Information about new calls will be available soon!

For more information about past calls, please see below in the Archive documentation field.

• What are Innovation Vouchers?

Innovation Vouchers are a simple, fast and efficient financial incentive designed for micro, small and medium enterprises in order to raise the innovation level of their products and improve their competitiveness in the market by means of specialized services of research and development institutions.

 

• What is the amount of the Innovation Voucher?

Maximum amount of the Innovation Voucher cannot exceed 8.000 EUR, where a single Voucher can cover up to 80% of the total costs of the invoiced service, including value added tax (VAT). The Beneficiary of the Voucher is obliged to co-finance the remaining amount of the total costs of the service – a minimum of 20%.

 

• How the companies become classified as micro, small and medium enterprises?

Pursuant to Article 6 of the Law on Accounting (“Official Gazette of Mne”, No. 145/2021 as of 31 December 2021) micro, small and medium enterprises are legal entities classified as follows:

• Micro entities – not exceeding two of the three following criteria;

• Average number of employees – up to 10 employees
• Total annual income – up to 700,000,00 €;
• Total assets – up to 350,000,00 €;
  • Small entities – not exceeding two of the three following criteria;
• Average number of employees – up to 50 employees;
• Total annual income – up to 8.000.000,00 €;
• Total assets – up to 4.000.000,00 €;
  • Medium entities – which are not micro and small entities and which do not exceed two of the three following criteria::
• Average number of employees – up to 250 employees;
• Total annual income – up to 40.000.000,00 €;
• Total assets – up to 20.000.000,00 €.

 

• Can an entrepreneur apply for the Innovation Voucher? 

Entrepreneur cannot apply for the Innovation Voucher.

 

• Can a newly incorporated company (a start-up company) apply for the Innovation Voucher?

The Public Call is also open to newly incorporated companies, which have not yet been classified as MSMEs on the basis of the data shown in the CRBE, at the moment of submitting an application for Voucher. In this case, it is necessary to provide cross-sectional financial statements – balance sheet and income statements from the moment of company’s incorporation to the last month of business operations, in order to determine whether the company belongs to the MSME segment. Should the company be officially classified as a large company on the basis of the final annual balance sheet for the first year of operations, it is obliged to return the granted Voucher in its full amount.

 

• Can a single micro, small or medium enterprise apply for more than one Innovation Voucher?

A single micro, small or medium enterprise can apply for one Voucher only under the Public Call.

 

• Can one project compete for two Vouchers, if the implementation is taking place in phases, such as supporting part of research and supporting part of development? 

One project cannot compete for two Vouchers, regardless of the project implementation phases.

 

• Which services are eligible for support under the Innovation Vouchers Program ?

The following services are eligible for support under the Innovation Vouchers Program:

 

• Development of new or improvement of existing products (related to function and quality), processes or services;
• Proof of concept;
• Feasibility study;
• Production of laboratory prototype;
• Development of demonstration prototype;
• Various forms of testing (in the laboratory, in the pilot plant);
• Technology validation;
• Validation of new or improved products, processes or services;
• Development and introduction of special software for a product or process (within product development);

 

Indicative list of costs: measurements, diagnostics, investigating, testing, calculations; analysis of various chemical, physical, microbiological, morphometric and molecular substrates; inspection and analysis of traces in complex samples; examination of the physical and chemical properties of materials; testing of materials, devices, system components; modelling, processing and data analysis; simulation of processes, actions, operations; demonstration activities, design of new systems, new structural solutions, new types of devices, materials and methods; optical and electronic design; prototyping including specialized high technical knowledge for prototyping; making proposals for technical product design; optimization and process innovation to improve efficiency or reduce costs, etc.

 

• Which services cannot be financed under the Innovation Vouchers Program?

