Presentation of New Entrepreneurship Support Plan – 2nd Call for Proposals

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We would like to inform you that the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) as the Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) Cyprus, in collaboration with the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, and Industry and the Limassol Chamber of Commerce & Industry, are organizing an event on 14th of May 2024, at 16:30, at the premises of Limassol Chamber, to present the New Entrepreneurship Support Scheme.

The purpose of the event is to provide an opportunity for interested parties to address any questions before the start of proposal submissions. The event is open to the public. To register, please click HERE.

The presentation will be conducted in Greek, and the entire event will last for 2 hours.

Please carefully review the Scheme Guide, which is posted on the Ministry of Energy, Commerce, and Industry’s website HERE, to come prepared with questions.

For further information, you can contact us by phone at 22889749/52/69 or via email at eency@ccci.org.cy.

Stalo Demosthenous Senior Officer CCCI | Department of European Affairs & Programmes Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus

 

Presentations from the Information Day of the 2nd Call for Proposals of the New Entrepreneurship Support Scheme, held on 14 May 2024, at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Related presentations | Speakers:

Stalo Demosthenous   

Vicky Tsaggaridou Hatziplaulou

Europe Day Celebration Event – Participation of EEN Cyprus with a Booth

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Every year on May 9th, Europe Day is celebrated.

This date marks the anniversary of the historic “Schumann Declaration” through which Robert Schumann formulated his proposal for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, capable of making war between European nations unthinkable. Robert Schumann’s proposal is considered the beginning of today’s European Union.

Cyprus will celebrate Europe Day and the 20th anniversary of its accession to the European Union on Saturday, May 11, 2024, in Limassol.

The celebratory event will start at 17:00, and visitors will have the opportunity to get acquainted with European institutions and programs, European countries, Limassol Municipality, and schools that are ambassadors of the European Parliament in Cyprus. A Photography Exhibition and Art Program will follow.

The event will be honored and addressed by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, and the Mayor of Limassol, Nikos Nicolaides.

The event is organized by the European Commission Representation in Cyprus, the Office of the European Parliament in Cyprus, and Limassol Municipality.

The Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus will participate in the event with a booth and will inform visitors about the services of the Network.

Following is the Program.

For any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following phone numbers: 22889749/52/69 or via email at eency@ccci.org.cy

Upcoming Event: “2024 EU-Egypt Investment Conference”

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We would like to inform you that the 2024 EU-Egypt Investment Conference will take place on June 29th and 30th, 2024, at the Al Manara International Conference Center in New Cairo, Egypt.

The conference is co-organized by the Egyptian Government and the European Union (EU), and will be inaugurated by the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von Der Leyen.

The conference aims to attract both foreign and domestic investments, specifically exploring and facilitating investment partnerships between the European Union and Egypt in critical sectors contributing to economic development and sustainability.

Key Investment Sectors of Interest:

  • Energy (renewable energy sources, oil & natural gas, green technology)
  • Agriculture and agribusiness
  • Pharmaceutical sector
  • Information and communication technology (ICT)
  • Financial and banking services
  • Real estate and construction

Please note that participation to the “2024 EU-Egypt Investment Conference” is by Invitation ONLY.

Therefore, those interested in participating in the event should send an expression of interest to the email address eency@ccci.org.cy by 7th of May 2024, to be included in the list submitted to the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones – GAFI of Egypt and the EU Delegation in Cairo.

The detailed conference program will be announced later by the European Commission and relevant Egyptian authorities.

For further information, please contact telephone numbers 22889769/49/52.

Stalo Demosthenous Senior Oficer CCCI | Tel. 22889752, stalo@ccci.org.cy

Business Cooperation Proposals

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The Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, as the coordinator of the EEΝ Cyprus, in cooperation with the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) would like to inform Cypriot companies operating in the import sector about selected business opportunities from Hungary.

You may find attached two files with the Hungarian companies and their products. The files include a short description of the company, the product and the type of cooperation they are looking for.

If you are interested in communicating with one of the recommended companies, please contact us at 22889749/52/69 or by email eency@ccci.org.cy so that we can make the necessary introductions between your company and the Hungarian company.

