On July 17th, the application round opened for entrepreneurs in Ida-Virumaa, aimed at supporting research and the establishment of pilot infrastructure for the first-time industrial use of new products, services, or technologies.
This program is intended for both conducting research necessary for the creation of innovative products and services and for creating the corresponding pilot infrastructure. Projects carried out by entrepreneurs already operating in Ida-Virumaa or investing in the region are eligible for support.
The following activities are supported: research and development; product development; feasibility studies; application for intellectual property rights related to the above-mentioned activities; creation of knowledge-intensive pilot infrastructure required for the initial industrial use of new products, services, or technologies; design, infrastructure development, connection to networks, and related activities.
Support is provided in two different rounds:
- For projects involving only research and development activities, support can be applied for through a competitive selection process, with a submission period of 60 calendar days. In this case, the support ranges from 100,000 to 2,000,000 euros, and the total budget for the round is 10 million euros.
- For projects involving the creation of pilot infrastructure, applications are open as budgetary funds are exhausted. Support for projects creating pilot infrastructure ranges from 100,000 to 5,000,000 euros, with a total budget of 15 million euros.
Support is financed from the Just Transition Fund, which aims to create higher value-added jobs as an alternative to the coal industry. The amount of support depends on the size of the enterprise and the readiness level of the technology, ranging from 25% to 70%. Projects that are implemented or whose results are applied in Ida-Virumaa are eligible.