OPEI offers businesses CZK 1.5 billion for development of information technologies and business support services

2 Sep. 2011 | CzechInvest, Ministry of Industry and Trade | The Ministry of Industry and Trade has extended the third call for submission of aid applications.

OPPI Businesses can receive up to CZK 1.5 billion as support for investments in the establishment or expansion of software-development centres and shared-services centres, building of data centres or construction and development of service centres for high-tech products. An extension of the third call of the ICT and Business Support Services Program was announced by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic on 1 September 2011. The programme is part of the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation.

“Thanks to support from the ICT and Business Support Services Programme, hundreds of new jobs intended especially for highly skilled specialists are being created in the Czech Republic. To date, we have supported nearly three hundred such projects. There is a great deal of interest in the programme, which – together with the value of these supported projects – convinced us to reopen the programme for new projects,” says Minister of Industry and Trade Martin Kocourek.

“The most important new aspect is that, within the programme, it will newly be possible to support investments in the construction of data centres with high value added and with a substantial international focus. In addition to this, it will also be newly possible for aid applicants to have the legal form of a European company,” says Petr Očko, direct of the EU Funds, Research and Development Section of the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“Enterprises of all types and legal entities and natural persons specified in the call are eligible to apply for aid. Each applicant can obtain aid in the amount of CZK 1.5 million to CZK 100 million, or even up to CZK 150 million in selected regions,” saysMiroslav Křížek, CEO of CzechInvest, adding: “The aid amount differs depending on the size of the enterprise and the region. Though this involves an extension of the call, entities that submitted applications in the original third call can again apply for aid.”

Acceptance of registration applications for aid from the ICT and Business Support Services Programme will begin on 1 October 2011 and end on 15 January 2012. CzechInvest will accept full applications from 1 November 2011 to 21 March 2012. In light of the approaching end of the whole Operational Programme, unlike with previous calls it will be possible to terminate acceptance of registration applications prior to 15 January if the financing requested in the received applications significantly exceeds the total amount allocated for the programme.

Aid applications from all aid programmes of the Operational Programme Enterprise and Innovation, including the ICT and Business Support Services Programme, can be administered exclusively via the eAccount application on the website at www.czechinvest.org. Interested parties can pose their inquiries via the information line pertaining to aid programmes at 800 800 777, which is available free of charge on business days from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. They can also receive consultations regarding their business plans and inquiries about the eAccount application or about the possibility of obtaining an electronic signature also at CzechInvest’s 13 regional offices on business days from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More information is available at http://www.czechinvest.org/regionalni-kancelare.