Funding Guideline ESF Plus Skilled Labor Retention and Social Participation – Founding Guideline
The Free State of Thuringia supports business start-ups and company successions in Thuringia with grants for intensive consultations, start-up passes, networking projects, and start-up bonuses. Applications for consultations and passes can be submitted continuously, while deadlines apply for projects and bonuses.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The purpose of this funding guideline is to support prospective founders and business successors in Thuringia on the topics of corporate strategies, financing, competitiveness, innovation management, internationalization, and technology management, as well as to promote the development of consulting networks.
Eligible expenses
- Consulting services and quality assurance
- Training measures
- Personnel and material costs
- Travel and administrative expenses
- Standard unit costs for living expenses (start-up grant)
Non-eligible expenses
- Contributions U1, U2, and U3
Eligible to apply
- Founders
- Interest Groups and Other Associations
- Public Institutions
Funding requirements
- Natural persons with a concrete founding project or business takeover in Thuringia who are not yet economically self-employed
- Legal entities under private law, Thuringian chambers, associations or other suitable institutions based in Thuringia for consulting and networking projects
- Innovation-based pre-founding for founding bonus, no simultaneous social security-obligated employment relationships
Documents required for application
- Application form
- De minimis declaration
- Exposé (for start-up grant)
- Supervision plan (for start-up pass)
Evaluation criteria
- Innovative content of the project
- Economic potential and employment impact
- Quality of the funding concept
- Outcome of the jury session/presentation
Description
The funding guideline ESF Plus Skilled Labor Security and Social Participation – Start-up Guideline of the Free State of Thuringia is aimed at founders, successors of small and medium-sized enterprises, interest groups, associations, as well as public institutions in the state. The focus is on four funding objectives: subsidized intensive consultations, the start-up pass, networking projects for consulting networks, and the start-up premium for securing livelihood during the pre-start-up phase. With a subsidy rate of 80% to 100% and a maximum duration of 48 months, topics such as business strategies, financing, competitiveness, innovation management, internationalization, and technology management are specifically strengthened. Consulting costs, training measures, personnel and material costs, as well as travel and administrative expenses are eligible for funding; only contributions U1, U2, and U3 are not covered.
Eligible for funding are natural persons with a concrete start-up plan or business takeover in Thuringia who are not yet self-employed, as well as legal entities under private law, chambers, and associations for the implementation of consulting and networking projects. Innovation-based pre-start-ups can receive a monthly premium of up to €3,500 for up to twelve months. The selection criteria centrally include the degree of innovation, economic potential, employment impact, quality of the concept, and the outcome of a jury session. Applications for intensive consultations and start-up passes can be submitted continuously; projects and start-up premiums follow annual deadlines in the TAB online portal. Required documents include, in addition to the application form and the de minimis declaration, an exposé for the start-up premium or a supervision plan for the start-up pass.
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