The new call defines a cluster as a partnership-based entity consisting of at least five active and unrelated SMEs whose own production of Lithuanian origin is integrated into the value-added chains of products or services. The terms of the call require the clusters to operate under a joint partnership agreement.
“Our aim is not only to help businesses grow, but also to encourage them to think globally. We invite businesses to think about adding value and connecting to international value chains when designing, developing and marketing their product or service. Moreover, the export potential of Lithuanian products is far from exhausted. Although market diversification is increasingly being considered, the distant Asian markets are still little-known and present significant challenges. Therefore, measures to encourage businesses to find partners, increase international networking and raise their profile are of particular relevance to Lithuanian companies,” says Patricija Reut, Head of the Progress Department of the Innovation Agency.
The call aims to fund activities that strengthen SME clusters and raise their profile, help them to join international networks, and open up opportunities to find new export markets and expand the existing ones. The maximum amount of funding available for a project is EUR 320,000 and the minimum is EUR 170,000. The total amount available for projects is EUR 4 million.
New opportunities for export development
“We are planning to launch several more calls in the near future focused on export promotion. These measures will allow businesses to present their products more widely in foreign countries, to find new business partners, to expand or reorient their export destinations,” says Gintarė Kuncaitytė, Deputy Director of the Investment Management Department of the Innovation Agency.
Applications can be submitted by business associations or chambers of commerce, industry and crafts that have been active for at least 2 years at the time of the application and have implemented at least 3 projects in the field of internationalisation promotion in the last 3 years. Applicants may also be SMEs forming a cluster which have been active for at least 2 years at the time of the application and which have had export earnings of at least EUR 120,000 in the last reporting financial year.
The project activities must be started at the latest within 3 months from the date of signature of the contract and completed within 24 months from the date of signature of the contract. Applications are scored on the basis of three priority criteria.
“We will first assess the efficiency of the project, calculating the ratio between the number of international memberships the cluster will engage in during the project and the amount of funding requested. Secondly, we will look at the applicant’s experience in cluster activities, giving priority to those who have successfully implemented at least three joint cluster activities in the field of internationalisation promotion in the last three years. Thirdly, we will assess the number of cluster members participating in the project in the high-tech and higher-tech or high-tech knowledge-intensive services sectors, with a higher score given to those clusters with at least two members in the sectors specified,” says Ms. Kuncaitytė.
The call is not open to entities in difficulty and those active in fisheries and aquaculture, primary production of agricultural products, tobacco and tobacco products. The full call documents and terms are available on the website of the Innovation Agency.
Project implementation plans can be emailed to the Innovation Agency by 7 August 2023, at 17:00, to esinvesticijos@inovacijuagentura.lt. For those planning to apply, experts from the Innovation Agency will organise a remote training session on 29 May, at 10:00 a.m., to provide an overview of the opportunities and terms of the call. Registration is available online.
To strengthen the Lithuanian economy, the Ministry of Economy and Innovation plans to implement measures totalling almost EUR 1 billion by the end of 2023. Of this amount, around EUR 365 million has been earmarked for business, innovation and investment, EUR 320 million for the digitisation of the state and business, and EUR 268 million for the greener economy.
