Sustainable innovation grant

• The project must benefit society in Lochem. Explain its value for residents, villages, entrepreneurs or an industry, and its contribution to climate neutrality.
• Apply before starting. The general rule for one-off projects is to submit 13 weeks before the planned start; a late application may be left unprocessed, and projects already started before receipt may be refused.
• Show that the subsidy is needed. The municipality may refuse activities with insufficient local benefit or policy fit, projects directed at profit or wealth accumulation, or projects promoting religious, philosophical or political convictions. Financial or business instability, poor governance, conflicts of interest and misuse of funding can also lead to refusal.
• Disclose other public support. Although this offer welcomes co-financing, the general rules allow refusal where another public authority provides a subsidy. Where EU state-aid rules apply, the project and business must satisfy the applicable framework; aid must be refused if the applicable framework rules out the business as an “undertaking in difficulty” or the project because it lacks the required “incentive effect”. These tests concern the business’s financial condition and whether the aid prompts work that would not otherwise happen. For example, under the EU General Block Exemption Regulation, insolvency proceedings are one reason a business is considered in difficulty, and applying before work starts is normally required to demonstrate incentive effect. The applicable EU rules determine the exact tests; the municipality identifies those rules in the award. Incompatible aid and outstanding EU recovery orders prevent an award.

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Ανοιχτό συνεχώς

Όροι του κύκλου αιτήσεων

• Submit a one-off project application 13 weeks before the planned start; late applications may be left unprocessed.

Email info@lochem.nl to have Gemeente Lochem assess your idea, or submit your complete written application to the same address. Describe the activities, their climate-neutrality contribution and their benefit for Lochem. A business must, if requested, list public support already received or expected for the activities and provide a de-minimis declaration concerning aid counted under the EU rules for limited amounts of public support that do not need prior Commission approval. A legal entity applying for the first time must also provide its founding deed or statutes and its previous annual report and annual accounts or balance sheet.

The award sets any additional obligations, reporting method and advance-payment amounts and dates. Notify the municipality immediately in writing if activities or obligations cannot be completed fully or on time, or if procedures to end the funded activities or dissolve the legal entity arise. Also notify relevant changes in financial or organizational relationships with third parties, and changes to statutes concerning legal form, directors or purpose. For grants above €5,000, also report substantial differences between actual and budgeted income or expenditure and their cause. For projects lasting more than a year with a grant above €5,000, interim reporting may be required.

For a one-off grant above €5,000, normally request final determination of the grant within 13 weeks after completing the activities, with an activity report and financial report showing income, expenditure and compliance. The award or specific rules can set another deadline or evidence method. Grants up to and including €5,000 are normally determined immediately, but the award may require proof that the work and obligations were completed. The municipality must recover the subsidy with interest if required by an EU recovery decision or a final court judgment.