Questions and answers
FAQ
What sort of services are offered by the AfterCare Department?
The mission of the AfterCare Department is to provide active support to both local and foreign companies operating on the Czech market. We are ready to help you overcome any obstacle you may face in your business. We offer all-round services and maximum support in your potential expansion or additional projects in the areas of development, innovation, employee training, property refurbishment, or establishment of high-tech repair centres. The funds available for all this can be drawn from European funds and from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Click here for more information.
Whom are the AfterCare Department’s services intended for?
These services are intended for local and foreign companies operating on the Czech market.
Click here for more information.
Why to (re)invest in the Czech Republic?
- Good location
- Good-quality Czech educational system
- Skilled workforce
- Wages and salaries lower than in western Europe
- High-quality infrastructure
- Business properties ready for use
- Low criminality
- Stable economic environment
What forms of financial support are currently available?
Investment incentives:
In order to obtain incentives, it is necessary to fulfil the basic condition:
Software-development centre and data centre
Creation of at least 20 new jobs
Shared-services centre and high-tech repair centre
Creation of at least 70 new jobs
Customer support centre
Creation of at least 500 new jobs
Manufacturing industry
Investment in assets of at least CZK 50 million – CZK 100 million depending on the region, of which at least 50% in new machines, with concurrent creation of at least 20 new jobs
Technology centres
Minimum investment amount of CZK 10 million, of which at least 50% in new machines, with concurrent creation of at least 20 new jobs
Investment incentives can also be used by expanding firms if they fulfil the above-mentioned requirements. More detailed information is available on our website in the investment incentives section.
European structural funds:
EU funds are the main tool for implementing European economic and social cohesion policy. Financial resources intended for mitigating the economic and social differences between EU member countries and their regions are distributed via these funds.
Within the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness (OPEIC) for the 2014-2020 period, the Ministry of Industry and Trade intends to support projects implemented throughout the Czech Republic with the exception of Prague. Applicants will be able to use financial resources from EU structural funds for co-financing business projects in the manufacturing industry and related services. The purpose of the programme is to support companies that are striving to, for example, increase the innovativeness of their business in the area of research and development.
The AfterCare department can provide you with consultations regarding individual grant programmes.
A list of current calls is available at:
What kind of financial support is intended for research and development?
OPEIC
Primarily the Potential, Innovation and Application programmes are offered within the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness (OPEIC). A list of current calls is available here.
TACR
The Technology Agency of the Czech Republic is an organisational unit of the state that centralises state aid for applied research and development, which was previously fragmented among a large number of providers. The current schedule of calls is available here.
TRIO
On 3 October 2016, the Ministry of Industry and Trade announced a single-stage public competition in research, development and innovation pursuant to Act No. 130/2002 Coll., on Support for Research, Experimental Development and Innovation from Public Funds and on the Amendment of Certain Related Acts, as amended (hereinafter referred to as the “Act”), within the TRIO programme. More detailed information is available here.
OPRDE
Within the Operational Programme Research, Development and Education (OPRDE), the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport issued on 19 January 2017 a call for Long-term Inter-sector Cooperation, which has the purpose of supporting the intensification of long-term inter-sector cooperation through aid for the establishment and development of partnerships and cooperation between research organisations and the application sphere in connection with jointly conducted research.
How to proceed in employing expatriates?
Procedure of granting the visa:
- The application, including all required details, should be submitted personally by the foreign national to the Czech Embassy
- The decision about the application is made by the Czech Ministry of the Interior
- The visa must be picked up from the same Czech Embassy to which the application was submitted
- The period required by law to process the application for the visa is 90 – 120 days of the date of its submission and the validity of the visa is for 6 months.
Click here for more information about visa.
Is there a possibility to cooperate with universities/colleges/secondary schools?
Yes, of course. If you are interested in such cooperation, our Department is ready to mediate it for you. Please, contact us at afc@czechinvest.org.
Can the AfterCare Department help me optimise my supplier portfolio?
