Service Business

2015 EU funds - everything you need to know

EU funds offer young entrepreneurs a successful start with their own business or help in developing their loss-up. Year by year, the aid from the Union is expanding and the programs are multiplying. You can get lost in all this, but if you want to receive a subsidy, it is worth paying attention to all the deadlines. Therefore, in the article below, we present everything you need to know about EU subsidies in 2015. Find out where it is currently possible to apply for European funds for 2014-2020 and in which voivodeships there are grant calls for 2015. However, it is worth knowing that work on the schedules is still ongoing.

Distribution of EU funds for 2014-2020

Poles can apply for EU subsidies in two ways:

by means of Regional Operational Programs (the total amount is over EUR 31 billion),
by means of National Operational Programs (the pool amounts to EUR 45.6 billion).

Each voivodeship will receive different amounts under the Regional Operational Program, adequate to the development or potential of these areas. On the other hand, the National Operational Program has been divided into 6 smaller programs:

Infrastructure and Environment (EUR 27.4 billion),
Intelligent Development (EUR 8.6 billion),
Digital Poland (EUR 2.2 billion),
Knowledge Education Development (EUR 4.7 billion),
Eastern Poland (EUR 2 billion),
Technical Assistance (EUR 700.1 million).

EU funds - where and when to apply for funding?

Unfortunately, each voivodeship implements operational programs at a different pace. It is influenced by many factors, for example thanks to more efficient determination of the details of future recruitment (these include, among others, the Opolskie, Podlaskie, Podkarpackie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie voivodships). Residents of other areas must be patient. Most importantly, however, the European Commission has approved all regional programs and all national programs. All that remains is to wait for the announcement of competitions by individual regions.

It is known for sure that recruitment from regional programs will start in the 2nd - 3rd quarter of 2015. However, it is not yet established how much money from the pool received will be allocated to subsidies and how much to repayable financing (loans or credits). In 2007-2013, only 1.5% was allocated to repayable financing, but experts predict that now it could be as much as 10%.

2015 EU funds - what can entrepreneurs count on?

However, entrepreneurs should not worry about their share of the subsidy - they can count on the largest pool of non-returnable EU funds, over EUR 20 million! The most subsidies for companies will be available:

Regional Operational Programs and
the central program Intelligent Development and Eastern Poland.

An additional pool of EUR 9 billion is available under the European program Horizon 2020.

Current recruitment for EU funds

Recruitment of applications for co-financing of economic activity from the Labor Office has already started in larger cities. Receiving an EU subsidy is quite simple, it can be obtained, among others, for starting a business, internships or training.

The National Center for Research and Development presented the schedule of EU programs for innovative projects for 2015, it is as follows:

1.1.1 - April 2, 2015,

Strategmed - April 2015,
InnoLot - April 2015,
E-Pionier - April 2015,
CuBR - May 2015,
Biostrateg - May 2015,
Demonstrator - May 2015,
Go_Global.pl - Q2 2015,
Blue Gas Polish Shale Gas - September 2015

One of the first and the competitions announced under the National Operational Programs is the competition under the Digital Poland OP. It is aimed at:

enterprises from the telecommunications industry,
administration,
non-governmental organizations,
cultural institutions,
research units and local governments.

The schedule was also announced by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP). The first recruitment will be “Loans for women” and “Support under a large voucher” (both in April). In July, the competition Vouchers for innovations for SMEs - a competition under the OP Intelligent Development - will be announced.

Additionally, funds from JEREMIE funds are still available - preferential loans.