Innovation support grant for SMEs
We award the grant to organisations that offer various forms of innovation advisory services and support to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Both the service providers and the services must be eligible for support under Article 28 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). Our support is passed on to SMEs (the target businesses) through services offered at a reduced price (often referred to as pass-through support).
Eligible providers include research and knowledge-sharing organisations, research, testing and experimentation infrastructure providers, EDIHs (European Digital Hubs) and innovation clusters. They also include operators of the incubation and innovation hub programmes.
We help small and medium-sized businesses strengthen their competitiveness, adaptability, profitability and growth over the long term.
Innovation services can take the form of:
- A recurring service, such as a course, workshop, event or activity held several times throughout the year.
- The service takes the form of a programme delivered over an extended period (e.g. one year), with several sessions and activities built into it. In such cases, the programme content must be clearly described on the relevant web pages, and you can attach a more detailed programme description to your application to us.
- The overall offering includes several services delivered over a period of time (e.g. one year).
As an applicant/provider, you must submit a full description of the service you will deliver. The service must meet the target group's needs and be delivered cost-effectively.
As a provider, you can demonstrate access to relevant expertise to deliver the service as described. You must have experience of delivering similar services and be able to provide references from previous clients.
The provider must clearly describe its services on its website and state their market prices, meaning the prices paid by businesses that do not qualify for SME support. The website must also state the amount of support (in Norwegian kroner) available to SMEs.
The gross price of the services must be based either on the market price for comparable services or on the cost of delivering the service plus a reasonable margin. In your application, you must explain the principles you have used to define your pricing model, whether it is based on comparable services or on cost recovery plus a reasonable margin. You must also justify the proposed level of support for the different services.
Your website must clearly state who the service is for, what it aims to achieve and how SMEs can access it. It must also specify any maximum or minimum number of participants for each service.
In your application, you must explain to us how your registration system will work. It must keep track of which services recipients/businesses use and at what price, and whether the recipient qualifies for support. Recipients who want an SME discount must actively request it, for example by ticking a box labelled 'We would like a discount reserved for SMEs'. In this case, the business must also provide information demonstrating that it qualifies for this support:
- The company meets the definition of an SME under the State aid rules.
- Your company is not 'in difficulty' according to the definition in GBER Article 2(18)
- If the proposed discount exceeds 50%, you must confirm that the total amount of this type of aid you receive over a three-year period does not exceed €200,000.
In your application, you as the provider must explain that you have established a system to retain this information for 10 years from the final delivery.
We prioritise applications based on the criteria set out in the relevant call for proposals and prequalification process, with an emphasis on:
- whether the purpose of the proposal aligns with the assignment (effectiveness in achieving its objectives)
- how well the service meets the target group's needs
- whether similar services are already available to businesses in the target group
- estimated costs of delivering the services in total and per participant (cost-effectiveness)
- the need for support to deliver the service to the target group (incentive effect)
- regional differences
- avoid undue distortion of competition
Applications must qualify for support in accordance with the State aid rules, Article 28, Innovation aid for SMEs, point (c), on ‘pass-through’ aid.
1. Start with Single point of entry
If you are a new customer or want to know which services suit your project, start with Single point of entry. Answer a few questions and receive recommendations within 1–2 days on what could be relevant for you. These may include services from us or other organisations in Norway.
2. Start your application and talk to an advisor
To apply for funding from us, log in to My page and go to 'Start an application'. Choose the application type that meets your needs. You can use the 'Contact an advisor' button if you have questions or would like feedback before submitting your application.
3. Assessment
We process applications on an ongoing basis, and several people assess each application. We familiarise ourselves with your company and the plans you have outlined, and assess your project. In addition to our standard assessment criteria, you can find specific criteria for this service on the page you are currently viewing.
4. Decision and signing
Once we have processed your application, we will notify you by email. You can find our decision on My page. If we offer you funding, you should carefully review the terms and conditions and how payments are made. Remember to sign the offer by the deadline, otherwise it may lapse.
See our funding guides
We have prepared two reporting templates, one in Word and one in Excel. Page one of the report is mandatory. You can replace page two with a printout from your invoicing software, provided the invoice summary documents the service your business received, the market price, the aid amount and the net price. See your offer letter for details of the requirements.
An auditor’s confirmation is required for final reporting.
