SME demonstration projects (proof-of-concept)

The call for projects finances demonstration projects of SMEs (proof-of-concept) in order to develop and adopt advanced technologies. Research-development-innovation activities, the endowment with tangible and intangible assets necessary for the project are supported.

Eligible beneficiaries

Eligible beneficiaries are commercial companies that fall into the SME category, with their registered office in the North-East region.

Co-financing

The minimum value of non-reimbursable financing is 50,000 euros.
The maximum value of the non-reimbursable financing is 200,000 euros.

*with respect for the de minimis ceiling (300,000 euros), taking into account the cumulation rule applicable to the single enterprise.

The co-financing percentage from applicants is at least 10%, provided that it falls within the maximum value of de minimis aid.

Eligibility conditions

The financing applicant must be a commercial company that falls into the SME category (micro, small, medium-sized enterprises), registered under Law No. 31/1990 on companies, republished, with subsequent additions and amendments, with its registered office in the North-East region.
In the event that, upon submitting the funding application, the applicant does not have its registered office in the North-East Region, the applicant will undertake (through the Single Declaration) to register, by the time of the first payment of the aid, the registered office in the North-East Region.
The applicant and his/her legal representative do not fall under the exclusion situations presented in the Single Declaration (Annex 2).
The applicant has carried out activity for a period corresponding to at least one full fiscal year, has not had its activity temporarily suspended at any time in the current year of submission of the funding application and in the previous fiscal year, and has recorded operating profit (>0 lei) in the last completed fiscal year for which there are approved financial statements.
The applicant holds ownership or use rights over the property/properties and other necessary movable and/or immovable property, as the case may be, that are the subject of the project:
- private property rights,
- concession right,
- surface right,
- the right of usufruct,
- consumer loan (commodat),
- rental/lease right.
The applicant ensures its own contribution to the amount of eligible expenses of at least 10% and the coverage of ineligible expenses of the project, the resources and financial mechanisms necessary for the optimal implementation of the project, as well as those for its proper functioning during the sustainability period.
The project and its activities target at least one of the smart specialization areas of the North-East Region
- The eligible activity domain(s) (CAEN class(es)) targeted by the investment must be associated with a smart specialization domain and subdomain of the North-East Region.

Eligible expenses

Eligible expenses are divided by activities as follows:

For the research-development-innovation activity carried out by the project team in order to carry out TRL 4 and/or TRL 5 activities:
- salary expenses
For the activity of providing tangible assets for RDI (including their installation, if applicable), of the nature of fixed assets, strictly necessary to achieve the project objectives:
- Expenses for the purchase (including their installation, if applicable) of tangible assets for research and development, of the nature of fixed assets, are eligible: the purchase of technological equipment, furniture, office equipment, systems for protecting human and material values, work facilities, IT equipment, etc.
- It will include fixed assets found in:
  - Subgroup 2.1. "Technological equipment (machines, equipment and work installations)",
  - Subgroup 2.2. "Measurement, control and regulation devices and installations",
  - Class 2.3.6. "Transport and lifting equipment and installations", or
  - Group 3 "Furniture, office equipment, systems for protecting human and material values and other tangible assets"
For the activity of providing intangible assets for RDI, strictly necessary to achieve the project objectives
- Expenditures for the acquisition of intangible assets, such as: technical knowledge, patents, user rights, licenses, trademarks, computer programs, other rights and similar assets, strictly necessary to achieve the project objectives, are eligible.
For the contractual RDI Services activity:
- expenses for obtaining, validating and protecting patents and other intangible assets
- expenses for services for carrying out project activities
  - implementing the work plan consisting of carrying out all the activities/stages that the company will go through in order to implement the project and achieve the related deliverables;
  - developing and testing the conceptual model for products/services/processes;
  - technology transfer and technology validation (e.g. experiments, testing, simulations, trials, modeling, analysis)
  - consultancy for activities related to the development of the conceptual model and the implementation of technological solutions
  - developing technical (feasibility) studies preparatory to the conceptual model development activities
  - drafting/reviewing technical documentation related to the development of the conceptual model;
  - exploitation of the research result
Indirect eligible expenses in a percentage of maximum 7%:
- information and publicity activities (mandatory)
- consumables, inventory items
- trips, secondments
- fairs, exhibitions, conferences, participation fees
- application preparation - funding request and project management.
- And so on

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