A neighbor built a hotel with an EU grant? A colleague obtained funds for starting a business from the labor office? Or maybe you know from the radio about the fact that the currently available European funds for Polish companies are at record levels?
Regardless of how you come into contact with information on available programs, more detailed knowledge is needed to take advantage of them. The starting point is to find a program that fits your needs and capabilities.
Statistics show that 9 out of 10 entrepreneurs would like to obtain a grant for development. At the same time, the vast majority do nothing in this direction. And later they are surprised (or even annoyed...) that a friend got some "free" external financing again. Most entrepreneurs operate in the dark in this field, typing "EU grants for companies" or other vague phrases into the search engine once in a while. To put it mildly, this is not the right (effective) approach to the subject.
When you're running a business, one of your responsibilities should be to keep track of available funding opportunities for business development. You don't have to do this on your own, in this article I'll introduce you to a few grant programs you've probably never heard of, plus I'll give you tips on how to stay on top of this topic and why monitoring grants on a consistent basis is key. I hope you find the knowledge in this article practical and useful.
The programs listed in the headline are currently the most popular EU grants for entrepreneurs. The technology loan and the environmental loan, despite their names, are actually grants. The mechanism works in such a way that you take a loan from a commercial bank, but it is partially repaid (forgiven) with financial support from the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK).
The SMART Path, on the other hand, is by far the most popular program at the moment, and will continue in future years as well. It is primarily dedicated to companies that create and implement innovations. Here it is worth stopping to briefly define what these "innovations" are. Well, it is no longer enough to make a new website or purchase software for the company (as it was 10 years ago...). Now, in order for your technological solution to be considered innovative, it must be different from any other solution available in this area (field) in Poland, and additionally it should be based on scientific research (R&D) performed by you or on your order. Ideally, you should have an independent opinion on innovation issued by a recognized research unit. Therefore, the SMART Path is a grant mainly for innovative companies or those with the potential to implement innovations.
Support for entrepreneurs is also periodically granted by the local District Labor Office, respectively. This is funding for those registered as unemployed in the form of a non-refundable grant in the maximum amount of six times the average salary in the enterprise sector. As of today, the amount is close to PLN 40,000. However, the unit funding may be lower depending on the capabilities of the specific Labor Office.
This is a popular solution for people who are planning a new business in a traditional industry, but who do not have an equity contribution under a loan or larger EU grants. There is no requirement for innovation here by which the availability of funds is much greater.
In addition to the above-mentioned programs, entrepreneurs have dozens of other opportunities at their disposal. These include industry-specific forms of support such as grants from the Rural Development Program for agricultural producers, local programs such as Local Action Groups or regional programs implemented at the provincial level. To this should be added repayable instruments in the form of loans, and in particular often very favorable preferential loans and credits. There are more possibilities, below I present you with a selection of sample programs that almost no Polish entrepreneur knows about. These are exclusively non-refundable grants, and therefore the most desirable measures.
The projects presented above are only examples of the dozens of opportunities currently available. These are also not the only competitions and calls organized abroad and available to Polish companies, among others.
Have you ever heard of a 40,000zl grant for small bookstores or 300,000zl from the Social Security Administration to increase employee safety? Then there are programs implemented by institutions such as NCBiR, NFOŚiGW, ministries, local governments or PARP.
As you can see, the possibilities are many. Does this guarantee that among them you will find a grant tailored to your needs? Of course not. However, if you don't keep abreast of these topics with certainty, when one appears - you will miss it. Therefore, in order to make life easier for entrepreneurs, we have launched a grant guide called Available Grants. You can find it at: https://dostepnedotacje.pl ;
All you have to do is sign up for it and you won't miss any more programs that may be useful to you in the future. This is a solution for both already established companies that would like to take advantage of subsidies and originators who are just looking into the possibility of opening their own business. Business subsidies are beneficial both for starting a business and growing a company with a longer history.
Someone might ask - why should I pay for information that is available to the public? There are several reasons.
If you want to maximize the likelihood of matching grants to your needs, this is the solution for you. You can seek information on your own, but the chances of success will be significantly lower. Just as you hire specialists to renovate your home, with legal matters you go to a lawyer, and medical matters you go to a doctor, when it comes to obtaining financing, it makes sense to rely on the knowledge and experience of experts.
There is one main reason why access to grant information is often worth no less than access to insider stock market information. Well, when you read the rules and regulations of most programs, you will find out that the authority (operator) reserves the right to close the call for applications ahead of schedule. This will happen if the number of applications exceeds the program's allocation (budget) by a certain level.
In practice, it looks like as soon as it is relatively easy to get a grant, because the requirements are not exorbitant, the day the call opens, the office is flooded with applications. In an extreme case, the call, which was scheduled for two months, was closed after a week due to the number of applications submitted. So it's not hard to conclude that those entrepreneurs who knew about the program earlier had a much better chance than the others. Therefore, if you are serious about obtaining external financing, it is worth increasing your chances and taking advantage of the notifications we offer.
When you are considering getting a grant to expand your business, answer a few questions for yourself first.
If you are unsure of the answers to the above questions, we can help you with your assessment. Get back to us, describe your business, plans and current needs. We will look for a solution tailored individually to your situation.
In the coming years, most programs will be dedicated to issues such as the development of innovation or environmental protection. As far as the latter issue is concerned, in particular, greater use of renewable energy sources and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions. These are priorities in European Union policy.
Remember, however, that if you are looking for a smaller grant from, for example, the Labor Office, you don't have to limit yourself to such issues or look for innovation by force.
Many programs for Polish farmers are also being implemented all the time. The Agency for Restructuring and Modernization of Agriculture is most often responsible for granting them.
Funds are also granted for the expansion of Polish companies abroad. This was, for example, the Go-to-brand program, which has been popular in recent years, or internationalization support under the name "Internationalization of SMEs."
It is difficult to enumerate all the subsidies here, as there are dozens of these each month. Only in this article you see a summary of 10+ opportunities.
In addition, EU grants are not the only financial solution for small and medium-sized enterprises. Don't forget the role of private investors or loans, especially soft loans. When your project does not fit within the grant requirements, these can be interesting financing alternatives.
Q: Where do I look for information about grants for companies?
A: If you don't want to waste time searching for hours, sign up for the dostepnedotacje.co.uk newsletter
Q: What do my chances of getting grants depend on?
A: These factors are very many. They can vary from program to program. They are always described in detail in the regulations of the grant. For example, they can be: location of the business (easiest if it's eastern Poland!), level of income or profits, required own contribution, need to cooperate with scientific staff, demonstration of positive impact on the environment or level of innovation. To increase the chances of funding, it is better to entrust the drafting of the application to an experienced advisor.
Q: I think the subsidy fits my company, but I don't know this for sure - how do I determine this?
A: You can ask questions to the operator (office) that is in charge of awarding grants or contact a company like ours.
