Information about support

• TOPICAL: prototype development programme PROTOTECH

  Application 

  Application for PROTOTECH support should be submitted electronically on the platform business.gov.lv  here. The prototyping support application must be accompanied by a prototype development estimate and a prototype development technical specification from at least one TBC partner. Other annexes, such as market research or letter of intent, are recommended to provide additional information on the future use of the prototype. TBC's cooperation partners in the development of the prototype are the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University or Riga Stradiņš University.
   
  To find the most suitable partner for the development and participation of a specific prototype in PROTOTECH, TBC is open and provides consultations since 2 March 2022. Application for consultations is open on business.gov.lv platform until 11 April 2022 here and the cooperation partner may require 15 working days for the preparation of the cost estimate. In order to receive a consultation on the possibility to attract a cooperation partner for development of the prototype after 11 April, please, contact:

  • TBC Project Manager Krista Jegorova +371 22839439, krista.jegorova@liaa.gov.lv
  • TBC Project Manager Vineta Šnore +371 29274310, vineta.snore@liaa.gov.lv

  How to apply for PROTOTECH.

  PROTOTECH process – 5 steps | Infograph 

  Find out more about the support programme here. 

• Type of receipt of support

  End beneficiaries may receive the support for: 

  • training “Innovation Academy” for the 1^st stage “Basics of Innovative Entrepreneurship” - 6-week long training. 
  • training “Innovation Academy” for the 2^nd stage “Pre-acceleration of innovative projects” - 24-week long training. 
  • prototyping of new products or services - up to 1 year for prototyping and product development. 

  
  The end beneficiary may be: 

  • a natural person who carries out or is preparing to start an economic activity and who has reached the age of majority on the day of submission of the support application; 
  • a group of natural persons whose participants have reached the age of majority on the date of submission of the support application. If an application for support is submitted by a group of natural persons, its members shall authorise one natural person to submit an application for the receipt of support; 
  • A merchant registered in the Republic of Latvia, which corresponds to the status of a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise in accordance with Annex 1 to Commission Regulation No. 651/2014. 

• Criteria for granting support

  Applicants for the training “Innovation Academy” for the 1st stage “Fundamentals of Innovative Entrepreneurship” will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • competence of the applicant (assessment of education and experience) 
  • idea of the innovative product or service with global ambition 
  • project team 
  • motivation of the applicant 

  Applicants for the training “Innovation Academy” for the 2nd stage “Pre-acceleration of innovative projects” will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • idea of the innovative product or service with global ambition 
  • readiness of the team for pre-acceleration 
  • complementarity of competencies of the team (compatibility of competencies and skills of the team with development of the business idea) 

  
  Applicants for the development of prototypes of new products or services will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 

  • compliance of the business idea of the applicant with the High, medium high or medium low technology industry and RIS3 
  • TRL level of the applicant 
  • commercial potential of the product 
  • implementation/testing abilities of the prototype 
  • competences of the team 

  
  Support can be received by the final beneficiary, who corresponds with the following requirements at the time of granting the support: 

  • The final beneficiary does not owe taxes or fees administered by the State Revenue Service, including mandatory state social insurance contribution debts, in excess of 1000 euros; 
  • the final beneficiary, by such a decision of a competent authority or a court judgment which has entered into effect and has become incontestable and unappealable, has not been found guilty of an offence in the form of employing one or several persons (up to five persons) who are not entitled to reside in the Republic of Latvia, has not been punished for a criminal offence referred to in Section 280 of the Criminal Law of the Republic of Latvia, and no coercive measures regarding the commitment of the criminal offence referred to herein have been applied to it; 
  • The final beneficiary has not been declared insolvent by a court ruling, a legal protection process has not been set in motion by a court ruling, its economic activity has not been terminated; 
  • the final beneficiary operates in the industry to be supported in accordance with Annex No. 2 to Cabinet Regulation No. 4; 
  • the final beneficiary complies with the de minimis provisions; 
  • the final beneficiary is not subject to international or national sanctions, and significant finance and capital market sanctions determined by the European Union or a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation Member State affecting the interests of the financial and capital market have not been applied during the performance of the Agreement; 
  • the final beneficiary - merchant corresponds to the status of a micro, small or medium merchant, in accordance with Annex 1 to Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014 of the European Commission of 17 June 2014.

• Process

  In order to receive support, it is necessary to fill in the application for the relevant support and conclude the Contract on Receipt of Support. Applications for support are organised in the form of a call. After the conclusion of the Contract, the Final Beneficiary shall start to receive the support for which the de minimis aid is granted in accordance with Commission Regulation (EC) No. 1407/2013. 

• Non-supported Sectors

  • In the trade sector — in accordance with section G of the latest version of NACE 2.0, “Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles”. 
  • In the commercial services sector — in accordance with section L of the latest version of NACE 2.0, “Real estate activities”, and group 77 “Rental and leasing activities” of section N “Administrative and support service activities”. 
  • In the gambling sector — in accordance with group 92, “Gambling and betting activities”, of section R of the latest version of NACE 2.0, “Arts, entertainment and recreation”. 
  • Alcoholic beverage manufacturing sector – in accordance with group 11 “Beverage manufacturing” of section C of the latest version of NACE 2.0 except class 11.07 “Malt manufacturing” and class 11.06 “Soft drink, mineral water and other bottled water manufacturing”. 
  • In the sector of the manufacture of tobacco products — according to group 12 of section C of the latest version of NACE 2.0, “Manufacture of tobacco products”. 

Additional information

• Programme Description

  The objective of the Technology Business Centre (TBC) project is to support and develop business skills, knowledge and thinking in small and medium-sized enterprises in Latvia with high technological intensity.

  Target students of TBC are students, young professionals with innovative business ideas and/or entrepreneurship, as well as innovative and/or technologically intensive small and medium-sized enterprises that need support in the design and development of product prototypes or services.

  3 project partners are attracted to TBC (TBC partners) - the University of Latvia, Riga Technical University and Riga Stradiņš University.

  TBC, together with TBC partners, will provide in-depth knowledge and skills to the final beneficiaries on the creation of innovative products or services, as well as on the creation and development of technology-intensive companies (Innovation Academy Training in 2 stages) and product prototyping. TBC will also carry out various activities (workshops, networking events, consultations, etc.) to increase the competitiveness of companies, as well as the creation and development of new innovative and/or technologically intensive companies. 

• Useful websites

  • The unified website for the Norwegian Financial Mechanisms
  • Statistical classification of economic activities NACE Rev. 2 — information to correctly identify the NACE code of your company’s economic activities.
  • Determination of SME status — information on determining SME status. 
  • Database of tax (fee) debtors administered by the SRS — a database where the existence or absence of a tax (fee) debt can be verified. The amount of the debt must not exceed EUR 150.00.
  • A calculator is used for determining the status as a company in difficulty — to make sure a company is not in financial difficulty.
  • Information on de minimis aid. 

• support
  PROTOTECH - atbalsts produktu vai tehnoloģiju prototipu izstrādei un attīstībai
  • Grants and funding
  • Product development, business incubators
  • Ads, promotion, sales