SMEs Growth Romania - Travel Support

Deadline: Dec 31, 2018  
CALL EXPIRED

The objective of the Travel Support is to facilitate establishment of bilateral partnerships between the Donor States and Romania with the intent to participate in the upcoming call(s) under the programme.

Introduction

The Programme RO Innovation SMEs Growth Romania (RO Innovation) has the objective to increase value creation and sustainable growth in Romanian business sector. Further, the Programme will seek to stimulate and develop long-term business cooperation between Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway (hereafter referred to as “the Donor States”) and Romania based on business development and innovation. RO Innovation is encouraging bilateral project partnerships in all three focus areas of the Programme:

1. Green Industry Innovation targets initiatives for development and/or application of innovative green technologies, development of innovative products and solutions, greener production processes, more efficient handling of resources and technological systems, material efficiency activities and waste management;

2. ICT targets initiatives for development and application of digital technologies that could mobilise growth and innovation for industrial and other economic sectors;

3. Blue Growth targets initiatives for development and/or application of innovative technologies, processes, solutions, products or services based on blue resources from the Black Sea, inland waters and rivers and coastal areas.

RO Innovation is a part of the two mechanisms EEA (European Economic Area) Grants and Norwegian Financial Mechanism that have two overall objectives of equal importance:

• Contributing to the reduction of economic and social disparities in the European Economic Area; and

• Strengthening bilateral relations between the Donor States and the Beneficiary States. These guidelines will give the ruling criteria for this CALL.

What is offered?

The support from the Fund for Bilateral Relations is a travel grant awarded as a lump sum (meaning one standard rate). The following are available for applicants:

• A lump sum Travel Support per entity per country of EUR 1,200 for Norway / Romania, EUR 1,500 for Iceland / Romania and EUR 1,000 for Liechtenstein/Romania.

• Continuous submission of applications (until depletion of the budget).

• The Travel Support is awarded as de minimis aid under "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" as published in the

  Official Journal L 352, 24.12.2013, pages 1-8".

• NOTE: In case a Romanian company wishes to visit one entity in Norway and one in

  Iceland or Liechtenstein, they are eligible for EUR 2,700. In this case, Innovation Norway will award 1 Travel Support, hence, no need to submit 2 applications.

• Total budget for this CALL is EUR 50,000.

How to apply?

Applications shall be submitted in English! Innovation Norway will apply a simplified application procedure. Please follow the instructions presented at the weblink indicated below.

• Applications shall be completed online at this weblink: www.innovationnorway.no/ROInnovationTS

It is important to fill in all the sections of the online application with clear details as follows:
o Entity name, contact person, telephone, e-mail and website;
o Theentitiesregistrationnumber;
o Main line of business / economic sector;
o Main purpose of the travel and meetings;
o The purpose and expected outcome of visit to Romania/ Norway/ Iceland/ Liechtenstein;
o Meeting agenda in Romania/ Norway/ Iceland/ Liechtenstein, List the entities,

location, contact details and person that the company will meet.
Before traveling you need to obtain Innovation Norway’s written approval. A confirmation will be sent you by email from the official Programme email address RO.Innovation@innovationnorway.no

Who can apply?

Entities from Romania and the three Donor States can apply for funding. The applicants must be constituted as legal entities in Romania or one of the Donor States.

The following entities are eligible for financial support under this CALL for Travel Support:

• FromRomania:
• Small and medium size enterprises (SMEs), as defined by Commission recommendation 2003/361/EC, and large companies with less than 25 % public ownership, functioning in accordance to enforced Romanian legislation on commercial companies, respectively: Law 31/1990 regarding commercial companies, republished, with subsequent modifications and completions or Law 346/2004 regarding stimulating establishment and development of small and medium sized enterprises, with subsequent modifications and completions.

• Non-profit and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), constituted as legal entities in Romania, functioning according to the in-force Romanian legislation on nongovernmental organizations, respectively: associations, foundations and federations established according to Governmental Ordinance 26/2000 or Law 21/1924 regarding associations and foundations, with subsequent modifications and completions.

Entities with the role of managers of Romanian clusters are eligible for funds if they are legally established as one of the categories mentioned above.
Only NGOs that support business development will be eligible for funds (e.g. social enterprises, business organizations).

NGOs should be independent of local, regional and central public authorities, public institutions, political parties, religious cults and religious organizations.

NOTE: Entities active in the following sectors are excluded from financing in this CALL (in line with provisions of COMMISSION REGULATION (EU) No 1407/20131):
- fishery and aquaculture sector;
- primary production of agricultural products;
- processing and marketing of agricultural products.

• From Donor states:
Private or public entities legally established in Norway, Liechtenstein or Iceland (e.g. SMEs, NGOs, research institutes etc.)

Eligible activities and expenditures

• Travel costs in connection to/or associated with the search for partners for donor partnership projects and the development of suchpartnerships;

• o A partnership project must constitute of at least one entity (SME or large company with less than 25 % public ownership or NGO that support business development) from Romania and one entity from one of the DonorStates;
• o Partnership projects must be developed within one of the three focus areas of this Programme;
• o Travel Support is awarded per entity and not per person.

• The applicant has to present that they have an eligible project idea, and that they intend to be involved either as a promotor or as a partner performing substantial tasks in the project. The travel has to be performed by the entity awarded the grant.

Disbursement of funds and reporting

• Reimbursement principle (you cover the expenditures from own funds and ask for reimbursement from Innovation Norway after the travel).

• The reimbursement request will be composed of the followingdocuments:

(a) Travel Report;

(b) Financial Identification Form;

(c) De minimis aid declaration (the templates for these three documents are available at www.innovationnorway.no/ROInnovationTS);

(d) proof of travel.

• Applicants from Norway/Iceland/Liechtenstein: The documents mentioned at letters

  (a)-(d) should be sent, stamped and signed, scanned, at the Programme’s official email address - RO.Innovation@innovationnorway.no), within maximum one month after the travel took place.

• Applicants from Romania: The documents mentioned at letters (a)-(d) should be sent, stamped and signed, scanned at the Programme’s official email address - RO.Innovation@innovationnorway.no), within maximum one month after the travel took place. The originals should be posted in an envelope bearing the reference: ‘RO Innovation SMEs Growth Romania – Travel Support Scheme’ to: Innovation Norway Bucharest office, Royal Norwegian Embassy, 11 George Enescu St., Floor 6, 010301 Bucharest 1, Romania;

• In case of Romanian applicants: the entities should also submit a copy of an official document mentioning the name of the legal representative:

  o for enterprises – a copy of the certificate of status (certificat constatator) issued by Trade Registry

  o for NGOs – a copy of the statute, in force on the date of submission of the request for reimbursement

The costs are reimbursed to the entity that has incurred the expenses and not to a natural person.

Selection criteria

• Applications for Travel Support are assessed and awarded by Innovation Norway on a continuous basis (until the depletion of the available budget);

• In order to be awarded Travel Support the following criteria must befulfilled: o Allsectionsintheonlineapplicationisfilledincorrectly;
  o The planned activities are within the objective of this TravelSupport; o Applicantandpartner(s)areeligible;

  o The purpose of the travel and the meeting have to be within one of the three focus areas of this Programme;

  o Plannedactivities/costsareeligible.
  For eventual clarifications, send e-mail to: RO.Innovation@innovationnorway.no.