Business Proposals Hungary  

Soti Christou CCCI Officer | Tel. 22889769, s.christou@ccci.org.cy

Biotech Cluster/SME Matchmaking Mission to Japan

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Unique opportunity for B2B meetings!

We would like to inform you that the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation is organizing a Biotech Cluster / SME mission to Japan.

The mission is organized alongside the “Bio Japan Expo”

  • Mission dates: 07-11 October 2024
  • Application deadline: 6 June 2024
  • Venue: Osaka + Yokohama, Japan

This mission is an excellent opportunity for European companies operating in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life sciences sectors to showcase their products and services first in Osaka, Japan’s historic pharmaceutical industry, from 7 to 8 October 2024, and then at BioJapan Expo, the largest biotechnology event in Yokohama, from 9 to 11 October 2024.

The program targets European SMEs and clusters active in the following sectors:

  • Drug discovery
  • Drug discovery support including AI-assisted drug development
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Digital Therapeutics such as drug-device combinations, non-pharmacological therapy systems

Costs:

The EU-Japan Centre covers all costs directly related to the mission: the booth at the trade fair, transfer costs from Osaka to Yokohama, partnering activities.

The participating company is expected to cover travel to/from Japan, accommodation and living expenses including local transportation and meals.

 

Program’s objectives:

  • Explore partnering opportunities with Japanese Biotech, Pharma, and Healthtech companies
  • Meet and network with potential business partners in Japan
  • Create new business opportunities and partnerships with Japanese companies
  • Gain valuable insights and knowledge about the Japanese market to become more competitive on a global scale as an SME
  • Prepare the ground for practical cluster cooperation with Japanese counterparts as a cluster

For more information about the mission and/or to apply HERE.

Soti Christou CCCI Officer | Department of European Affairs and Programs EEN Cyprus |s.christou@ccci.org.cy

Electronic Newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” – April 2024

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We would like to inform you that the electronic newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” with selected partnering proposals from abroad has been published. To see the Edition of April 2024, please click HERE

Electronic Newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” – May 2024

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We would like to inform you that the electronic newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” with selected partnering proposals from abroad has been published.

To see the Edition of May 2024, please click HERE

EENergy: Call for Funding Energy Eficiency Actions up to €10,000!

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We would like to remind you that the Call for the «EENergy» Project will be open until 15th of May 2024 at 17:00 CET.

The Call aims to support at least 1800 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through the development of action plans by the EEN Network’s Sustainability Advisors, so that the SMEs achieve an improvement in their energy efficiency of at least 5%. 900 of these SMEs will be selected and will receive direct financial support (grant) of up to 10,000 euros. The project is funded by the EU Single Market Program (SMP) and will be implemented with the support of the Enterprise Europe Network (EEN).

Eligible Activities:

  1. Investments: Covers the implementation, acquisition, purchase, and/or installation of new software, hardware, equipment, or other technologies.
  2. Advisory Services: Includes advisory and consultancy services related to identifying and implementing energy efficiency improvements, as well as energy audits.
  3. Skills & Training: Covers access to training sessions, seminars, and programs for educating and upgrading employees on energy efficiency matters.

The above activities can be combined with each other and have a total budget exceeding €10,000, but the grant provided will not exceed €10,000 per SME.

The planned activities must be designed to target an energy reduction of at least 5%. For the completion of contractual obligations, this reduction will be measured in terms of energy consumption in kWh (or equivalent kWh units provided by the SME) and will be measured within the appropriate scope of the activity performed.

How you can participate:

Interested Cypriot SMEs should contact the Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus, or send an email at eency@ccci.org.cy and afterwards, the sustainability advisor of EEN Cyprus will assist them in designing a customized action plan for energy efficiency and in submitting their application. The application form and the Guide for Applicants are available on the website of the EENergy project (https://eenergy.grantplatform.com/).

