The Slovenian Enterprise Fund announces the third public call for financial incentives through vouchers – V3 – Voucher for certificates.

The Slovenian Enterprise Fund (hereinafter: the Fund), in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy, Tourism and Sport on 21 June 2024, published the Slovenian Official Gazette of the Ministry of the Economy, Tourism and Sport (hereinafter: the Official Gazette) in the Ur. L. RS No. 50/2024 and on the SPS website, published the public call V3 – Voucher for certificates.

This is the third call for small value voucher incentives this year, which companies can receive quickly and easily for a variety of business-related purposes.

Objective of the call for proposals:

To encourage micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (hereinafter referred to as SMEs) to obtain quality certificates for management systems, products, processes, services and to maintain/renew the certificates, thereby increasing their competitiveness, their ability to expand into foreign markets, and to improve the quality of their business or products, as well as to strengthen their credibility with customers and business partners.

Companies will thus be able to co-finance eligible costs relating to the acquisition of certificates or the maintenance/renewal of certificates for management systems, products, processes and services and the validation of environmental statements, obtained on the basis of international/European/equivalent Slovenian standards and schemes (ISO, IATF, IEC and ITU, EN, and ETSI, EMAS, ECOLABEL, IFS, BRC, FSC, PEFC, COSMOS).

The certificates under these schemes also cover some key areas for growth and development, such as digitalisation, the green transition, circular and sustainable economy.

Co-financing and funding levels under the call for proposals:

SMEs can quickly and easily obtain up to a maximum of 60 % co-financing of eligible costs, or a minimum of EUR 1,000.00 and a maximum of EUR 9,999.99 in grants. A total of EUR 3.0 million will be available under the call until 2028.

Eligible costs:

• Cost of preparation for certification (outsourced costs);

• Cost of buying a standard;

• Costs for the first acquisition, maintenance and renewal of certificates for management systems, products, processes, services and validation of the environmental statement, obtained on the basis of international/European/equivalent Slovenian standards and schemes (ISO, IATF, IEC and ITU, EN, and ETSI, EMAS, ECOLABEL, IFS, BRC, FSC, PEFC, COSMOS).

VAT is not an eligible cost.

Co-financing is only eligible for certificates obtained for the first time after 1 January 2024.

SMEs can claim costs incurred between 1.1.2024 and 30.9.2028.

To be eligible for co-financing, activities must be implemented and paid for within the eligibility period set out in the co-financing agreement. The beneficiary must have carried out all the activities by the time the payment request is submitted.

Certification (obtaining, maintaining and renewing a certificate) is a procedure carried out by an accredited or notified certification body. The accreditation of certification bodies is carried out in two ways:

• the certification body must be accredited or notified by any of the national accreditation organisations that are signatories to the multilateral agreement on European accreditation;

• the certification body must be recognised by the standard holder or scheme owner;

• The requirements for establishing, verifying, validating and registering an EMAS environmental management system are set out in EC Regulation 1221/2009.

The call is open to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperatives

• established in the Republic of Slovenia,

• who, as legal or natural persons, are engaged in an economic activity,

• organised as companies, sole traders or cooperatives,

• who have at least 1 employee on the date of application,

• not in difficulty (financial obligations settled, not in receivership, bankruptcy proceedings, etc.).

Specific conditions for obtaining co-financing

• When selecting an external contractor, the SME must act economically and obtain the service at market price.

• The selected certification body cannot also be the external contractor for the preparation for certification.

• The certificate must be valid at the time the eligible costs are claimed.

• The certificate must be issued by the date of submission of the payment request.

• SMEs can apply for this call for proposals several times a year. SMEs must submit a separate application for each certificate.

Link: https://www.podjetniskisklad.si/v3-vavcer-za-pridobitev…/

For more information you can also contact us via e-mail: [email protected]