Calls for proposals

Expired

Call for Business Skill Strengthening under the 2014-2021 Norway Grants Programme ‘Business Development, Innovation and SMEs’


 
1. General information
1.1. Name of the Call The Call for Proposals for Business Development Support under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 programme “Business Development, Innovation and SMEs”
1.2. Call number LT07-1-EIM-K03
1.3. Objective of the Call To increase competitiveness of Lithuanian enterprises in green industry innovation and ICT areas by granting funding for entities aiming at strengthening business skills and fostering grow-oriented business
1.4. Legal framework  1.4.1. Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme 2014-2021  “Business Development, Innovation and SMEs” Call for Proposals for Business Development Support (hereafter – the Call), approved by the Order of Director of the Agency of Science, Innovation and Technology of 23 February 2022 Order No. 2V-47; (Annex 1, Annex 2, Annex 3, Annex 4, Annex 6)
1.4.2. Regulation on the implementation of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021; 
1.4.3. Memorandum of Understanding on the implementation of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 between the Republic of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Norway;
1.4.4. Programme Agreement signed between the NFMA and The Investment Department of the Ministry of Finance for the financing of the Programme “Business Development, Innovation and SMEs” on 27 September 2019;
1.4.5. Guidelines adopted by the NFMA in accordance with the Regulation;
1.4.6. Rules on Administration and Financing of European Economic Area and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms 2014-2021,  approved by the Order on implementation of 2014-2021 European Economic Area and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms in Lithuania of Minister of Finance of the Republic of Lithuania by 12 November 2018 Order No. 1K-389 (LT);
1.4.7. Commission Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid, with the last amendment – Commission Regulation (EU) 2020/972 of 2 July 2020.
2. Requirements for applicants
2.1. Eligible applicants 2.1.1. Eligible applicants* – SMEs and large enterprises with no more than 25 % public ownership and commercial, non-commercial or no-profit organisations, including business associations and clusters, established as legal persons in Lithuania.
2.1.2. Eligible partner* – any public or private legal entity, private non-commercial or non-governmental organization, established in Lithuania or Norway.
* To address the focus areas of the Programme, i.e. green industry innovation and ICT, applicants and partners must operate within the focus area of the Programme, i.e. an Applicant and partner develops and (or) commercializes green or ICT innovative products or an Applicant and partner is an entity that unites entities 50% out of which develop green or ICT innovative products, or Applicant intends to expand his activity with the aim to develop and (or) commercialize green or ICT innovative products or an Applicant intends to shift towards greener production processes or modernize production (manufacturing) with the help of automation / digitalization.
NOTE. Partnership is not compulsory, which means that projects can be implemented without any partners. Nevertheless, bilateral projects are highly encouraged, and projects implemented together with a partner(s) from Norway will score additional points during assessment of an application.   
 
3. Requirement for projects
3.1. Eligible activities 3.1.1. The Call will support trainings for developing / strengthening business skills** in areas of green industry innovation and / or circular economy and / or ICT.
 For example, trainings related to expanding business activities, developing marketing strategies and boosting sales, harnessing employees’ potential to innovate, development and application of growth-oriented business strategies, etc. Trainings may also take form of study visits. For example, a visit of a Lithuanian company to a Norwegian counterpart to learn about successfully applied business management / marketing / sales / product development strategies, etc. Trainings may as well take a form of coaching or mentoring. For example, coaching on transforming business activities by digitalizing them or “going green”, which as a result will contribute to increased competitiveness of an entity. 

**Please consider subparagraph 12.1 of the Call to learn which types of training are not considered as trainings related to developing business skills under this Call.
 
