The Ministry will payout a recording amount of more than 10 billion crowns to entrepreneurs in 2011. Czech entrepreneurs and traders have already received more than 25 billion crowns from the Operational Programme - Enterprise and Innovation. Thus more than one quarter of the entire operational programme, which offers a total of approx. 90 billion crowns, has been paid to their accounts.
These large numbers represent hundreds and thousands of stories of companies and traders in regions throughout the Czech Republic. More than 6,000 Czech entrepreneurs have already been promised aid from the operational programme. In 2011, entrepreneurs will receive more than ten billion crowns in European subsidies from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. As of the last day of November, exactly 9.6 billion crowns had already been sent to Czech entrepreneurs`accounts for 2011.
"At the beginning of the year, we set ourselves a goal to pay out at least ten billion crowns to Czech entrepreneurs this year. At the end, the interest and the quality of projects pleasantly exceeded our original estimates, and it`s already clear that we will exceed our ten billion crown goal by the end of the year," says the Director of the EU Funds, Research and Development Section of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Petr Očko. The Ministry of Industry and Trade and its agency CzechInvest have focused on eliminating administrative barriers that may have slowed the amount of funds drawn from the operational programme in the past.
CzechInvest explained certain rules in more detail and thereby improved both the receipt and administration of new applications and payment of funds. Thanks to this, applications for aid from the Operational Programme – Enterprise and Innovation are now processed faster than ever before. Entrepreneurs can currently apply for aid under the Operational Programme – Enterprise and Innovation to establish their own shared services centres, such as, for example, software development or accounting, marketing and so on from the ICT and Strategic Services Programme. Entrepreneurs can also apply for a preferential loan from the Progress Programme.
The Development Programme, primarily aimed at smaller companies will open to entrepreneurs in weaker economic regions of the Czech Republic in January 2012. Under the programme, companies will be able to apply for funds to finance the acquisition of new machinery and equipment.
New programmes in 2012
The Ministry of Industry and Trade also plans to announce another open Progress Programme in 2012. It will also introduce an Eco-Energy Programme aimed at supporting investments in the effective use of energy. The announcement of a Potential Programme is also planned, which is designed to support the establishment of research and development centres. It will also be possible to submit new applications in the Real Estate Programme, which provides funds for the reconstruction of business properties. And finally, a Marketing Programme is expected to be announced, under which companies will be able to apply for funds for their presentation at foreign exhibitions and trade fairs. However, the exact number of programmes to be announced can change during the year depending on the amount of money actually drawn by entrepreneurs from the entire operational programme.
The Operational Programme – Enterprise and Innovation will divide 3.6 billion Euro, i.e. some 90 billion crowns, among companies in the processing industry, shared services centres and technological centres in 2007—2013. Companies implementing projects outside the Capital City of Prague can apply for grants. The OPEI Managing Authority is the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the OPEI intermediate body for grants is the Investment and Business Development Agency, CzechInvest.
