Since Malta’s accession into the EU, the country has started to benefit from a common fund programme which is aimed at improving the quality of life of its citizens whilst promoting a healthy workforce for each member country. These grants schemes mainly tackle two important aspects of a business – the setup and successful running of a chosen business and the development and support of its human resources.

At any given time there are various funding scheme options to select from for application and these mainly tap the EU Funds made available for a number of years for each particular scheme. One such scheme, which we will write about today, is the ERDF e-Business Development Grant Scheme, which has a total budget allocation capped at 990,000 Euros.

This Grant Scheme supports Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) that are planning to invest in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) projects that integrate business functions, streamline workflows, and enhance interactions between clients and suppliers. For approved applications, the scheme will provide co-financing for ICT Developmental Services, ICT Hardware costs and ICT Software costs. The ERDF e-Business Development Grant Scheme Incentive Guideline is the official publication governing this incentive. It includes details on eligibility, State aid regulations and the value of aid that may be granted.

Since these grants are co-financed through the EU funds they are limited in amount.  This means that the funds are distributed to eligible and successful applicants on a first-come, first-served basis and therefore early consideration is highly recommended.

The official application form complete with its annexes, notes and guidelines can be downloaded from the Internet. However, Cyberspace Solutions provides any company who is interested in applying for grants, consultation services that cover help in selecting the most suitable grant scheme for a particular business, an explanation of what the Grant scheme will cover, what projects are eligible under the scheme, and help with the final filling in and submission of the Grant Scheme application form.

The deadline for the submission of proposal applications under this current ERDF e-Business Development Grant Scheme is Friday the 26th March 2010. Since application forms require detailed information it is recommended that decisions regarding participation are not  left for the last few days.