TYPES OF FINANCIAL AID

Investment grants are awarded per project and beneficiary and have a value ranging from 50,000 euros to 200,000 euros, depending on the financing needs of the submitted investment projects. Investment grants do not include the beneficiaries’ own co-financing established at a minimum of 15% of the investment project value requested for financing by beneficiaries from less developed regions and 30% of the investment project value requested for financing by beneficiaries from the Bucharest-Ilfov region.

(1) Beneficiaries of investment grants can use the investment grants allocated from non-repayable external funds, based on a state aid award contract, to finance the following categories of expenses:

a) expenses for the realization/purchase of constructions, acquisition of equipment, including IT&C, software technologies, machinery, installations, technologies, independent facilities, office furniture and specific furniture, land acquisition up to 10% of the eligible project value, consulting and design expenses, project management, technical assistance, site supervision, land planning and territorial arrangement expenses, environmental expenses, utility connection expenses, accessibility expenses, promotion expenses, participation in fairs, events, conferences, study expenses, expenses related to intellectual property rights, intangible assets related to patents, product trademarks, software necessary for conducting activities, as well as any other categories of expenses related to the investment project subject to the funding contract;

b) expenses for the establishment of warehouses for medical equipment, medicines, sanitary materials for emergency intervention;

c) expenses for the acquisition of equipment, including IT&C equipment, software technologies, technologies, machinery, installations, independent facilities, office furniture and specific furniture, inventory items of fixed assets for existing production/service units, as well as intangible assets related to patents, product trademarks, software necessary for conducting activities.

(2) For the establishment, expansion, modernization/rehabilitation of new and/or existing production/service units, the eligible expense categories provided in paragraph (1) subpar. a) and c) are eligible.

(3) If an investment project submitted by beneficiaries includes both the rehabilitation/modernization of existing production/service units and the expansion of production/service units, the eligible expense categories are provided in paragraph (1) subpar. a) and c).

(4) Beneficiaries of investment grants for productive services in the transport sector can use non-repayable external funds for the financing of the following expense categories:

a) expenses for the rehabilitation/modernization/expansion and/or establishment of depots for the transport vehicles in operation or to be acquired;

b) expenses for the acquisition of transport vehicles for the transportation of passengers and goods necessary for carrying out transport activities, except for taxi transport vehicles or those intended for the administrative activities of the economic operator or for their own transport activities;

c) expenses for equipping existing transport vehicles with equipment and technologies that lead to the improvement of the comfort/quality of the transportation services provided.

(5) Investment grants do not finance:

a) funding applications aimed at providing consultancy services, studies, or other related activities;

b) funding applications aimed at office premises or other activities related to real estate investments for office leasing/concession or any other form of exploitation thereof;

c) any other funding applications not related to the investment domains provided in Art. 19 para. (1) and (2).

(6) The total funds allocated for investment grants amount to 550,000,000 euros, of which 415,870,000 euros are allocated from the POC 2014-2020 budget and 62,380,500 euros as state budget co-financing, and 71,749,500 euros as own contribution.

(7) The total budget allocated for investment grants, without the beneficiaries’ own co-financing, is allocated to Romania’s development regions as follows:

a) 15% of the allocated budget value from non-repayable external funds for the Bucharest-Ilfov region as the more developed region;

b) 85% of the allocated budget value from non-repayable external funds for the other 7 less developed regions, using the allocation formula within the Regional Operational Program 2014-2020.

(8) Following the evaluation of submitted funding applications, MEEMA, in partnership with AIMMAIPE, will conclude state aid award contracts with selected beneficiaries.

(9) Expenses incurred after the commissioning of the investment project, such as salary expenses, expenses for the purchase of raw materials, consumables, repairs and maintenance, and other similar expense categories, are the responsibility of the final beneficiary of the state aid.

(10) Beneficiaries of state aid award contracts for investments can request payment of the contract/expense value incurred through methods similar to the payment request mechanisms and/or, as applicable, the pre-financing or reimbursement request mechanisms, as provided for in Emergency Government Ordinance no. 40/2015, approved with amendments and completions by Law no. 105/2016, with subsequent amendments and completions.