The Funding Programmes Portal has been created by the Directorate General Growth (DG Growth) to assist citizens, businesses and organizations easily find and have access to the funding opportunities that are suitable for them, funded either by european or national resources, in order to implement a project or an idea. The Portal acts as a central point that provides information on all types of funding in all thematic areas, supported by these resources.
The Portal provides information on national, co-funded and competitive European programmes, while it also provides information on financial instruments. It is also a source of information regarding open or future calls in various areas of interest such as Employment, Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness, Environment, Energy, Education, Culture, Research, Youth, Rural Development and many others. Through the Portal, stakeholders can also find partner organizations to cooperate with for preparing and submitting proposals, when this is included in the requirements of a specific programme/call.
Furthermore, the Portal will lead you to the exact webpages of the programmes/calls you are interested in, where you will find all the necessary information and accompanying documents. You can also find details on the contact persons responsible for each specific call, in order to acquire more detailed information and guidance for participation.
The Directorate General Growth (DG Growth), Ministry of Finance operates as a Central and First Point of Contact, providing advice and information to interested citizens and bodies, regarding the funding opportunities in Cyprus. A team of Officers from the Directorate for European Programmes of DG Growth, Ministry of Finance has undertaken both the management of the Portal, by updating systematically the information provided through it, while in addition responding to relevant questions raised by interested citizens and bodies via telephone communication (tel .: 22 894278), as well as through sending a message through the Contact Us page.
The services that are provided by DG Growth, Ministry of Finance do not at any circumstance replace the role and the responsibilities of the National Contact Points/Managing Authorities which are the competent authorities for individual Funding Programmes. More detailed information on all funding opportunities can be provided by the competent authorities to which the interested parties are referred to. All the contact details of both the national competent authorities in Cyprus and the European Commissions’ / Secretariats’, in the cases of European Competitive Programmes and Territorial Cooperation, accordingly, are recorded in the Portal.
It is noted that, the material made available through the Portal is based on information collected from the websites of the European Commission's Directorates-Generals and the Ministries or / and Services, further than the information provided directly by the Managing Authorities, as well as the contact points of the various Ministries / Services / Bodies which are competent for each individual programme.
Through the Portal you can register as a Member to be informed through weekly updates (email alerts), for Programmes or Calls recorded in the Portal, in the fields of your interest, as these will be indicated by you upon registration. In order to register as a Member, click the "Register" link located at the top right of the site. You will be asked to fill in your personal details as well as the thematic areas / topics you are interested in receiving notifications. Once you have filled in and press the "Submit" button you will receive an automatic e-mail confirming your registration and then weekly updates in case of new entries in the topics you have selected.
By signing up as a Member, you will be directly notified of new Programmes, as well as new (open or future) Calls, in the fields of your interest. As a Member, you will also be able to express interest in finding partners with the view to submit common proposals, especially when cooperation is required by the Calls of your interest.
The term "Call" or more broadly "Call for Proposals" refers to the context in which the interested bodies are requested to formulate and submit an idea / proposal for financing their projects / investment from EU funds or national resources. The implementation of these projects are expected to contribute to the achievement of the objectives of EU and national policies, respectively, as these are described in the relevant programming documents.
The Call (or a separate Guide that may accompany it) includes all the necessary information for formulating and submitting a proposal, such as the purpose of the funding, the available budget, the time frame, possible partnership requirements, the submission procedure etc. The successful implementation of both EU competitive and national or co-funded programmes relies to a great extent on the proper planning and management, by the Competent Authorities, of the individual Calls under these Programmes.
In the Portal you can find the Calls you are interested in, either through the use of the searching tool (under the "Find the Call of proposals that interests you" section) or by directly looking at the Programme/s of your interest.
The Competitive Programmes are funded by the EU budget with the view to help implement EU policies, with no specific allocations to Member States. The Co-financed Programmes are funded by EU funds pre-allocated to Member States as well as national resources. These co-financed programmes are implemented through national programming documents formulated on the basis of both the priorities of EU policies as well as the corresponding development needs and priorities identified at national level.
Under the Competitive Programs, the calls for proposals are issued and managed by the competent Services of the European Commission. Potential beneficiaries / eligible entities submit their proposals for approval directly to the Commission, with no intervention by the Member States’ institutions. These proposals are evaluated on a competitive basis with proposals from all the Member States and the best ones are selected for funding. It is often necessary for proposals to be transnational i.e. to be prepared and submitted jointly by partners from more than one Member States, in order to ensure the European added value from the implementation of the project/ investment.
In the case of the Co-financed Programmes, these are managed by the competent authorities in Cyprus, while the European Commission retains the right to scrutiny them. As a general rule, proposals are submitted for approval to competent bodies of the public or wider public sector of Cyprus.
