outside the territory of Prague
  • municipality
  • research and development organisations
  • research infrastructure operators

What can be subsidised

Activity A:

  • Personal costs of consultants and experts related to the provision of consultancy services to the final beneficiaries – innovative SMEs
  • purchase of external consultancy services
  • marketing and promotion (de minimis subsidy)
  • overheads

Activity B:

  • Acquisition of tangible fixed assets e.g. purchase of land, buildings, machinery and other equipment necessary to equip the innovation infrastructure, technical improvement of buildings
  • acquisition of intangible fixed assets (acquisition of patents, licences and know-how, software, etc.)
  • project documentation (de minimis)

Amount of subsidy

  • The amount of the subsidy is EUR 10-30 million. CZK 5 – 150 million for activity A (Provision of services to innovative SMEs)
  • and CZK 5 – 150 million for activity B (Provision of services to innovative SMEs) . CZK 5 million for Activity B (Expansion of premises and modernisation of open research and innovation infrastructure, including the acquisition of new equipment or the construction of new open infrastructure.
  • The aid rate is set at 75 % of eligible expenditure for Activity A 
  • and 25-50 % for Activity B , depending on the size of the enterprise and other factors.

Does your enterprise qualify for this scheme? Do you want to take advantage of this unique opportunity? Contact us and we will be happy to help you not only with obtaining funding.