Förderung: Zuschuss für die gewerbliche Wirtschaft beantragen

Support for the commercial sector through grants

What is supported?

The following investments by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can be supported:

• Establishment of a new business premises,
• Expansion of an existing business premises,
• Diversification of production into products not previously manufactured there,
• fundamental change to the overall production process or
• acquisition of assets directly linked to an establishment, provided that the establishment has been closed or would have been closed without this acquisition and provided that the assets are acquired by an investor unrelated to the seller. In the case of small companies that are taken over by family members of original owners or by former employees, the requirement that the assets must be acquired from third parties unrelated to the seller does not apply.

The following initial investment projects of large companies in a new economic activity can be supported:

• Investment in assets to establish a new permanent establishment or to diversify the activity of a permanent establishment, provided that the new activity is not the same or similar to the activity previously carried out in the permanent establishment, or
• Acquisition of the assets of a permanent establishment that has been closed or would have been closed without this acquisition and which is acquired by an investor unrelated to the seller, provided that the new activity to be carried out with the acquired assets is not the same or a similar activity to the activity carried out in the permanent establishment prior to the acquisition.

Who is eligible?

Companies in the commercial sector that carry out eligible investment projects in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern are eligible to apply. In particular, projects with business objects according to the classification of economic sectors (WZ 2008) as listed in the positive list of the GRW coordination framework are eligible for funding. Restrictions on funding may result from the applicable funding practice.

How is funding provided?

Funding is generally granted as a non-cash grant. Since January 1, 2022, the following funding rates apply to investment projects, sorted by company size and district:

For projects in the districts of Rostock, Nordwestmecklenburg, Ludwigslust-Parchim, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, Vorpommern-Rügen:

• Small companies
  • Basic funding rate: 25%
  • Maximum funding rate: 35
    
• Medium-sized companies
  • Basic funding rate: 15%
  • Maximum funding rate: 25%

• Large companies
  • Basic funding rate: -
  • Maximum funding rate: 15%

For projects in the Vorpommern-Greifswald districts:

• Small companies
  • Basic funding rate: 35%
  • Maximum funding rate: 45
    
• Medium-sized companies
  • Basic funding rate: 25%
  • Maximum funding rate: 35
• Large companies
  • Basic funding rate: -
  • Maximum funding rate: 25%

For projects in the independent cities of Schwerin and Rostock:

• Small companies
  • Basic funding rate: 20%
  • Maximum funding rate: 30%

• Medium-sized companies
  • Basic funding rate: 10%
  • Maximum funding rate: 20%

• Large companies
  • Basic funding rate: -
  • Maximum funding rate: 10%

The EU definition of SMEs applies to small and medium-sized enterprises. An increase in the basic funding rate of up to 10 percentage points can be granted up to the maximum funding rate permitted under state aid law if the following conditions are met:

• Company is bound by a collective agreement within the meaning of the Collective Agreement Act.
• The applicable statutory minimum wage is exceeded by at least 50 or 100 percent for at least 75 percent of the workforce.
• Establishment/expansion in particularly structurally weak regions,
• Projects that are particularly innovative and associated with high R&D potential,
• Efforts by the company to reconcile work and private life or
• the company's efforts in environmental management.

Investment projects by large companies are funded on a case-by-case basis if there are particular structural effects. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Infrastructure, Tourism and Labor may decide on a case-by-case basis; the amount of funding is also decided after weighing up the circumstances of the individual case.

The funding program can support investment projects in the commercial sector (including tourism) that create or secure permanent jobs or training places in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Companies in the commercial sector which carry out eligible investment projects in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and which have significant regional economic effects are eligible to apply. This is particularly the case if the existing permanent jobs at the business site to be funded are increased by at least 10 percent or the investment amount in relation to one year at the time of application exceeds the average depreciation earned over the last three years by at least 50 percent.

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The formal application must be submitted to the granting authority before the start of the project. The granting authority checks the documents required to process the application for completeness, eligibility for funding, eligibility for funding in accordance with applicable regulations and specifications, compliance with deadlines and eligibility to apply.

In order to issue the grant notification, an overall review and evaluation of all available documents is carried out, taking into account the applicable legal basis. In addition to the notification of grant, a note of approval and the annexes to the notification of grant, including any accompanying ministerial letters, are prepared.

Once all documents have been submitted, a grant notification will be issued within four weeks.

In accordance with funding practice, a deadline of one year after receipt of the application has been set for completing the application. The applicant can apply for an extension of the deadline, which will be decided on a case-by-case basis. If the application documents are not completed within the one-year period, the rejection of the application will be announced.

The applicant has no legal entitlement to the grant. The granting authority decides on the basis of its dutiful discretion within the framework of the available budget funds.

Funding from the joint task "Improvement of the regional economic structure" (GRW) is one of the most important funding instruments for the commercial economy in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The starting point for the funding is investments by companies in the construction and expansion of business premises.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania State Development Institute