Public call for the allocation of grants within the program to support the further development of MSMEs and entrepreneurs

The Development Agency of Serbia announced on 25.05.2016. year Public call for grants within the Program to support the further development of MSMEs and entrepreneurs in 2016 (hereinafter: Program).

This program is implemented by the Development Agency of Serbia (hereinafter: RAS) in cooperation with accredited regional development agencies.

The funds from the Program are intended for co-financing the costs of service providers for the following activities:

1. Regulation of business in accordance with the requirements of international business standards (implementation of standards or certification or recertification)

• implementation of standards in the field of quality, environmental protection, food safety and standards in the function of the development of the business entity;
• certification of the quality management system and standards in the function of the development of the business entity;
• recertification of the quality management system and standards in the function of the development of the business entity.

2. Preparation for obtaining the right to use the product mark ("CE" mark, eco-mark, FSC CoC, organic product mark,...)

• harmonization of the product with the requirements of the product mark.

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs who cumulatively meet the following conditions:

• that the predominant activity of economic entities is production, processing or providing services that can be subject to international trade. Fulfillment of this condition will be checked based on the activity code under which the business entity is registered in the APR. Exceptionally, in the event that the predominant code of the business entity refers to activities that are excluded by this program, and the business entity also performs production activities, it is necessary to provide an explanation from which it can be seen that the purpose of this program is in accordance with the nature of the additional activity that the business entity also performs, which is not excluded by this program. Based on this, the Commission for the evaluation and selection of grant requests will assess the fulfillment of this condition;
• that they are registered on the territory of the Republic of Serbia;
• that they were founded no later than May 25, 2014;
• that they have been operating successfully for the previous two years;
• that they have kept business books according to the double-entry bookkeeping system for the previous two years;
• that they have settled their obligations on the basis of taxes and contributions;
• that in the previous year and this year they did not use incentive funds from other state institutions and institutions of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina on the same basis.

The program consists of three components and the total funds available for the implementation of the Program amount to 70,000,000.00 dinars. Of that, the budget for:

1. Component I - Improving the business of micro, small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs, amounts to RSD 43,000,000.00;

2. Component II - Support for female entrepreneurship, amounts to RSD 15,000,000.00;

3. Component III - Support for micro, small and medium-sized companies and entrepreneurs in underdeveloped areas, amounts to RSD 12,000,000.00.

Within Component I all companies/entrepreneurs from the territory of the Republic of Serbia who meet the conditions for participation in the Program can apply for grants.

Within Component II for grants can only be applied for by female entrepreneurs, founders of entrepreneurial businesses, or business entities where women have majority ownership and at the same time perform a managerial function (director or deputy director).

Within Component III only entrepreneurs and companies whose headquarters are located in cities and municipalities that are, according to the Decree on establishing a unified list of development of the region, can apply for grants and local self-government units, classified in the third or fourth group, including devastated areas.

A business entity can submit only one request for grant allocation. For the selected activity, the business entity hires a professional service provider. Service providers cannot be natural persons, but only legal persons and registered entrepreneurs. A business entity may, exceptionally, hire a foreign service provider that does not have a representative office in the Republic of Serbia, if there is no service provider on the territory of the Republic of Serbia that can implement the activity in question.

Funds cannot be used for programs that are implemented in:

• · military and tobacco industry;
• · trade;
• · primary agriculture production;
• · the financial sector;
• · the sector of services that are not subject to international trade;
• · the organization of games of chance and lotteries.

Funds are allocated in the amount from 50,000.00 to 300,000.00 dinars. Based on the contract with the user of funds, RAS will refund the amount up to 50% of the total amount of justified project costs without VAT. The funds will be refunded to the business entity after the completion of the project and submission of reports and evidence of completed activities.

The program also finances activities that started in 2016 (conclusion of a contract with the service provider, contractual rights and obligations), and were not completed by the time the public call was published. The activities for which funds have been approved, as well as all payments related to the realization of the same by the business entity (user of the funds), must be completed by 31 January 2017. The deadline for submitting the report is 14. February 2017.

Applications with all accompanying forms and documentation, submit by 07/08/2016. by post or in person at the address :

Regional Agency for Development and European Integration Belgrade

Address: Toplicin venac 11/4, Belgrade

For any additional information and help with the preparation of documentation, you can contact the Regional Agency for Development and European Integration Belgrade.

The contact persons for this public call are: Ljiljana Markovic, phone 011/2186730, e-mail:ljiljana.markovic@rarei.rs, Olga Radulović, phone 011/2186 740, e-mail: olga.radulovic@rarei.rs, Miloš Milovanović, phone 011/2186 740, e-mail: milos.milovanovic@rarei.rs and Jelena Grbić, telephone 011/2186 740, e-mail: jelena.grbic@rarei.rs.

Supporting documentation:

Instructions for the further support program development

Form I - Application

Form II - Statement

Form III - Declaration on the granted state aid of small value

Form IV - Declaration