The Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) has announced a change to the documentation for the call for SME projects under the measure “Investments in the diversification of the HoReCa sector's activities”, financed from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (KPO). The change concerns the lowering of the required drop in turnover from 30% to 20%, calculated year on year.
The call for applications under KPO HoReCa runs until 20 August this year. Entrepreneurs can apply for support to expand or change the profile of their existing business in sectors such as hotels and catering (HoReCa), tourism or culture.
From 1 August this year, support can also be sought by companies that demonstrate a drop in turnover in 2020–2021 of at least 20%, rather than 30% as before. In connection with this change, the Rules and the SME Project Selection Criteria have been updated. Criterion B.3, concerning the lowering of the minimum drop in turnover from 30% to 20%, reads as follows:
“2. The applicant has declared that the drop in turnover was calculated in accordance with the principles set out in the Rules for the Selection of SME Projects and in the Instructions for Completing the Application for Support for an SME Project, which constitute an annex to those Rules. The criterion is deemed to be met if the year-on-year drop in turnover was at least 20%.
Where the year-on-year drop in turnover:
- is at least 20% but less than 40% – 1 point,
- is at least 40% but less than 50% – 3 points,
- is at least 50% – 5 points”.
Following the above change, the Instructions for Completing the Application have also been amended as regards the example illustrating how the drop in turnover is calculated.
Support under the Investment is available to entities that carry out an activity defined by a PKD (Polish Classification of Activities) code (the list of PKD codes is given on the measure's web page) and have this code entered as the main or an additional activity of the applicant's enterprise.
The maximum value of the eligible costs of an SME project is PLN 600,000. The maximum amount of support for an SME project is PLN 540,000. The maximum aid intensity for an SME project may not exceed 90% of eligible costs. Companies will be able to use the funding for investment costs, digital technologies, and training and development services.
On the day the application is submitted, the applicant should be conducting business in the voivodeship (province) in which it declares the location of the SME project. Conducting business in the voivodeship must be confirmed by an entry in the relevant register.
More information on the call is available on the PARP website.