Business Consultations for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SME Consulting Program)
Grant for external business consulting on strategic, economic, organizational, as well as product and communication design issues for small and medium-sized enterprises in Rhineland-Palatinate. Applications can be submitted at any time before commissioning the consulting.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The program supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Rhineland-Palatinate in utilizing external business consulting services on strategic, economic, technical, and organizational issues of corporate management as well as on product and communication design, in order to strengthen competitiveness and promote innovation.
Eligible expenses
- Consulting costs
Non-eligible expenses
- Legal, insurance, and tax consulting
- Sales consulting
- Acquisition and brokerage activities
- Interim management
Eligible to apply
- Companies
Funding requirements
- SMEs according to the EU definition with an establishment in Rhineland-Palatinate
- Consulting must be conducted at and applied in establishments in Rhineland-Palatinate
- External consulting services by university lecturers, research institutions, or qualified consulting firms
- Excluded: Primary production in agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture
- Excluded: Companies in difficulty or owned by the public sector
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Documents required for application
- Application form
- De-minimis declaration
- Project description/consultation concept
- Consultant's CV
- Proof of consultant's qualification (e.g., accreditation lists)
Description
The funding program in Rhineland-Palatinate supports small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in utilizing external expertise for strategic, economic, and organizational issues as well as for product and communication design. Qualified business consulting services provided by university lecturers, research institutions, and specialized consulting firms are subsidized with a non-repayable grant of up to 50% of the eligible consulting costs – up to a maximum of €500 per consulting day. One consulting day corresponds to at least eight hours of consultation. In total, up to 15 consulting days can be utilized within a period of three years. Applications can be submitted at any time before commissioning the consultation through the Chambers of Industry and Commerce, Chambers of Crafts, or the State Association of Liberal Professions in Rhineland-Palatinate. Following a positive funding recommendation by the accepting authority, the Investment and Structural Bank Rhineland-Palatinate (ISB) issues the grant approval.
Eligible for funding are SMEs according to the EU definition with a business establishment in Rhineland-Palatinate; excluded are companies from primary production, fisheries and aquaculture, as well as those in difficulty or under public ownership. Consultations on legal, insurance, and tax matters, sales consulting, acquisition and mediation activities, and interim management are excluded. Required for the application are a completed application form, a de minimis declaration, the consulting concept, and the consultants’ CV and proof of qualifications. The objective is to strengthen local competitiveness, promote innovation, and support decision-making processes through professional recommendations. The continuity of the program enables companies to cover consulting needs flexibly and on demand, thereby expanding their market position in the long term.
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