Investment grants in general

Which companies can apply for investment grants in general? 

Small and medium-sized companies with business ventures in Västernorrland.

Some basic requirements which must be met, where the company must: 

• 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 employed in the applicant company, he/she may not have more than 50% compensation 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 to companies with existing business ventures and with at least one full-time employee who receives a salary.
• The investment granted approval must lead to increased employment in the applicant company.
• Grants are not approved for businesses ventures which operate in a local or regional market where there is competition with similar business ventures
• The level of grants is 35–50 percent depending on where in Västernorrland the investment takes place and whether it refers to hard or soft investments
• Covered by state aid rules on negligible support, which means a maximum amount of SEK 3 million over a three-year period.
• The investment must be at least SEK 20,000

Which investments are eligible for investment grants in general?

• Machinery, equipment and other movable assets
• Marketing for strategic initiatives for a maximum period of 3 months and with a maximum amount of SEK 150,000 in grants. Strategic investments meaning marketing in connection with the launch of a new product or service on the market or marketing in connection with expansion into a new market
• 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 on the website 
• 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
• Buildings, new, reconstructions and extensions

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 granted to 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 or service
• Have premises for rent
• For the most part financed with public funds