Export competitiveness and internationalisation programme for SMEs

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The programme is aimed at micro, small and medium-sized enterprises that intend to invest in increasing the competitiveness and productivity of their business in order to export or expand into foreign markets, as well as its internationalisation.

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The programme targets three areas of intervention: 

  1. investing in business growth, competitiveness and productivity: increasing innovative potential through the adoption of new technologies, high-performance and flexible management systems, and increasing the efficiency and quality of products/services; 
  2. import substitution and export orientation: overcoming technical barriers to trade; diversifying products/services with higher added value and adapting them to international standards; providing advice, information and financial support to identify new foreign markets or potential business development partners; 
  3. creating and strengthening links with local and foreign partners: increasing the capacities of local suppliers to encourage partnerships between local MSMEs and transnational corporations; integrating Moldovan MSMEs into international value chains (internationalisation) and aiming at clustering.

The ODA provides an integrated approach to support MSMEs in introducing international practices to increase the competitiveness and internationalisation of MSMEs which includes:

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Business Co-Financing Grant under the World Bank-financed MSI Competitiveness Project under the Financing Agreement

(7174-MD) between the Republic of Moldova and IDA

600 000 MDL

Non-reimbursable financial support can be accessed on the basis of the 50% own investment ratio and 50% non-reimbursable funding, for services business development services, purchase of machinery, equipment, facilities.

Note: for equipment maximum 45% of value of the investment project excluding VAT, but not more than 270 000 lei

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Project stages

Applying to the program

Application for non-reimbursable financial support is made on behalf of the legal entity by submitting online the Application Form and the corresponding set of documents

Examination of compliance

Eligibility criteria and compliance requirements are assessed at this stage. The applicant is informed by e-mail about the compliance of the file. In case the file is found to be incomplete, the applicant is informed and has to submit the required documents within the requested deadline.

Pre-financing evaluation of applications

Only complete dossiers are admitted to the pre-financing evaluation stage, and include:

  1. Compliance analysis
  2. Economic and financial analysis
  3. Investment project analysis
  4. Risk analysis

Approval of support

Approval of the final decision to finance/reject the investment project is made by the Finance and Risk Committee and is recorded in the minutes of the meeting. The applicant will be informed by telephone and e-mail of the decision taken and of the time when the financing contract will be signed.

Finalisation and conclusion of the Financing Contract

The financing contract shall be signed by the parties:

  1. Either by holographic signature - in two copies, one of which shall be handed to the Beneficiary and the other kept at the I.P. ODA;
  2. Either by qualified advanced electronic signature - if the parties to the grant contract have agreed to conclude it by exchange of electronic documents.

If any changes occur in the documents submitted when applying to the Programme, the Beneficiary is responsible for submitting these documents by the date of signature of the grant contracts.

Execution of the Financing Contract and implementation of the investment project

The non-reimbursable financial support will be allocated by the ODA according to the principle of post-investment reimbursement made on the basis of the complete set of confirmatory documents relating to the carrying out of the investment, and compliance by the beneficiary with the provisions of the grant contract.

Post-financing monitoring, archiving and evaluation

The monitoring period for beneficiaries of financial support lasts 36 months from the date of submission of the complete set of documents on the use of financial resources.

Pillars of Business Development

Development strategy
The medium and long-term action plan designed to achieve sustainable and profitable growth and internationalisation of the company.

Human Resources Management
Aligning the company's organisational structure, leadership, management capacity and skills to its growth objectives.

Sales and Marketing
Sales is about generating and managing customers and converting these opportunities into a contract/sale. Marketing is about understanding and meeting customer needs through to profit.

Innovations
Developing new products, services or processes to improve the company's performance.

Operations
The design, delivery and improvement of systems that create and deliver a company's products and services based on customer requests.

Finance
The management of a company's financial resources to achieve its planned goals.

The programme for increasing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises and their internationalization is dedicated to SMEs planning to export, expand into foreign markets and/or substitute imports of products/services in the Republic of Moldova.

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