Yes, of course. Our sourcing team is ready to help you. It maintains sectoral databases, which serve as an effective tool to seek and classify suppliers in the manufacturing and development area in the Czech Republic.
Click here for more information.
We do not have sufficient capital to finance further development / I would like to sell my business. Is there any support programme/project?
Yes, such support is provided through the CzechLink Project. CzechLink is intended for Czech businesses seeking strategic partners or investment partners. The project supports acquisition of existing businesses and the formation of joint venture partnerships.
The main objective of the project is to make it easier for Czech businesses to contact foreign investors, to help businesses become stronger in terms of capital and to strengthen the inflow of foreign investments in the Czech Republic.
Click here for more information.
Does CzechInvest organise any activities/seminars?
Yes, CzechInvest organises a range of seminars that are attended primarily by financial and personnel managers.
HR Point
We regularly hold HR Point seminars in every region of the Czech Republic. These seminars bring HR specialists of major firms together with specialists in the field of HR and personnel agencies. You can look forward to interesting workshops, discussions on current problems and inspiring initiatives in the area of HR. For more information, please visit the HR Point website.
Upcoming events
Information on upcoming seminars is available here.
For more information on upcoming events, you can contact either the AfterCare department or a representative of CzechInvest’s regional office in your region.
Can CzechInvest/Aftercare department support me in making a decision to expand?
If your parent company requires the necessary statistics concerning the Czech Republic, the labour market, the population’s language skills, financial support etc., you can contact us at afc@czechinvest.org and we will send you all the required information. We can also provide for meetings or reference visits.
Does the CzechInvest Agency provide advice in the export area?
Unfortunately, this area is outside CzechInvest’s scope. Nevertheless, we can contact CzechTrade, our sister agency, which provides a wide range of advisory, information, assistance and educational services to exporters. CzechTrade’s mission is to help Czech companies be successful on foreign markets.
Click here for more information.
How to proceed in applying for a subsidy under the OPEI Programme?
Compared to the previous period (2004–2006), a significant change has been made in the project submission procedure under the OPPI 2007–2013 Programme. Unlike in the preceding programming period, the applications for support are as a rule submitted in two steps, and are submitted electronically.
Click here for information about the steps in the process of applying for a subsidy.
Can the AfterCare Department help me obtain information in the areas of law, employment etc.?
Yes, of course. CzechInvest is a member of the Association for Foreign Investments (AFI). The AFI represents a group of renowned Czech companies supporting the entry of foreign investors in the Czech Republic and providing a wide range of professional services to foreign investors entering the Czech market.
You can contact us with your inquiries at afc@czechinvest.org. We will find such information for you and/or provide for consultations, the first being provided, in each case, free of charge.
We have a new investment/technological product and we would like to succeed with it on another market. Can the CzechInvest agency help us?
If you wish to find new opportunities for your business, or seek capital or a strategic partner, and if you have an innovative product with potential to succeed in the global marketplace, then the CzechAccelerator Project is intended for you.
Click here for more information.
Does the CzechInvest website contain up-to-date information about the existing foreign investment projects implemented with CzechInvest’s participation?
Yes, statistics updated on the yearly basis are available at CzechInvest’s website. Since 1993, CzechInvest has contributed to the implementation of more than 1,565 investment projects, including 659 projects of Czech origin.
Click here for more information about the projects.
Is there any available information about the investment environment in the Czech Republic?
Relevant information about the Czech investment environment is contained in the Factsheets at our website.
Click here for more information.
I am seeking a suitable property for my project. Can the AfterCare Department help me?
Yes, of course. CzechInvest is actively cooperating with local authorities and developers in helping foreign and local industrial and strategic service investors to purchase or rent commercial property. CzechInvest also manages the largest property database in the Czech Republic. We are therefore able to help you in preparing property offers or seeking suitable space, to provide advice, arrange for visits to properties, or to monitor the commercial property market.
You can contact us with your requests at afc@czechinvest.org and we will send you the offers.
