A call for proposals has been announced for “Strengthening entrepreneurship in the priority sectors of the South Aegean Region”. Applications are scheduled from 28 August to 30 October 2026.
Public funding covers 60% of each subsidised investment budget, with the balance met through private participation.
The action supports business initiatives in the regionally prioritised areas of the 2021–2027 National Smart Specialisation Strategy, identified through the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process.
It can support investment in differentiated products and services within RIS3 sectors, upgrading and modernising production infrastructure and processes, both technological and otherwise, and increasing the international reach of businesses in sectors where the South Aegean has comparative advantages and specialist expertise. Sustainable blue-economy actions are included.
Existing medium-sized, small and micro enterprises legally operating in the South Aegean may participate to develop and produce new, innovative or improved high-value-added products and services, increasing competitiveness and strengthening their position in domestic and international markets.
Priority sectors
To receive a positive assessment, each investment plan must demonstrate a connection to a regional priority within the National Smart Specialisation Strategy in one of four areas:
Experiential tourism, including tourism, culture and the creative industries.
Agri-food.
Fisheries and aquaculture.
Renewable energy.
Information and communication technologies, clean green technologies and human resources are cross-cutting themes. Interventions in those fields may complement and support RIS3 sectors where their content and aims relate to the four core areas.
If an applicant selects a priority listed in Annex XIII, the proposed expenditure must serve the intervention areas and priority sectors identified through the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process.
That connection is a fundamental condition for a positive score and admission to the action. Applications must therefore provide detailed, realistic justification linking the investment plan and its proposed expenditure to RIS3 priorities.
Investment plans may use tools, ideas and good practice developed through European co-funded projects, such as Digital Islands — Digital Solutions for Empowering Island Communities — and Interreg Europe's TAAS, Tourism as a Service, where these relate to the Entrepreneurial Discovery Process results.
Eligible businesses
Existing micro, small and medium-sized enterprises may receive public funding if they meet the following requirements.
Before submitting their online funding application, they must have completed at least two full financial years.
They must be substantially active in RIS3 sectors. In the calendar year preceding online submission, their main business activity code, or the code generating their highest revenue, must be included in Annex XI, Eligible Business Activity Codes.
The proposed investment must concern at least one eligible investment activity code in Annex XI.
Eligible expenditure
The main categories are staff costs; equipment, transport vehicles and instruments; buildings, land, installations and surrounding areas; purchased services; software; publicity, promotion and networking; and indirect costs calculated at 7% of eligible direct investment expenditure.
Funding structure
The subsidised budget for each investment plan ranges from €30,000 to €400,000.
Plans below €30,000 are ineligible from the outset and cannot be submitted.
For plans above €400,000, the excess must be met entirely through private funding. Although that excess expenditure is not subsidised, the entire plan, including costs above the ceiling, remains subject to assessment, monitoring and checks.
The final subsidised project budget must in all cases remain at or above €30,000.
Implementation is financed through public funding and private participation. Public funding covers 60% of the subsidised budget. Applicants may use their own resources and/or a loan to cover their private share.
Implementation period and publication
Funded investments must be completed within 24 months of electronic notification of final approval, whether following the initial assessment or an appeal assessment.
The original article refers readers to the attached detailed call.
The call is to be published on Diavgeia and on the websites of EFEPAE, https://www.efepae.gr/ ; ELANET, https://www.elanet.gr/ ; the South Aegean Programme Managing Authority, https://www.pepna.gr/ ; and the Partnership Agreement portal, https://www.espa.gr/
