BG16RFOP002-1.002 „Support for development of innovations by start-up companies“
The MA of OPIC informs all applicants, that with State Gazette (SG) No 76/30.09.2016 a CMD №243/30.09.2016 for adoption of the Regulation for determining the terms and mechanism of functioning of the unified information system for management and monitoring of resources from the European structural and investment funds (UMIS) and for the conduct of proceedings before the managing authorities accordingly via UMIS is promulgated.
According to § 2 of the final provisions of the Decree: „In § 4 of the transitional and final provisions of the Decree № 160 of the Council of Ministers from 2016, determining rules for consideration and evaluation of offers and contracting procedure for selection with an open call by beneficiaries of grants from the European structural and investment funds (SG No52 from 2016) a new para. 4 is created:
„(4) In the cases of art. 2 para. 1 and 7 and art. 5 para. 2 – to ensuring technical possibility of using the UMIS, the physical and juridical persons and their associations – applicants for a grant by the ESIF, publish the public calls and messages for raising bids on the Single information portal, and the offers must be submitted to the address of the grant applicant, specified in the public invitation.“
The said provision creates an opportunity for the conduct of procedures for selection of contractor on behalf of grant applicants. In this respect, MA of OPIC draws attention, that no later than three days prior to the date of announcement of the procedure, it must be submitted to e-mail tenders@mi.government.bg for publishing on the Single information portal for general information about the management of Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the European Union in Bulgaria.
Given the opportunity for starting the implementation activities of project proposals submitted before signing a grant contract, stipulated in the Act for management of the funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds (amend. and supplemented. SG No 43 of 06.07.2016), MA of OPIC informs all potential applicants, that by 08.07.2016 is in force Decree № 160 from July 1, 2016 determining the rules for consideration and evaluation of bids and contracting procedure for selection with an open call by beneficiaries of grants from the European structural and investment funds (into force on 08.07.2016). In this regard, the selection of a contractor shall be in compliance with the provisions of Chapter Four of the Act for management of the funds from the European Structural and Investment Funds and DCM 160/01.07.2016 and the actual samples of the published on the Internet site of the MA Guidelines on implementation of grant contracts under OPIC. (only in Bulgarian language)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UNDER THE PROCEDURE (only in Bulgarian language)
Directorate General "European Funds for Competitiveness" - Managing Authority of Operational Programme "Innovation and Competitiveness" 2014-2020 invites those wishing to submit project proposals under Priority Axis 1 "Technological development and innovation", Investment Priority 1.1 "Technological development and innovation", by ANNOUNCING a procedure for selection of projects:
BG16RFOP002-1.002 „Support for development of innovations by start-up companies“
The objective of the procedure is providing support for start-ups in Bulgaria to enhance the innovation activities in the thematic areas of The Innovation strategy for smart specialization (ISSS), as the implementation of projects supported under the procedure, should lead to the development of a product (good or service) or process within the priority sectors of the thematic areas of ISSS.
The applicable state aid regime under this procedure for selection of projects is „de minimis” according to Regulation (EC) № 1407/2013 of the Commission of December 18, 2013 concerning the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to "de minimis" aid.
The grant procedure is funded with the support from the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund. The projects should be implemented on the territory of Bulgaria. The total amount of the grant under the procedure is BGN 19 558 300.
Eligible under the procedure are projects, including the following activities:
1/ Performing applied scientific research, testing, testing and measurements (incl. the creation of programmes and methodologies) related to the development of the innovative product or process;
2/ Research, acquisition and application of scientific research results, technologies, know-how, unpatented inventions, intellectual property rights;
3/ Protection of the intellectual property rights at national and international level (incl. registration fees for patent, utility model or industrial design);
4/ Creation and testing of prototypes and pilot lines;
5/ Development of economic evaluation, financial evaluation and technical evaluation (incl. Investment business plan) of the developed innovative product or process;
6/ Development of technologies for the production of the innovative product or process;
7/ Development of market analysis, marketing plans, commercialization of the innovative product or process;
8/ Promotional events in Bulgaria related to the promotion of the innovative product or process;
9/ Project visualization.
The submission of the project proposal under the current procedure is carried out entirely electronically by completing a web based application form and submitting the application and accompanying documents via the Unified information system for management and monitoring of the EU Structural Instruments in Bulgaria (UMIS 2020) solely using a qualified electronic signature (QES), by module „Е- application“ at the following web address: https://eumis2020.government.bg.
The procedure is with deadline for submission of project proposals: 7:00 p.m. on 05/05/2016.
Applicants may ask additional questions and request clarifications regarding their application up to 3 weeks before the deadline for submission of project proposals. Additional questions can be asked only by the e-mail shown below, clearly indicating the name of the procedure for the selection of projects:
E-mail address: startups@mi.government.bg
Clarifications that contain opinion on the quality of a specific project proposal will not be given. Answers to questions, set over the phone, will not be given. Individual replies to questions, asked by candidates under the procedure, will not be sent.
The full package of documents (Requirements for Application, Requirements for Implementation and their Annexes /only in Bulgarian language/) under the procedure is published on the website of the Operational programme: www.opic.bg, as well as on the Single information portal for general information about the management of Structural Funds and Cohesion Fund of the European Union in Bulgaria: www.eufunds.bg.