It can feel like a jungle: the world of subsidies, funding, loans, support programmes and schemes. But for companies with growth ambitions, it is important to see the wood for the trees, as it can provide a nice boost. Every quarter, we list five interesting opportunities in no particular order.
Renewed climate fund
From the end of May, SMEs, as well as farmers, will be able to easily apply for funding for sustainability projects. The Gelderland Climate Fund has been set up for this purpose. It forms part of the Gelderland Innovation and Energy Fund (IEG-DE), which was set up by the province and is managed by Oost NL. The funding takes the form of a loan or risk capital.
The name ‘Gelders Climate Fund’ has been in use since 2012. However, there have been some significant changes. Standard loans are now also available, making it quicker and easier to apply for loans of between 50,000 and 250,000 euros via the new website. The funding is primarily intended for agricultural entrepreneurs and SMEs wishing to make their business premises and processes more sustainable. The terms are attractive, including a low interest rate, penalty-free early repayment and no requirement for collateral.
Energy transition at startups
The new EU fund, ION+3, invests in start-ups and fast-growing innovative SMEs in Gelderland and Overijssel that are working on the energy transition and sustainable economic innovation. A total of 15 million euros is available through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF East).
The fund can be utilised in various ways, such as through equity investments, loans that can be converted into equity, and loans that do not need to be repaid until a later date. The fund does this in sectors that are important in the eastern Netherlands, such as healthcare, agriculture and food, high-tech and energy. Oost NL provides the funding and works closely with partners such as StartLife, Briskr and Orion. Information about this fund can be found on the Oost NL website, amongst other places.
Digitising with Germany
Innovative Dutch companies that cooperate or want to collaborate with a German partner can apply for up to EUR 75,000 in subsidies per project for joint technology or digitalisation projects. The grant is intended to stimulate cross-border innovation. It concerns digital product development, process innovations or innovations in business models. The main condition is that you are working with a German partner on an innovative project with mutual benefit. Both parties must be active in the border region. Briskr can help in setting up a well-founded application and finding the right German cooperation partner. More information can be found here.
Current themes with Germany
Even more opportunities for ‘German-Dutch’ collaboration. The Interreg VI A Germany-Netherlands grant programme (2021–2027) is not new, but is still in full swing.
Over the past year, eight new projects involving companies from Gelderland have been approved. These companies have entered into partnerships with German partners to develop new products and services. The new projects focus on current themes such as health, food, soil quality and climate adaptation. Gelderland is supporting these projects with co-funding of 600,000 euros. Further details can be found on this website.
Building with prefabs
Through the province of Gelderland, a grant will soon be available for construction companies or suppliers who wish to start using prefabricated construction or are already doing so. This specifically concerns companies that wish to convert their production process to prefabricated construction for new-build homes, or that wish to make their prefabricated construction production process more circular.
The grant scheme will launch shortly and will run until 26 September this year. The grant covers 50 per cent of eligible costs, up to a maximum of 300,000 euros. Eligible costs may include the purchase of equipment and software or the hiring of external experts. Further information is available on the province’s website.
