Filenews 15 February 2023
Call for proposals in the framework of the €10 million Digital Business Upgrade Plan. the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry announced on Wednesday.
As mentioned, the Plan is included in the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan for the period 2021-2026 and will be financed by the Recovery and Resilience Facility of the European Union, with the total amount to be allocated to the needs of the Plan, which is implemented under Measure C3.3I4 of the NRRP, during its implementation period amounting to €10 million.
According to the Ministry, the Plan aims to encourage investments in digital entrepreneurship and to enhance the degree of integration of digital technology in businesses, thus contributing to the strategic objectives of the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan to enhance and accelerate the digital transition of the Cyprus economy.
It is noted that eligible to participate in the Scheme are existing small and medium-sized enterprises that will implement expenses in the category of digital upgrade (including e-commerce), as well as new small and medium-sized enterprises whose investment proposal necessarily includes e-commerce / store and / or application of advanced digital technologies.
It is added that businesses should be established or should be established in Cyprus, except in areas where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control due to the Turkish invasion.
It is added that the intensity of the sponsorship amounts to 50% of the eligible budget of the proposal with a maximum sponsorship amount of €50,000 and can cover expenses for equipment required for the digital upgrade, software "off the shelf", specialized software, systems, programs and IT services, as well as other digital upgrade costs that are not directly related to IT systems.
It is also noted that in the case of businesses that are or will be established in mountainous and disadvantaged areas, the intensity of the grant amounts to 60% of the eligible budget of the proposal with a maximum grant amount of €60,000.
Those interested can obtain from the website of the Industry & Technology Service (www.meci.gov.cy/sit) the Project Guide, which states all the details, as well as all the other necessary documents which are urged to study carefully, the announcement continues.
It is also clarified that applications will be accepted for a total amount of up to €14 million, but in any case the approvals will not exceed the available budget, with the order of priority being determined based on the order of submission of proposals (immediate evaluation).
The period for the submission of proposals will begin on March 7, 2023 at 09:00 a.m. and applications will be accepted through the electronic System of Sponsorship Schemes of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs until March 31, 2023 at 23:59 p.m. or until the amount of €14 million is exhausted, the Ministry states, emphasizing also that a company that has submitted an application under the 1st Announcement of the Digital Business Upgrade Plan (November 2022) will not be able to submit an application under this 2nd Notice, unless the application has been withdrawn or rejected before the date of submission of the new one.
Finally, it is noted that applications / proposals and the relevant required supporting documents should be submitted only electronically through http://fundingapps.mcit.gov.cy website, using Chrome, Firefox and Edge browsers, while interested parties are encouraged to apply only when their investment proposals are mature and hold all the necessary supporting documents.
For more information, those interested can contact the competent Officers at 22867282, 22867284, 22837236, 22867121, 22867149, 22867151, 22867247, the announcement concludes
