Government of Albania has launched these financial grant schemesmanaged by AIDA, aiming to support small and medium enterprises, and increase of their competitiveness, as well as strengthening of production capacity and market expansion:
The Competitiveness Fund was approved by Order No. 102, dated 19.03.2019 by the Ministry of Finance and Economy. This fund aims to support and improve the capacity of Albanian SMEs so that they are able to respond to requests international market, as well as increase employment. To prove this commitment, the Albanian Government has foreseen ALL 38,000,000 this year to finance a Cost Sharing Grant scheme to assist SMEs and their efforts to compete in the foreign market.
The objective of this initiative is to help Albanian companies penetrate their exports to foreign markets by providing the necessary financial support for activities that will help implement their export marketing plan. Enterprises to be assisted by this fund are micro, small or medium enterprises with export focus.
The main areas covered by the fund are production and service, more specifically:
Product certification;
Participation in fairs abroad (Eligible costs are: rent payment of the stand, Payment for the organization and furnishing of the stand, travel costs and accommodation for 1person representative of the participating subject);
Promotion, publication and drafting of promotional materials;
Product customization – including packaging and labeling;
Website development and e-commerce development;
Advisory services (In this case costs that can be co-financed cannot be more than 50% of the total project cost presented).
The main sectors are as follows:
Active processing industry sector (fasons);
Light industry sector;
Agro-processing sector;
Research and development sector.
VKM për Fondin e Konkurueshmerise Nr. 24, datë 20.1.2016 PDF, AIDA
Creative Economy Fund is approved by DCM No. 15, dated 11.1.2017 “On the creation of Creative Economy (Craft) fund”.
The purpose of the fund is to develop Albania’s handicraft sector, creating an environment conducive to more sustainable economic activities and the creation of new jobs. The Government of Albania has planned for 2017-2019 a total fund of ALL 30,000,000, with an approved budget of ALL 10,000,000 for each year. The Creative Economy Fund is created to serve Micro and Small Enterprises that operate in the handicraft sector. Projects selected by the handicraft sector will cover the following areas:
New product development;
Purchase of production promotion equipment;
Product marketing;
Qualification and management capacity building of the applicant company.
The Fund provides a subsidy for expenses related to activities approved on the basis of cost sharing. This implies that the grant does not finance all the expenses, but only part of them, while the rest is funded by the grantee (in this case the Albanian enterprise).
For more information on the criteria of the grant, as well as the necessary documentation click on:
The Fund in Support of New Enterprises“Start Up” has been approved with DCM no. 593, dated 10.9.2014, “On the Establishment of a Fund in Support of New Start-Up Enterprises”. This fund aims to support newly established “Start-Up” businesses in Albania, through direct financial subsidies to this business category by improving their climate and operating conditions, with the aim of creating the basis for sustainable economic development, such as and creating new jobs. The Start-Up Fund grants up to 500,000 (five hundred thousand) ALL per project, but only covers 70% of the costs involved. The budget approved for this fund for this year is 10 000 000 (10 million ALL). The New Start-Up Support Fund is created to serve Micro and Small Enterprises that operate in:
Production and service sectors;
Light industry sector;
Tourism sector;
Research and development area;
Agro-processing process;
The field of design, modeling, crafts.
The Fund provides a subsidy for expenses related to activities approved on the basis of cost sharing. This implies that the grant does not fund all the expenses, but only part of it and the rest is funded by the grantee (in this case the Albanian company.
For more information on the criteria of the grant, as well as the necessary documentation click on:
The Innovation Fund provides direct grant assistance to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. The grant does not finance all the costs, but only part of them, while the rest is funded by the grantee (in this case, the Albanian enterprise). AIDA will publish the state of availability of funds for this SG when appropriate and at the time of opening or closing the application submission.
What is the Innovation Fund Scheme? The purpose of the fund is to serve as an incentive for SMEs to audit their innovation and technology needs, identify technology suppliers and partners in other countries, assist and facilitate promotion and licensing or patenting SME innovations enabling the beneficiary SMEs to achieve more than they could achieve by their own means. The Innovation Fund can be a source of funding and income from international donors or institutions. In this case the rules for benefiting from the fund will be set by agreement between AIDA and international donors or institutions.
Maximum Financing
The Fund will reimburse approved costs in accordance with the following guidelines:
An enterprise can benefit up to Lek 400,000 per project; For enterprises that will apply for the “purchase of technological equipment” funding will be no more than ALL 600,000 (six hundred thousand).
The scheme covers 50% of the costs received within the above limit. Benefiting enterprises from supporting programs or projects to cover 50% of other project costs that are not covered by the Innovation Fund, using donor funds or international financial institutions, does not constitute an obstacle to benefiting the Innovation Fund as well, for the same project;
Payment of the benefited fund is 50% at the beginning of the project and 50% at the end of the project, against the invoice (s) which / confirms / confirms the expenses incurred which will be submitted at the end of the project;
One project per company can be assisted per year;
Receipt of applications is subject to the availability of the fund and may be suspended at any time if the fund has expired;
AIDA will publish on its website the state of availability of the Innovation Fund.
Who can apply?
The Innovation Fund is designed to serve Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The companies that will benefit will have to meet the following criteria:
Business Eligibility with the Grant Scheme:
Ability to finance 100% of all project costs before completion;
Business classified as micro, small, or medium according to law no. 8957, dated 17.10.2002, “On small and medium-sized enterprises”, as amended;
It is headquartered within the territory of the Republic of Albania.
Eligibility of the project with the grant scheme:
Produces in Albania products and / services that are traded domestically and / or abroad;
Have a project in line with DCM no. 211 dated 20.04.2018.
What can be funded?
The fund covers the costs for the following activities:
audit of innovation and technological capacity, aimed at enabling applicant companies to assess existing technology levels and opportunities for their renewal of innovation and / or technological positioning under a competitive development framework;
the internationalization of technology, which aims to enable applicant companies to identify and inspect the technology they seek to adapt;
participation in innovation, technology and promotion fairs related to enterprise innovation;
Purchase of technological equipment, which affects the growth of the company’s innovative and technological capacity.
licenses or patents (software or hardware).
Non-eligible costs
Costs incurred before the grant contract date;
Commercial costs, including representation;
Recreation and gifts;
Capital investment;
Production, including samples;
Costs of Enterprises / Applicants for their staff;
Administrative expenses;
Costs incurred continuously from existing structures and liabilities;
Any illegal activity;
Participation in armament and military technology fairs;
Attending tobacco technology fairs.
For more information on the criteria of the grant, as well as the necessary documentation click on:
Important note: Below mentioned grant schemes have been active until the end of 2019. AIDA will inform the SME once the new grant schemes will be available.
