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Start-Up Nation 2018
Grants of up to RON 200 000/beneficiary
The Ministry for
Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship (MBCE) has published on its website the updated form of the procedural documents required for online registration in the Start-Up Nation Programme, 2018 edition, including the business plan template and the eligibility statements.
Applicants can enrol in
the programme, request
a financing agreement in principle and fill in the business plan, and everything is performed online.
The score of the business plan is calculated in real time and in a transparent way, according to the rating scale. The minimum score
in order to be accepted in principle for administrative and eligibility verification is 50 points out of a maximum possible score of 100 points. The application will remain open for 30 days.
The non-refundable financial allowance of up to RON 200 000/beneficiary may account for 100% of the value of the eligible costs (including VAT for non-paying companies) related to the project, the ministry explained.
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The Start-Up Nation 2018 Programme is available
for companies established after January 30, 2017,
which operate in the fields of production, creative industries, services and commerce.
In order to take part in the program, companies must create at least one full-time
job for an indefinite period and maintain it occupied for at least two years after the project implementation is completed.
"We advise entrepreneurs
to develop their business plans based on the published documents and to be ready
to register them when the platform will be opened, in the second decade of December. We are working on several plans simultaneously: to adopt the draft Government Ordinance and to publish the procedure for implementing the de minimis scheme in
the Official Gazette”, said Ştefan Radu Oprea, Minister for Business, Commerce and Entrepreneurship.
Another announcement by MBCE was the giving up, following the public consultation process, of a provision in the draft programme stipulating that the projects would be contracted on a first come, first served basis.
“It is only fair to offer a chance to entrepreneurs from areas that are economically less developed, and the Start-Up Nation programme aims at awakening the entrepreneurial spirit and financially supporting business start-ups”, said Minister Ştefan Radu Oprea.
The Ministry specified that,
in view of the suggestions received, the score granted
in accordance with the amendment to the Emergency Ordinance provides equal opportunities to obtain funding for businesses started in the fields of: production, services and creative industries. “At
the same time, the project selection process will be based on ranking and transparent grading criteria under equal scoring conditions, and not on a first come, first served basis”, MBCE said.
Representatives of the ministry said that, following the public consultation process, the idea was unanimously embraced
to amend the Start-Up Nation programme so that it best serves the entrepreneurs’ interests