The European Commission considers that National Contact Points (NCPs) are important partners as regards the use / implementation of the EU Competitive Programmes by the Member States. The NCPs have a key role to play in informing the public about the opportunities and prerequisites for participating in Competitive Programmes, as well as providing support, guidance and / or training with the view to ensure the effective participation of stakeholders in these programmes (e.g. how to prepare proposals, formulate partnerships, manage and monitor projects, report etc.). Understanding the roles, the rights and responsibilities and the obligations created by participating in a Competitive Programme is of particular importance, and the NCPs are expected to provide relevant information and clarifications to all interested bodies.
Within the context of their responsibilities, the NCPs occasionally organize information events, training seminars, promotional activities etc. At the same time, they systematically provide information through their websites, where available, as well as personalized information and guidance to interested bodies, by phone or via e-mail, as well as through individual meetings, as appropriate. In this context, the NCPs must ensure that all confidential information provided to them is kept confidential.
The contact details for all the NCPs operating in Cyprus as well as the corresponding EC Contact Points, for the various EU Competitive Programs, are available at the information portal (click here).
The requirement for cooperation / participation of more than one partner in the preparation and submission of the proposal usually concerns Competitive Programmes or European Territorial Cooperation Programmes. The number (usually minimum) of partners invited to join the same proposal is specified in the corresponding Call for Proposal.
It is noted that, partnerships between entities for the submission of joint proposals for financing may also be developed in cases where this is not required by the corresponding Programme / Call, as long as there is no provision prohibiting such cooperation.
You can submit your interest for collaboration with other bodies in submitting a joint proposal, when this is required by the terms of the programmes (e.g. European Competitive Programmes and European Territorial Cooperation). The link for finding partners is usually given within the relevant Call for Proposals.
Assistance to find partners is also provided from the National Contact Points of the individual Funding Programmes, as well as from the corresponding contact points of other countries, while relative guidance is also provided from the members of the Enterprise Europe Network (e.g. EEN Cyprus).
Grant Schemes aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of enterprises (existing units) or boosting entrepreneurship (start-ups) are primarily managed by the competent Ministry of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism (MECIT), whether these are supported by national or / and EU resources.
Through the Portal you can be informed on new (open) or future Schemes that MECIT plans to announce, either under the Category “National Grant Schemes / PROGRAMMES OF THE MINISTRY OF ENERGY, COMMERCE, INDUSTRY AND TOURISM” or under the Category “Co-Financed Programmes / STRUCTURAL FUNDS AND COHESION FUND / Operational Programme for «Competitiveness and Sustainable Development»” . Two of the most popular schemes for new entrepreneurs fall under this 2nd category, these are the Youth and Women Entrepreneurship schemes, which are co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Two calls for these schemes have already been announced during the 2014-2020 programming period (Feb 2015, Dec 2017), for which submission period has been completed. In case of available budget / savings, there might be a 3rd call for proposals before the end of 2020. For further information you may contact MECIT officers (tel.: 22 867194, 22 867317, 22 867178, 22 867156).
Further to the Grant Schemes, an alternative form of support for entrepreneurs comes from the Cyprus Entrepreneurship Fund providing loans with favorable financing terms. These loans are currently provided through the Bank of Cyprus and the Ancoria Bank, whose contact details are available in the section “Financial Instruments / Financial Instruments available by intermediaries in Cyprus / Cyprus Entrepreneurship Fund (CYPEF)” of the Portal.
In order to receive direct and prompt information (weekly updates) on new funding opportunities, you can register as member in the Portal (see question on Member Registration) indicating as the thematic category you are interested in the category "SMEs and Competitiveness" and any other thematic categories related to your business activity or interest.
Local development in rural areas primarily falls under the competencies of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment while it is promoted under the Co-financed Rural Development Program 2014-2020, more specifically under Measure 19 – LEADER.
Through this funding, support is provided for the creation or modernization of tourist / agrotourism accommodation, catering centers, retail stores for agricultural and livestock products, other production, promotion and / or marketing facilities for traditional products / art items and other enriching activities related to the nature, culture, youth, tradition, local products, entertainment etc.
Local Action Groups (LAGs) are responsible for managing and monitoring the implementation of the actions under the LEADER measure, designated for each district as following:
- Larnaca and Famagusta Districts Development Agency LTD (ANETEL)
website: http://www.anetel.com, tel.: 24 815280, email: ebalamou@anetel.com , info@anetel.com
- Development Agency of Lemesos (ANELEM)
website: http://www.anelem.com/anelem-home/, tel.: 25 760111, email: anelem@cytanet.com.cy
- Development Company Paphos Aphrodite LTD (ANETPA)
website: www.anetpa.com.cy, tel.: 26 933455, 96 657368, email: anetpa@cytanet.com.cy, m.ioannou@yahoo.com
- Development Company Troodos (ΑΝΕΤ)