SME Call for Selection
DIH4Society is launching a new call for applications targeting SMEs, offering free access to digitalization services funded through the Digital Europe Programme and POCIDIF. The aim of the project is to support small and medium-sized enterprises in their digital transformation process through a wide range of services, including digital maturity assessment, access to testing infrastructure and laboratories, cybersecurity, digitalization consulting, and the implementation of innovative solutions.
Details and Eligibility Criteria
Since the services that you will benefit from free of charge are funded under a state aid scheme for innovation at a rate of 50% of the value, it is necessary to meet cumulative of the following conditions:
1. Your company has its headquarters or a branch in Romania at the time the aid is paid; Priority is given to companies with a headquarters or branch in any of the counties of the North-West Region
2. The company (at the time the aid is granted) falls into one of the categories: micro-enterprise, small enterprise or medium-sized enterprise
3. The company does not fall into the category of undertaking in difficulty
4. The company has no net budgetary obligations (the difference between overdue payment obligations to the budget and amounts to be recovered from the budget):
a) greater than 1/12 of the obligations due in the last 12 months – in the case of the tax clearance certificate issued by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration
b) greater than 1/6 of the total obligations due in the last six months – in the case of the tax clearance certificate issued by the local public authorities;
5. The company is not in insolvency, bankruptcy, judicial reorganisation, dissolution, liquidation or temporary suspension of activity, nor in similar situations resulting from a procedure of the same nature provided for by national legislation or regulations;
6. The company is not subject to a recovery order following a previous decision of the competent bodies declaring state aid unlawful and/or incompatible with the common market or, if the applicant has been the subject of such a decision, it must already have been enforced and the aid fully recovered, including the related recovery interest;
7. The legal representative has not been convicted by a final judgment (res judicata) of an offence relating to professional conduct, fraud, corruption, participation in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activities to the detriment of the financial interests of the European Communities;
8. The legal representative has not committed grave professional misconduct, proven by any means that the contracting authority can justify;
9. The legal representative is not subject to a conflict of interest;
10. The legal representative is not guilty of seriously misleading the OIPSI and/or the state aid sub-administrators by providing incorrect information during the EDIH service beneficiary selection process;
11. Indicate the category of services that you consider best aligned with your objectives. If you are targeting a specific package from the list of service packages, please indicate it, so your request will be treated with priority.
12. Tell us your objective(s) related to the digital transformation of the company, including your plans for continuing investments in digitalisation.
13. Your digital transformation plan can be supported by DIH4Society services associated with at least one of the technology specialisation areas: cybersecurity, process automation, digital and green transformation.
Call schedule
Call opening date: 11 March 2024
The call is open continuously until the closing date of the call, namely 15 December 2024, within the limit of the available budget.
The DIH4SOCIETY Consortium reserves the right to close the call early if the budget is exhausted.
During the call, there are defined monthly deadlines, on the last working day of each month. Thus, after each deadline, all requests received from the opening date of the call or from the previous deadline, as applicable, will be evaluated.
Annexes
To submit the application complete you will need the annexes below completed and signed by the legal representative of the company. Each annex can be downloaded in at editable format.
- Eligibility declaration. Submitted at Step I (completing the form)
- GDPR agreement . Submitted at Step I (completing the form)
- Declaration on classification as an SME with the related sections. Submitted at Step IV (together with the firm request)
- Declaration on the eligibility of the company for the granting of state aid for innovation. Submitted at Step IV (together with the firm request)
- Declaration on avoiding double financing. Submitted at Step IV (together with the firm request)
- Declaration on state aid for innovation received by the single undertaking during the fiscal year in which state aid is granted under this scheme, as well as the 2 preceding fiscal years (either from national or European funds). Submitted at Step IV (together with the firm request)
- Completed calculation for undertaking in difficulty, assumed by signature. Submitted in editable format and signed PDF format at Step IV (together with the firm request)
- Template contract for the provision of free services under the state aid scheme for innovation. The contract is drawn up and signed after the SME is selected to benefit from free services under the state aid for innovation.