3.2. Duration of  project activities  Implementation of a project shall not start earlier than the date on which MITA decides to award a grant to a project. If project activities are commenced to be implemented before a day on which MITA makes a decision to grant funding to a project, the whole project becomes ineligible for funding and no funding shall be allocated for it. The final date of implementation of project activities (final date for eligible expenditure) shall not be later than 30 April 2024.
3.3. Other requirements 3.3.1. All projects shall contribute to the  Programme output indicator – Number of professional staff trained.
3.3.2. All projects involving Donor State Partners shall contribute to the bilateral outcome of the Programme – Enhanced collaboration between beneficiary and donor state entities involved in the programme.
3.3.3. Project activities shall be implemented within the territory of Lithuania or Norway.
3.3.4.  A duration of a project shall not be longer than 6 months from the date a project contract is signed. 
3.3.5. All projects shall be drafted in accordance with the principles of good governance (the possibilities of socially or otherwise isolated or differentiated groups of the society to enjoy the same rights), sustainable development (alignment of the objectives of economic and social development and environmental protection, having regard to the multiple interdependence and foreseen consequences of the implementation) and gender equality (assurance of equal opportunities for women and men and elimination of any discrimination on the basis of ethnic or racial dependence, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or belief). The impact of the project on these principles may not be negative. 
3.3.6. A project and project activities shall not be previously or presently funded and, upon the allocation of the funding, submitted for funding under any other programmes financed from the State or municipality budget, the European Union or any other international assistance if this results in the eligible expenditure of the project or any part thereof being funded several times, including de minimis aid.
4. Eligible expenditure and requirements for funding
4.1. Eligible expenditure  4.1.1. Costs are eligible in accordance with Chapter 8 of the Regulation on the Implementation of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021. 
4.1.2. For more detailed information see Article 3 of Chapter 4 of the Call.
4.2. Types of eligible expenditure 4.2.1. equipment (tangible and intangible assets);
4.2.2. goods (current assets) and services
4.2.3. travel and subsistence allowances;
4.2.4. the cost of staff assigned to the project; 
4.2.5. indirect costs.
4.3. The maximum amount of eligible direct expenditure, according to project activities The maximum aid intensity for a project may not exceed 80% of all eligible expenditure.
4.4. Eligible indirect costs Indirect costs are all eligible costs that cannot be identified by the project promoter and / or the project partner as being directly attributed to the project but which can be identified and justified by its accounting system as being incurred in direct relationship with the eligible direct costs attributed to the project. Indirect costs can be identified following one of the methods described in the paragraph 7.3 of the Table 2 of the Call.
4.5. Maximum amount of grant assistance The maximum grant amount for a project € 10 000.
4.6. Form of funding The funding under the Call is available in the form of a non-repayable grant.
4.7. The total available funding amount under the Call The total available amount of funding for projects under the Call is € 500 000.
5. Submission of applications and selection of projects
5.1. Deadline for submission of applications 29 April 2022, 12:00 
5.2. Submission of applications Applications, together with mandatory supplementary documents, are filled in and submitted via an electronic data exchange portal for 2014-2021 European Economic Area and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms – DMS
5.3. Mandatory documents to be submitted with an application 5.3.1. Mandatory documents***:
5.3.1.1. documents supporting validity of a project budget (for example, commercial offers, links to market prices, etc.);
5.3.1.2. documents supporting capacity of an Applicant and (or) a partner to cover their financial contribution to a project and ineligible expenses;
5.3.1.3. a Draft Partnership Agreement, if a project is implemented together with a partner;
5.3.1.4. Information required to assess compliance of the project with the requirements of the Call and project criteria (Annex 4);
5.3.1.5. a Communication plan;
5.3.1.6. a questionnaire on eligibility of VAT (applicable to Lithuanian entities), if an Applicant and (or) a partner asks for VAT to be recognized as eligible expenditure, i. e. includes this expenditure into a project budget. For Donor state partner recoverability of VAT shall be established on a case by case basis. 
5.3.1.7. a Declaration of a Legal Status of SME, filled in by an Applicant and (or) a partner (if a project is implemented together with a partner);
5.3.1.8. Declaration of a Single Undertaking (applicable to Lithuanian entities;
5.3.1.9. Relevant registration certificates (applicable for partners from Norway.

*** For more detailed explanations and recommended templates please consider paragraph 52 of the Call. 
 
5.4. Project evaluation 5.4.1. Projects selection will be based on competition. Projects under the Programme will be selected via single stage calls for proposals.
5.4.2. Projects are evaluated by giving points for selection criteria.
5.4.3. All projects have to comply with eligibility and administrative criteria.
5.4.4. A complete list of selection, eligibility and administrative criteria is presented in the Annexes to the Call.
6. Other information
6.1. Contacts for enquiries Norway Grants group, norwaygrants@mita.lt
Phone: tel.: +370 672 19219, +370 604 78935, +370 604 77086.
Email us