Deadline: 13-Sep-21
Applications are now open for the ICMPD’s SME Support Grant Scheme for Job Creation to implement the European Union-funded “Enhancement of Entrepreneurship Capacities for Sustainable Socio-Economic Integration (ENHANCER) Project” in close cooperation with the General Directorate of Development Agencies under the Republic of Turkey Ministry of Industry and Technology as of January 2020.
The aim of the ENHANCER project is to enable the SuTPs and the LHC1 (Local Host Community) in developing new and growing businesses to provide sustainable jobs and livelihoods and develop a sustainable enabling institutional environment. The framework consists of modular strategies and actions that can be tailored to different types of regional, sectoral and socio-cultural settings.
Objectives
- In that sense, the specific objectives of the project are defined as
- Increase the entrepreneurial activity of the SuTPs and the LHCs by providing an enabling environment and support in creation of new products and markets, which are tradable beyond the local market. This will be the entrepreneurial line focus of the project,
- Local entrepreneurial ecosystems are more effective and inclusive for the SuTPs and the LHCs. This will be the ecosystem line focus of the project,
- Policy development related to socio-economic integration and coordination of the implementation of those policies are improved in a structured manner at the national, regional and local levels. This will be the policy line focus of the project.
- Employment opportunities of the SuTPs and local host communities increased through strengthening the performance of the market operators. Finally, this will be the job creation line focus of the project.
- The overall objective of this call for proposals is to increase the job creation efforts of relevant local stakeholders in Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Konya, Mersin and Kayseri through grant interventions.
- The specific objective of this call for proposal is to contribute to well established, financially stable small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in the targeted provinces to grow and thereby generate sustainable employment for SuTPs and LHC members.
- Hence, grants will be awarded to proposals which have the potential to create additional employment (or formalise employment) in parallel with sustainable business growth. The proposed action (project) should cover at least two priority areas under this call for proposals.
Priority Areas
- Generating sustainable employment for SuTPs and LHC members,
- Integrating SuTPs into the Turkish economy through sustainable employment,
- Increasing the amount of decent and registered employment opportunities,
- Improving matching between jobs and workers in terms of skill.
Funding Information
- The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3 000 000.
- Any grant awarded under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- minimum amount: EUR 20 000
- maximum amount: EUR 55 000
- Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
- Minimum percentage: 75% of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Maximum percentage: 90% of the total eligible costs of the action.
Eligibility Criteria
Lead Applicant
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:
- be a legal person (be properly registered) and have their headquarters and operational production facilities in the targeted provinces: Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Konya, Mersin and Kayseri; and
- be a Small and Medium Sized Enterprise (SME); and For this call for proposals, the EU SME definition is applied to determine the status of an applicant. Applicants shall calculate the Exchange rate as €1 = TRY 10.44 according to Info euro for June 2021.
- have 100% privately owned share; and
- have no previous non-paid overdue liabilities, overdue social charges and tax payment, defaulted loans; and
- be experienced and able to provide information on their capacity to manage projects, corresponding with the size of the project for which a grant is requested; and
- be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary; and
- have been established at least 2 years prior to the announcement date of this call for proposals; and
- have net profit at the end of 2019 and 2020; and
- not decrease its turnover (in TRY) more than 25% in 2020 compared to 2019
Co-applicant(s)
- Note: Please note that co-applicant(s) are partners in a project (application) and not a shareholder partner of the applicant.
- Where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) (if any) are hereinafter jointly referred to as ‘applicant(s)’. Below are the key principles regarding co-applicant(s).
- Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
- Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant itself.
- Coapplicants do not necessarily need to be registered in the same province as the lead applicant; however, they should be registered in one of the targeted provinces: Istanbul, Izmir, Bursa, Konya, Mersin and Kayseri.
- Co-applicants must sign the mandate of the grant application form. If awarded a grant, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary (ies) in the action (together with the lead applicant).
For more information, visit https://www.icmpd.org/work-with-us/grants/open-calls-for-proposals