“Organic products are not only better for the environment but also better for the economy. They are the basis for a circular economy and when placed on the market they are beneficial to consumers, businesses and the environment. Many Lithuanian SMEs can gain a competitive advantage by developing organic products and then can sell products that meet market needs more quickly and easily,” says Aušrinė Armonaitė, Minister of the Economy and Innovation.
The maximum amount of funding available for a project is EUR 80 000 and the minimum is EUR 15 000.
The maximum amount of funding available for the implementation and certification of an environmental management system is EUR 5 000 and for a technological audit is EUR 12 000.
According to the European Commission, organic products could increase resource productivity by up to 30 per cent, which could create additional 2 million jobs in the EU by 2030. The circular economy could also reduce greenhouse gas emissions by almost 4 per cent each year.
“Eco-innovation could enable businesses to save up to 50 per cent of production costs, up to 60 per cent of energy costs in production processes and up to 70 per cent of raw material demand. This measure will therefore provide Lithuanian businesses with investments that will allow them to save money and improve the environmental performance of their products throughout their life cycle through eco-design and, through eco-labelling, to encourage the certification of products that are less harmful to the environment and human health than other products in the same product group,” comments Iveta Paludnevičiūtė, Chancellor of the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation.
SMEs will be able to implement and certify environmental management systems, conduct technological audits, and carry out eco-design and eco-labelling with the help of investments under the European Union (EU) investment “EcoInnovation” measure.
The selection of projects under the “EcoInnovation” call will be carried out through a tendering procedure. Eligible applicants are industrial SMEs. Project partners are not possible under this measure.
The maximum amount of funding available for eco-design activities is EUR 15 000 for a single product or several products of the same type and EUR 30 000 for several different products. The maximum amount of funding available for eco-labelling and certification activities is EUR 33 000.
Project implementation plans can be submitted to the Innovation Agency by 12 October 2023.
The full terms of this call are available on the European Union Investment website.
To strengthen the Lithuanian economy, the Ministry of the Economy and Innovation will launch calls for funded activities totalling almost EUR 1 billion by the end of 2023. 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.
The “EcoInnovation” measure is implemented within the framework of the Programme for the European Union Funds’ Investments 2021–2027.
If you are interested in this call, we invite you to register for the training to learn more about the call and the requirements for applicants, and to have any of your questions answered. The training will take place online on 5 September at 10:00 a.m. You can register here.
