Call for proposals under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 Programme ‘Business Development, Innovation and SMEs’ ICT focus area
1. | General informatiom | |
1.1. | Name of the Call | Call announcement for proposals under the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021 Programme ‘Business Development, Innovation and SMEs’ ICT focus area |
1.2. | Call number | LT07-1-EIM-K05 |
1.3. | Objective of the Call | To boost competitiveness of Lithuanian enterprises within ICT focus area. |
1.4. | Legal framework | 1.4.1. Norwegian Financial Mechanism Programme 2014-2021 ‘Business Development, Innovation and SMEs‘ Call for Proposals under ICT focus area (hereafter - the Call, Annex 1, Annex 2, Annex 3, Annex 4, Annex 7); 1.4.2. Regulation on the implementation of the Norwegian Financial Mechanism 2014-2021; 1.4.3. Guidelines adopted by the NFMA in accordance with the Regulation; 1.4.4. 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); 1.4.5. Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014 declaring certain categories of aid compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty; 1.4.6. 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". |
2. | Requirements for applicants | |
2.1. | Eligible applicans | 2.1.1. Eligible applicants are SMEs established as a legal person in Lithuania; 2.1.2. Eligible partneris are any public or private legal entity, commercial or non-commercial, and, non-governmental organisations, established as a legal person in Lithuania or Norway. 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. Application of new products/ technologies. Funding will be provided for introduction (application) of new technological solutions for digitalisation or automation of production processes, which would help to increase productivity in Lithuanian manufacturing entities. |
3.2. | Duration of project activities | Duration of a project shall not be longer than 12 months from the date a project contract is signed. Implementation of a project shall not start earlier than the date on which Innovation Agency decides to award a grant to a project. A day after Innovation Agency decision to award a grant to a project is considered to mark the beginning of 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 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 outcome of the Programme: Increased competitiveness of Lithuanian companies within the focus areas Green Industry Innovation, including bio economy, and ICT and shall deliver the expected outcome indicators referred to in paragraphs 26–27 of the Call. 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 physically within the territory of the Republic of Lithuania. 3.3.4. Implementation of project activities shall start no later than within 3 months from the day a project contract is signed. 3.3.5. To prove project readiness a business plan will have to be submitted. If the requirement is not fulfilled and a business plan is not submitted together with an application, such application will be rejected without request to revise an application and provide supplementary documents. If a business plan is not drafted according to the recommended template, it shall contain all the information indicated in the recommended template. 3.3.6. 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. 3.3.7. 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 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 4 of the Call for Proposals Under ICT Focus Area. |
4.2. | Types of eligible expenditure | 4.2.1. tangible 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. |
4.3. | The maximum amount of eligible direct expenditure, according to project activities | The maximum aid intensity for a project is determined on the basis of Chapter 4 of the Call. |
4.4. | Eligible indirect costs | Not applicable |
4.5. | Maximum amount of grant assistance | The maximum grant amount for a project shall be determined following the provisions stipulated in the Chapter 4 Article 2 of the Call. |
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 | 4.7.1. The total available amount for financing of projects under the Call is € 2 989 952 (€2 541 459 – Norway Grants contribution, € 448 493 – co-financing from Lithuanian budget). |
5. | Submission of applications and selection of projects | |
5.1. | Deadline for submission of applications | 3 March 2023 at 12:00 |
5.2. | Submission of applications | 5.2.1. Applications, together with mandatory supplementary documents, are filled in and submitted online 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. a business plan, financial part of business plan; 5.3.1.2. a detailed activity budget of an Applicant. If a project is implemented together with a partner, a detailed activity budget of a partner shall also be provided; 5.3.1.3. documents supporting validity of a project budget (for example, commercial offers, links to market prices, etc.); 5.3.1.4. documents supporting capacity of an Applicant and a partner to cover financial contribution to a project and ineligible expenses (e. g. statement from a bank or credit institution, legal entity, shareholders, on their intention to provide a loan for a project, loan agreement or similar document); 5.3.1.5. a Draft Partnership Agreement (compulsary if a project is implemented together with a partner); 5.3.1.6. information required to assess compliance of the project with the requirements of the Call and project criteria (Annex 4); 5.3.1.7. communication plan; 5.3.1.8. an Applicant certifies conformity with the requirement stated in State Aid Regulation paragraph 16 of Article 14, prepared in a free format declaration; 5.3.1.9.. a questionnaire on eligibility of VAT, if an Applicant who is registered in Lithuania asks for VAT to be recognized as eligible expenditure, i. e. includes this expenditure into a project budget. 5.3.1.10. Declaration of a Legal Status of a SME, filled in by an Applicant and a partner (if a project is implemented together with a partner): 5.3.1.10.1. For Applicants and partners registered in Lithuania - the form, which was approved by the Order of the Minister of Economy „On Approval of Procedures for Declaration of a Legal Status of a Small and Medium-Sized Entity and Approval of a Form for Declaration of a Legal Status of a Small and Medium-Sized Entity”, Order No. 4-119 of 26 March 2008; 5.3.1.10.2. For Applicants registered in one of the EU states (excluding Lithuania) or EFTA states and Norwegian partners - the European Commission SME declaration form. 5.3.1.11. Declaration of a Single Undertaking (applicable if an Applicant is registered in Lithuania); 5.3.1.12. a copy of relevant registration certificates (applicable for partneris from Norway); 5.3.1.13. a copy of the last approved annual financial statement (for Lithuanian companies applicable only if financial reports were not submitted to the State Enterprise Centre of Registers), the last approved annual report in English (applicable for partneris form Norway). |
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 are presented in the Annexes to the Call. |
6. | Other information | |
6.1. | Contacts for enquiries | Norway Grants group, norwaygrants@inovacijuagentura.lt Phone: (+370) 604 78935, (+370) 604 77086 |