This year as well as in the past, we are helping businesses and innovative individuals to reach the grant (subsidy) of 54.000 euros to develop an innovative product or service with high added-value. The funds have been available for many years under the P2 tender, published in the spring by the Slovene Enterprise Fund. The competition is tough, so good preparation is essential. At Start:up Slovenia we want to help you, so we have prepared a transparent guide with the most useful instructions on how to apply for the call.
Key facts about the P2 tender
P2 enables companies to obtain a non-refundable start-up incentive (subsidy).
In 2019, 2.160.000 euros were available, or up to 54.000 euros for each company.
Funds are disbursed in three tranches.
The companies that are organized as a limited liability company, a sole proprietor or a cooperative are eligible for the tender.
Purpose of the tender
The call aims to transfer successfully the development ideas of enterprising individuals or teams into successful companies and to create new innovative companies with growth potential. The focus of the call is on the development and commercialization of products, processes and services.
Why is good preparation important?
- In 2019, the deadline to apply for pre-selection was on March 23, the deadline for submitting the call for proposals was one month later. If the call is published and the timeline is similar to last year, it is only a month, which is very little.
- Participation in the DEMO Day in pre-selection last year brought up to 35 out of 100 possible points to entrepreneurs, so good preparation is all the more important.
- There are usually more than 100 applications, and the resources are limited, so it is all the more important to submit a great application and aim at every possible point of the call.
Understanding the tender documentation better with the manual
Although the manual does not replace the reading of the tender documentation, it answers the most frequently asked questions of entrepreneurs. It will alert you to the most common mistakes made by entrepreneurs over the years and help you avoid them. The guide also provides a spreadsheet on how to get the points you need to succeed on the call.
Several successful young entrepreneurs have found how valuable P2 incentive is on their entrepreneurial paths. "The funding we received from the P2 tender was key to our survival in the first two years of operations. Without these funds, Equaleyes Solutions probably would not have survived, "admits Luka Topolovec of Equaleyes Solutions.
"Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, the P2 tender has provided us with the additional wind to our sails, accelerating our entry onto the market," said Marko Borko, a member of the Borgla team that developed Kefirko. Sergei Prosen of Biometrics, which develops the ArmBeep gadget for tennis players, says: "The funding we received from the P2 tender allowed us to develop a product prototype and find our first customers. Without the tender, our business idea would most likely remain in the drawer. "
Preparation Programme for success at P2
There are always questions on the entrepreneurial path, but most of them are right at the beginning...
- Are my status and idea suitable for applying?
- What are the basic conditions for you to participate in the call for proposals?
- What are the key elements of presenting an idea?
- What is the tender score?
- What is the significance of the amount of paid-in capital?
Workshops in a supportive environment, such as the preparation program, organized by Start:up Maribor can be a valuable help in finding answers to these and other questions. You will be able to prepare an application for the tender with the help of an experienced mentor.
Jure Daić, the founder of H2O Globe and the Dive Platform with the same name, said about his success at P2 last year: “We were green and didn’t see the essence. When we went through the call with a mentor, we saw where we went wrong. Without the help of the mentors, we would not gain these resources and reach such a high quality of the application."
For information on workshops on other locations around the country, subscribe to the Start:up Slovenia newsletter. Also, follow the Slovene Enterprise Fund for full details of the call.
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Content support for recipients of P2, SK75 or SI-SK financial products under the "de minimis" scheme is co-financed by the Slovene Enterprise Fund and the European Union from the European Regional Development Fund. This is implemented on the basis of the Content Support for Funds Recipients (SMEs) Programme in the 2018-2023 period, under the Operational Programme for the Implementation of the European Cohesion Policy 2014-2020.
Tags
Slovene Enterprise Fund
P2
Tender P2
Support for innovative companies
