Entrepreneurship support program for unemployed people aged 30-59 with an emphasis on women

Start Date: December 19, 2024, at 13:00
End Date: January 21, 2025, at 15:00

The official launch of the "Entrepreneurship Support Program for Unemployed Individuals Aged 30-59 with an Emphasis on Women" has been announced, with the application period for funding open from Thursday, December 19, 2024, to Tuesday, January 21, 2025. The program's budget amounts to €100,000,000, and it is estimated that this cycle will benefit approximately 5,880 recipients, each receiving a 100% subsidy of €17,000. Funding applications are approved based on ranking order until the available co-financed public expenditure is exhausted.

Eligible Beneficiaries

Must cumulatively meet the following conditions:

Must be unemployed, registered in the digital registry of DYPA, aged between 30 and 59 years (having completed the 59th year of age and entering the 60th) on the date of application submission.
Completed the individual approach process and agreed to a Digital Individual Action Plan.
Must be Greek citizens or citizens of another EU country or ethnic Greeks with the right to reside and work in our country, or citizens of third countries with a valid residence permit for at least the duration of the program.
Male candidates must have fulfilled or legally been exempted from military obligations. Ethnic Greeks, EU country citizens, and citizens of third countries must submit a declaration stating no pending military obligations.

The verification of the above conditions is conducted through the DYPA Information System or/and through declarations of responsibility by the potential beneficiaries.

Ineligible Activities

a) Businesses engaged in the primary production of fisheries and aquaculture products;

b) Businesses involved in the processing and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products if the subsidy amount is determined based on the price or quantity of products purchased or marketed;

c) Businesses engaged in the primary production of agricultural products;

d) Businesses involved in the processing and marketing of agricultural products, under the following scenarios:

i) When the subsidy amount is determined based on the price or quantity of these products purchased from primary producers or marketed by the concerned businesses;

ii) When the subsidy is conditional upon the obligation to partially or fully transfer it to primary producers;

e) Activities related to exports to third countries or EU member states, especially subsidies directly linked to export quantities, creation and operation of distribution networks, or other ongoing expenses related to export activities;

Generally, activities listed as non-eligible under the codes provided in Appendix 3 are excluded.

Application Submission Procedure

The funding application (investment proposal) must be submitted electronically to the Integrated Information System for State Aid (IISSA). The application must be accompanied by necessary documentation, including a comprehensive business plan to achieve a high score.

Evaluation of Funding Applications

STAGE A: Completeness and Eligibility Check of Proposal

Ensures the minimum formal requirements set out in the regulatory framework are met, after which the proposal proceeds to Stage B of the evaluation.

STAGE B: Evaluation of Proposals Based on Criteria Groups

1^st CRITERIA GROUP: Completeness of Proposal Content (Yes/No)

(A1) Clarity and completeness of the proposed action's physical object (Yes/No)
(A2) Realistic timeline of the action (Yes/No)

2^nd CRITERIA GROUP: Compliance with institutional framework and integration of horizontal policies (Yes/No)

During the examination of this criteria group, the following are evaluated:

(B1) Compatibility of the action with competition and state aid rules (Yes/No)
(B2) Safeguarding and promoting gender equality (Yes/No)
(B3) Compliance with institutional framework excluding public procurement, considering the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (Yes/No)
(B4) Prevention of discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation (Yes/No)
(B5) Ensuring accessibility for individuals with disabilities (Yes/No)

3^rd CRITERIA GROUP: Relevance of the Action (scored criterion with a maximum score of 50)

(C1) Necessity of Action Implementation (1-10)
(C2) Effectiveness (1-10)
(C3) Efficiency (1-10)
(C4) Sustainability, Functionality, Utilization (1-10)
(C5) Innovation of Actions (1-10)

4^th CRITERIA GROUP: Maturity of Action (scored criterion with a maximum score of 10)

(D1) Stage of development of required actions for maturity and progress of administrative or other actions (1-10)

CONDITION FOR POSITIVE EVALUATION:

1^st CRITERIA GROUP: Must receive a YES on all criteria.

2^nd CRITERIA GROUP: Must receive a YES on all criteria.

3^rd CRITERIA GROUP: Must be equal to or greater than 20.

4^th CRITERIA GROUP: Must be equal to or greater than 4.

If the proposal has been positively evaluated and if the beneficiary or the investment falls within the emphasis of the action, the action receives an additional 10 points. Specifically, it is examined whether the investment belongs to sectors (e.g., digital economy, green economy, etc.) emphasized by the action, or if the beneficiary belongs to the corresponding groups emphasized by the action.

In case of a negative evaluation at any of the two stages (previously mentioned Stages A and B), the proposal is rejected, and the potential beneficiary is informed accordingly.

Implementation Procedure

After the issuance of the approval decision in the program, the now-approved beneficiaries must, within 90 days, establish their businesses and operate legally within Greek territory. Additionally, the beneficiaries are obliged to comply with the program terms throughout its implementation and operate in eligible NACE codes (the ineligible NACE codes for this action are listed in Appendix 3).

Potential beneficiaries can join the action either to establish an individual enterprise or a legal entity (eligible forms of enterprises are mentioned in Appendix 4). In the case of legal entities, they must hold at least 51% of the company shares and be the legal representatives of the enterprise, except for cooperatives where the provisions of Law 4430/2016 (A'205) apply throughout the action.

Funding Method

Beneficiaries of the Action will be subsidized with an amount equal to €17,000, which will be disbursed in three installments as follows:

1st installment of €4,600, after the start of operations
2nd installment of €6,200, after the end of the first semester from the start
3rd installment of €6,200, after the end of the second semester from the start

The duration of the subsidy is set at twelve (12) months, starting from the date of the business's operational commencement.

You can find the full program guide at the following link: Entrepreneurship Support Program for Unemployed Individuals Aged 30-59 with an Emphasis on Women

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