The services which cannot be financed under the Innovation Vouchers Program are the following:

 

• Development of business plans and economic assessments;
• Sales activities;
• Development of websites or mobile applications which do not solve any technological problem;
• Market research and market analysis;
• Non-consulting services already available in the market (ISO standardization,
• technical attests…);
• Activities already funded under another Program or by another company;
• Travel and conferences;
• Purchase of equipment.

 

• Are there areas of priority in the selection process of awarding Innovation Vouchers?

The Innovation Vouchers Program is harmonized with the Smart Specialization Strategy of Montenegro (2019-2024), which established the following strategic priorities:

 

• Sustainable agriculture and food value chain;
• Energy and sustainable environment;
• Sustainable and health tourism;
• Information and communication technologies as a horizontal priority sector.

 

At least 70% of the available budget of the Fund for this Public Call will be allocated to applications that fall within the above-mentioned priorities, while a maximum of 30% will be allocated to applications from all other areas.

 

• How can a company apply for the Innovation Voucher?

Before proceeding with the application process for a Voucher, the Applicant needs to register on the portal of the Fund, available at the following link: www.programifonda.me.

The registration request is automatically approved, upon which the Applicant receives the necessary access credentials for registration on the portal of the Fund.

Once registered, the Applicant can submit the Application directly through the portal.

 

• In which language the Application should be submitted?

Application for Innovation Voucher should be submitted in Montenegrin language.

 

• Is the online application through the Innovation Fund portal the only possible way to apply for the Innovation Voucher? 

Yes, the application for Innovation Vouchers is made exclusively online, through the Innovation Fund portal.

 

• What are the steps in assessment of the applications?

Innovation Vouchers will be approved in chronological order of received applications, starting from the date of the Public Call, and concluding with the moment of consumption of the funds allocated under the Public Call.

Following the submission of the Application for the voucher, the Fund will conduct a review of each application, which includes:

• Fulfilment of formal conditions for acceptance of the Application;
• Fulfilment of criteria related to the financed service, as well as criteria referring to Service Provider;
• Correctness of the Financial offer;
• Verification of the service affiliation to priority areas within the Smart Specialization Strategy of Montenegro.

If all the criteria are fulfilled, the Fund will grant the Voucher to the Applicant, send a notice in the form of the official letter and deliver the appropriate contract for signing to the Applicant.

The Voucher approval process takes place within the Fund.

 

• When can the Applicant expect a response on the submitted Application?

The Fund shall notify each Applicant of the outcome, within seven (7) working days from the date of submission of the Application.

 

• Does the Applicant, who was not awarded an Innovation Voucher, have the right to apply again? 

The Applicant may submit a new correct / corrected Application, regardless of the reason for which the previously submitted Application was rejected.

 

• What is a disbursement mechanism for the Innovation Voucher? 

When the Beneficiary of the Voucher submits a Confirmation of acceptance of the provided service and the Fund determines that the process has been properly carried out, the Fund makes the payment directly to the Service Provider’s bank account, in accordance with the previously signed contract, which specifies, among other things, the method of payment. In order for payment to be made, the Service Provider must issue an invoice containing the total costs of the service, including the VAT amount. The invoice must contain a note that a maximum of 80% of the invoice amount, and a maximum of EUR 8,000, is paid by the Innovation Fund on the basis of the Voucher granted to the Beneficiary.

 

• Is it possible to make an advance payment to a research and development institution / Service Provider?

Advance payment to a research and development institution / Service Provider is not possible, except for the part co-financed by the Applicant. The participation of the Applicant is a minimum of 20% of the total costs of the service.

 

• What happens if the company does not receive a service from a research and development institution within six months period? 

In this case, the Voucher ceases to be valid, together with all the commitments that the Fund has undertaken in this respect.

 

• How are intellectual property rights regulated in the context of the Innovation Vouchers?

The disposal of intellectual property rights, which may arise in the context of realization of Innovation Vouchers, is the subject of the mutual agreement between the contracting parties (the company and the research and development institution) in the process of providing the service.