Digitization of SMEs in the North-West Development Region 

Advisory guide – 29.03.2023

Main objective
The digital transformation of SMEs in the North-West region

The type of call
Competitive with deadline submission

The allocated budget
16,764,706 euros

Eligible beneficiaries
SMEs, established no later than January 3, 2022, registered in the North West Region

Non-refundable financial aid
In this call for projects, de minimis aid is granted

• Minimum non-refundable amount: 10,000 euros
• Maximum non-refundable amount: 100,000 euros

The funding percentage
Financing rate of maximum 90% from the value of eligible expenses

Eligibility criteria

• The applicant falls into the SME category, i.e. a small, medium or micro-enterprise
• The applicant has carried out activity for a corresponding period of at least one fiscal year and has recorded an operating profit in the fiscal year prior to the submission of the funding application and has not had the activity suspended at any time in the year of submission of the funding application
• The applicant company must have been established no later than January 3, 2022
• The activity/process digitization solution is related to an authorized CAEN code of the applicant at the main or secondary headquarters identified as the place of project implementation - attached to the project submission
• Co-financing from the applicant is at least 10% of the amount of eligible expenses. This is provided from own sources. The applicant undertakes to bear from his own sources also the ineligible expenses provided for in the conditions of this call for projects
• The applicant and/or his legal representative are not in difficulty/bankruptcy/insolvency
• The applicant has rights over the building, object of the project
• The place of implementation of the project must be in the North West Development Region

Implementation of at least 7 out of 12 digital intensity criteria

1. Internet access for at least 50% of employees using computers for business purposes (a different user for each employee using the computer)
2. Contracts concluded with IT specialists,
3. High-speed Internet access (at least 30 Mbps)
4. Purchase of mobile internet devices for at least 20% of employees,
5. Number of web pages without complex functions
6. A website with sophisticated features
7. Number of social media platforms used
8. Number of solutions for online paid advertising
9. Purchasing mid-range cloud computing services
10. Number of electronic invoicing systems suitable for automatic processing
11. Realization of sales through electronic commerce that represents at least 1% of the total turnover)
12. Making sales through business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce that represents at least 10% of the total e-commerce volume.

 Type of investment:

• Tangible and intangible assets
• Digitization services

• ICT hardware and other related devices and equipment
• Procurement of automation and robotics equipment for technological flows, integrated with digital solutions
• Realization of the LAN network necessary for the implementation of the project
• Acquisition and/or development and/or adaptation of software applications/licenses required for project implementation, database configuration and implementation, migration and integration of various existing data structures, including RPA software automation solutions, respectively Robotic Process Automation
• Acquisitions of artificial intelligence systems, machine learning, augmented reality, virtual reality
• Presentation website of the company
• Services for converting archives from analogue/folders/paper to indexable digital
• Specific computer applications for people with disabilities
• IT solutions for e-commerce
• Cyber security enhancement services applicable to software/hosting/networks
• Consultancy/analysis to identify technical digitalization solutions needed by SMEs, etc.

 To remember!

The deadline for the implementation of the minimum 7 digital intensity criteria is the end of the fiscal year following the one in which the implementation of the project was completed.

The investment proposed by the project must target only one CAEN class.

The domain for which the activity/process digitization solution is proposed must be declared and authorized separately at the project implementation site.