Grants for innovation support for SMEs

Organisations that offer various forms of innovation advisory to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These may include organisations that provide research and knowledge transfer, infrastructure for research, testing and experimentation, European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs), or innovation clusters.

The provider must be qualified to deliver services that meet the defined needs of the relevant target group. We pre-qualify providers through an open call and selection process.

You can therefore only apply for this scheme through this process.

This service aims to strengthen the long-term competitiveness, adaptability, profitability and growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Innovation services may include:

1. A recurring service, for example, the same course, workshop, event or activity delivered several times during the year.
2. The service takes the form of a programme delivered over an extended period (e.g. one year), with several sessions and activities included. In such cases, you must clearly describe the programme content on your website. You can also attach a more detailed programme description to your application to us.
3. The overall offering includes several services delivered over a set period (e.g. one year).

You must provide a complete description of the proposed service. It must meet the target group's needs and be delivered cost-effectively.

You should demonstrate that you have access to the relevant expertise needed to deliver the service as described. You must have experience of delivering similar services and be able to provide references from previous customers.

The provider's services must be clearly described on its website, including the market price for the services. This is the price paid by companies that do not qualify for SME support. The website must state the amount of support, in NOK, offered to SMEs.

The gross price of the services must be based either on the market price of comparable services or on the cost of providing the service plus a reasonable margin. In the application, you must explain the principles used to define your pricing model, whether it is based on comparable services or on cost recovery plus a reasonable margin. You must also explain in the application the rationale for the proposed level of support for the various services.

The website must clearly state who the service is for, what it aims to achieve and how SMEs can access it. It must also state whether a minimum or maximum number of participants applies to each service.

In the application, you must explain how your registration system will work. It must provide an overview of which services recipients/businesses use, the price of each service, and whether the service recipient qualifies for support. If a recipient wants an SME discount, they must actively request it, for example by ticking a box stating 'We would like a discount reserved for SMEs'. The business must then also provide information showing that it qualifies for this support:

1. The company meets the SME definition under the state aid rules.
2. Your company must not be 'in difficulty' as defined in Article 2(18) of the GBER
3. If the proposed discount exceeds 50%, you must confirm that the total amount of this type of support you receive over a three-year period does not exceed the ceiling of EUR 200,000.

In the application, the provider must explain that they have established a system for retaining this information for 10 years from the date of the final delivery.

We prioritise applications based on the criteria set out in the relevant call for proposals and the pre-qualification process, with particular emphasis on:

• whether the purpose of the proposal aligns with the assignment (effectiveness in achieving its purpose)
• how well the offer meets the target group's needs
• whether similar services are already available to businesses in the target group
• estimated costs of delivering the relevant services, both in total and per participant (cost-effectiveness)
• the need for funding to deliver the service to the target group (incentive effect)
• regional differences
• avoid unintended distortion of competition

Applications must qualify for funding in accordance with Article 28 of the State aid rules, 'Innovation aid for SMEs'.

We have prepared two reporting templates, one in Word and one in Excel. The first page of the report is mandatory. You can replace the second page with a printout from your invoicing software, provided the invoice summary includes the required documentation showing which service the company received, the market price, the grant and the net price. See the offer letter for further details of the requirements.

You need an auditor's confirmation for the final report.

• Project report template
• Project accounts template