New option of 100% grant funding for ICT services. Apply for a free voucher from 31 August
If you are a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise and need ICT servicesto help your business grow, now is the time to apply for a voucher.
The funding covers 100% of the value of the service, within the eligible budget.
BORA Solutions is an approved provider under the Voucher scheme and will provide you with the ICT service you need, as well as help with applying for the funding.
Share your ICT needs now, so that we have the time and opportunity to work together on preparing a competitive project proposal.
Here are the details of the Voucher scheme:
What is it?
A voucher scheme to improve the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) by providing incentives to work with ICT service providers.
Enterprises apply for vouchers for consulting services from the ICT service providers on the List of providers, who have proven their capacity to deliver services for introducing and using ICT.
BORA Solutions is a company with a consistent policy of providing comprehensive services to our clients. We successfully passed the application phase and are on the List of approved ICT service providers.
Who is it for?
Small and medium-sized enterprises have the chance to use a new and easier option for 100% funding of their needs to improve their use of information and communication technologies, in order to develop their business.
Eligible applicants
Applicants that meet the following criteria are eligible under the scheme:
- they are traders registered in Bulgaria within the meaning of the Commerce Act;
- they are micro, small or medium-sized enterprises within the meaning of the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Act (they submit a Declaration of circumstances under Articles 3 and 4 of the Act, completed on the template) and are not an enterprise (also at group level) in difficulty;
- they do not fall under the exclusions of Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 of 17 June 2014, Commission Regulation (EU) No 1407/2013 of 18 December 2013, Regulation (EU) No 1301/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and the Act on the Management of Funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds;
- their main economic activity is in one of the groups of activities defined in the National Strategy for the Promotion of SMEs 2014 to 2020 as high-tech, medium-high-tech, low-tech and medium-low-tech manufacturing or knowledge-intensive services, as follows.
High-tech and medium-high-tech manufacturing:
C20 “Manufacture of chemicals and chemical products”; C21 “Manufacture of basic pharmaceutical products and pharmaceutical preparations”; C26 “Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products”; C27 “Manufacture of electrical equipment”; C28 “Manufacture of machinery and equipment n.e.c.”; C29 “Manufacture of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers”; C30 “Manufacture of other transport equipment”.
Knowledge-intensive services:
J58 “Publishing activities”; J59 “Motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing”; J60 “Programming and broadcasting activities”; J61 “Telecommunications”; J62 “Computer programming, consultancy and related activities”; J63 “Information service activities”; M72 “Scientific research and development”.
Low-tech and medium-low-tech manufacturing:
C10 “Manufacture of food products”; C11 “Manufacture of beverages”; C13 “Manufacture of textiles”; C14 “Manufacture of wearing apparel”; C15 “Manufacture of leather and related products”; C16 “Manufacture of wood and of products of wood and cork, except furniture; manufacture of articles of straw and plaiting materials”; C17 “Manufacture of paper and paper products”; C18 “Printing and reproduction of recorded media”; C19 “Manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products”; C22 “Manufacture of rubber and plastic products”; C23 “Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products”; C24 “Manufacture of basic metals”; C25 “Manufacture of fabricated metal products, except machinery and equipment”; C31 “Manufacture of furniture”; C32 “Other manufacturing”; C33 “Repair and installation of machinery and equipment”.
Only a single enterprise can apply for a voucher under this scheme. Joint projects with partners are not eligible for funding.
For how long?
The SME’s project must be completed within no more than 9 months from the date the voucher is issued.
Which costs are eligible?
Eligible costs follow the activities and are for services only, without the supply of hardware.
What is the value of the voucher?
Vouchers with a fixed face value in leva BGN 20,000 excluding VAT and BGN 24,000 including VAT, for the following type/group of ICT services, chosen and requested by the voucher applicant (SME) during the application in the electronic application form generated in ISUN 2020:
- Type 2 vouchers: vouchers for ICT services for process optimisation:
2.2. Group 2: ICT services for optimising management, production and logistics processes
- Software solutions for optimising and tracking management processes;
- Software solutions for optimising and tracking production processes;
- Software solutions for optimising and tracking logistics processes.
Not eligible are services for using management system software as a service SaaS (Software as a service), because the sustainability of the results of the voucher cannot be guaranteed and the result of the service received cannot be certified by presenting any of the documents required for this purpose.
Additional information
The following is a mandatory element (activity) of all ICT services included in the voucher: consulting services to build skills in working with and applying modern ICT (i.e. training the voucher recipients’ staff to work with the ICT services being implemented).
The mandatory end result of all ICT services is to obtain:
- a licence or another document certifying ownership or the right to use the ICT system/module;
- a protocol showing that the ICT system/module and the applications have been introduced;
If, within the SME’s project period (no more than 9 months from the date the voucher is issued), the relevant document certifying that the provider delivered and the SME received the ICT services included in the voucher is not obtained, the costs incurred for the ICT service activities in the project will not be recognised, and the Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency will not pay the service provider.
How will the voucher scheme work?
- The Bulgarian Small and Medium Enterprises Promotion Agency launches a procedure for collecting applications for vouchers under the scheme;
- Applicant enterprises apply for a voucher electronically;
- Applicants that meet the eligibility criteria are ranked on a “first come, first served” basis for the type of voucher requested by value; for type 2 vouchers, by the relevant group of activities defined in the National Strategy for the Promotion of SMEs 2014 to 2020 (high-tech and medium-high-tech as group of activities No. 1, knowledge-intensive services as group No. 2, and low-tech and medium-low-tech manufacturing as group No. 3), and within the group of activities, by the group of ICT services requested.
- An additional list is drawn up of eligible reserve applicants for whom the resources of the voucher scheme were not enough. The additional list is structured in the same way as the list of ranked applicants, by the type of voucher, group of activities and group of ICT services requested;
- After a payment request and the reporting documents proving that the voucher activities were carried out are submitted, the Agency carries out a document check within 5 working days.
The value of the voucher is paid only when the activities are carried out and the results are achieved.
You will find full information on the documents needed and the conditions for applying here