Development support

Which companies can apply for development support? 

Newly started and existing companies with business ventures in Västernorrland. The development support can be applied for by small and medium-sized companies.

Some basic requirements which must be met:

• Conduct its business venture and create lasting employment at the company's permanent workplace in Västernorrland County
• Not conducted as a hobby. By hobby activities meaning that the main personal income is derived from, for example, employment, pension or other activity. This implies that if it is only the business owner who works in the applicant company, he may not have more than 50 compensations from elsewhere.
• Set a goal of having at least one full-time job within 1 year
• Have good care of staff with a collective agreement or comparable wages and working conditions.
• Have a financial need for the grant
• Assessed to be able to achieve long-term profitability
• Operated on market terms
• Produce or refine one’s own product or service
• Not being in any financial difficulties, which will be checked via a credit report

Important prerequisites 

• The application must be submitted prior to the investment begins -nothing may be ordered, agreed or purchased beforehand
• The grant can be approved once per company during a three-year period.
• The level of the grant is up to 50 percent and maximum which can be granted is SEK 30,000. Grants can be applied for investments up to SEK 100,000
• The development support can be granted to companies who operate business ventures in the local/regional market
• The development support can be granted for companies with mobile business ventures
• For start-up companies, the otherwise valid requirement for existing income and salary withdrawals in the company can be waived. Businesses are considered start-ups for 24 months from the start of the business venture
• The investment must be at least SEK 20,000 

Which investments are eligible for investment grants?

• Machinery, equipment and other movable assets
• Marketing for a maximum of 3 months
• Product and service development, consulting services
• Human resource development, cutting-edge expertise (not basic education)
• Graphic layout or design
• A first website or significant functional change
• Manuals, instructions or descriptions for their product or service
• Trademark protection, patents, certification
• Exhibiting at a fair, first participation, at a new market or of a new product

Which investments are not supported for grants?

• Vehicles or portable equipment
• Purchase of land or buildings
• Renovation and maintenance of property
• Acquisition of existing company
• Replacement investments
• Standard electronics such as mobile phones and computers
• Moulding tools which are placed with others and are not used in one’s own production
• Hand tools
• Operating costs, such as rent or salary
• Own work
• Purchase from relatives
• Customer and supplier visits
• Preliminary studies
• Business systems and other internal development, for example accounting and payroll systems
• Sales training
• Training of managers/board of directors
• Investments which follow from legal or official requirements
• Purchase via leasing

Grants are not approved for activities such as:

• Are resellers (have no own manufacturing or processing of products or services)
• Operates in the agricultural and fisheries sector with the exception of investments for the processing of the product/service
• Have premises for rent
• For the most part financed with public funds