Infrastructure Services – second call now open

Is your business active in the field of innovation infrastructure? Do you own or operate a science and technology park, innovation center, or business incubator, and would you like to obtain funding for the further development of your project? Are you a large enterprise that invests in its own open research infrastructure?

The Infrastructure Services program, whose second call has just been announced, is designed for you. The program has been modified and now includes areas that were previously part of the popular Potential program.

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

Research and innovation infrastructure includes organizations such as:

  • science and technology parks
  • research and innovation centers
  • technology and business incubators.

Supported activities under this program:

A) Provision of services to innovative enterprises

Research and innovation infrastructure will provide incubated and other innovative small and medium-sized enterprises with specialized consulting services, in particular in the areas of commercialization of research results, IP protection, cooperation with research organizations, and others, through its own experts or by brokering external services.

B) expansion of existing innovation infrastructure, acquisition of new equipment, and improvement of capacities for the shared use of technologies.

A prerequisite is proof of absorption capacity and demonstrated need of SMEs carrying out their own research, development, and innovation activities, or start-up companies that create innovative products or services based on new technologies or pilot them.

Applicants

  • small, medium-sized and large enterprises outside Prague
  • municipalities
  • research and development organizations
  • research infrastructure operators

What can the grant be used for

Activity A:

  • personal costs of consultants and experts associated with the provision of consulting services to final beneficiaries – innovative small and medium-sized enterprises
  • purchase of external consulting services
  • marketing and promotion (grant support under the de minimis regime)
  • overhead costs

Activity B:

  • acquisition of long-term tangible assets, e.g., purchase of land, buildings, machinery, and other equipment necessary for innovation infrastructure, technical improvement of buildings
  • acquisition of long-term intangible assets (acquisition of patents, licenses, and know-how, software, etc.)
  • project documentation (under the de minimis regime)

Amount of subsidy

  • The amount of the subsidy is CZK 10–30 million for activity A (Provision of services to innovative small and medium-sized enterprises) and CZK 5–150 million for activity B (expansion of premises and modernization of open research and innovation infrastructure, including the acquisition of new equipment or the construction of new open infrastructure.
  • The aid intensity 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 company meet the conditions of this program? Would you like to take advantage of this unique opportunity? Contact us and we will be happy to help you not only with obtaining financing.