The application must provide information regarding the company itself, as well as the activities aimed at improving energy efficiency by at least 5%, and the anticipated funding for the implementation of these activities (Action Plan). After the call closure, all applications will be verified for eligibility, and the selection process will be conducted through a randomized draw. Upon contracting with the funded beneficiaries, the implementation of the action plans will commence.

All SMEs that apply and meet the specifications, whether they receive funding or not, during the implementation of their action plan, will receive assistance from EEN sustainability advisors and will also receive anonymous reports comparing their energy performance with that of all other candidate companies (in terms of size, sector, and location).

Eligibility Criteria:

– It is a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) as defined by the Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC:

(a) Employs fewer than 250 persons; and

(b) Has:      (i) either an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 50 million or

                      (ιι) an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 43 million.

 

To verify the above limits, the company must first determine whether it is: an autonomous, partner or linked enterprise. To confirm which category you fall into, you can refer to the User Guide issued by the European Commission in all official languages. In particular please seepage 15–Step 4: “How do I calculate these data”. You are also advised to complete and present a “Declaration” regarding SME qualification. Attached.

  • It was incorporated before the 1st of January 2023 (Registration Nu. Dpt. of Registrar of Companies and Official Receiver)
  • Registered in the VAT Registry
  • It is not «undertaking in difficulty» i.e. is not in financial difficulty, bankruptcy, liquidation proceedings, legal proceedings or other similar situation in accordance with Commission Regulation 651/2014/EC (Art. 2, Par. 18).

For any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us at the following phone numbers: 22889752, 22889769, or via email at eency@ccci.org.cy.

Stalo Demosthenous Senior Oficer CCCI

Department of European Affairs & Programmes Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus

Tel. 22889752, stalo@ccci.org.cy

 

Announcement and Presentation of New Entrepreneurship Support Plan – 2nd Call for Proposals

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We would like to inform you that the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry in cooperation with the Cyprus Youth Organization (CYYO), has announced the 2nd Call for Proposals for the New Entrepreneurship Support Plan.

The aim of the project is to develop, support and promote entrepreneurship by focusing on specific population groups such as young people and women who wish to engage in entrepreneurship in any economic activity, except those listed in Annex I of the Plan Guide, by making use of their knowledge, experience, training and talents.

Beneficiaries:

  • Young men and women who have been legally resident in areas under the exclusive control of the Republic of Cyprus for the last six months and have free access to work.
  • Unemployed or employed
  • Young men and women aged 18-29, men 30-50 and women 30-55
  • They have not been engaged in business activity in the last six months prior to their application, i.e. not self-employed or with more than 25% participation in an active business.

The sponsorship amount is 70% for young people aged 18-29 and 60% for men aged 30-50 and women aged 30-55.

The sponsorship is calculated on the cost of the eligible investment costs (Equipment, Special Facilities, Buildings – purchase, construction, renovation/remodelling, Promotion) with a maximum eligible budget perenterprise of €120,000 for activities related to manufacturing, services and tourism.

The total budget allocated for the needs of the Plan is €20 million and may be modified.

Interested parties can obtain the Guide to the Plan, which contains all the details, the Model Application

Form and other required forms, from the website of the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry HERE.

For more information, those interested can contact the competent Ministry officials at 22867178/156/194 and the Youth Officer, Anna Loizou, at 22402615.

The date of application will be announced at a later stage.

CCCI, as the Coordinator of the EEN Cyprus, will organise a two-hour event on 14 May 2024, at 16:30, at the Limassol Chamber of Commerce, in order to present the Plan in detail and answer any questions. To register for the event, click HERE.

We would also like to inform you that the Cyprus Youth Organisation will hold a series of events to present the Plan. Details HERE.

Presentations at the events will be conducted in Greek. Participation is FREE of charge.

Remaining at your disposal.

Stalo Demosthenous Senior Officer CCCI

Department of European Affairs & Programmes Coordinator of Enterprise Europe Network Cyprus

Tel. 22889752, stalo@ccci.org.cy

Electronic Newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” – March 2024

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We would like to inform you that the electronic newsletter “International Networking and Cooperation Opportunities” with selected partnering proposals from abroad has been published. To see the Edition of March 2024, please click HERE