Small or medium-sized enterprises with an investment project whose objective is to promote the creation, the development, the diversification and the fundamental change of the production process, may be eligible for investment aid for SMEs.

Investments for the purpose of replacing existing machines and/or equipment are not eligible under this tool.

Who is concerned

Eligible businesses

This aid is intended for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) holding a business permit granted by the General Directorate for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Direction générale des Classes moyennes) and which are not active in any excluded activity in accordance with the general terms and conditions applying to aid for SMEs.

Eligible costs

Eligible costs under the present regime are considered to be investments in:

• investments in tangible and/or intangible assets such as:
  • the creation of a new business;
  • the expansion of an existing business;
  • the diversification of the production in an existing establishment in order to include new or additional products;
  • a fundamental transformation of an existing establishment's entire production process;
• the acquisition of assets of another establishment when the following conditions are met:
  • the other establishment has gone out of business or would have gone out of business had such acquisition not taken place;
  • the assets are purchased from a third party who is not connected to the buyer; and
  • the whole process is carried out in accordance with market conditions.

Prerequisites

In order to receive investment aid for SMEs, companies must observe and fulfil the general terms and conditions applicable to all aid for SMEs.

How to proceed

Submitting the application

Applications for investment aid must be submitted:

• via an online assistant available on MyGuichet.lu; or
• using an application file template.

Online application using an electronic assistant

The person submitting the application (the applicants themselves or their representatives) must have a LuxTrust product (e.g. Token, Smartcard or Signing Stick) or an electronic identity card.

The application must be submitted before the commencement of the work.

Application using the application file template

The complete application file, dated and signed by a person authorised to sign on behalf of the business, and the accompanying documents must be submitted before work starts on the project in electronic format to the General Directorate for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (Department for Support to SMEs).

Supporting documents

Applications for aid must include the following information and documents:

• the name and size of the business (any document deemed necessary for the determination of the size of the business may be requested);
• a description of the investment project, including its start and end dates;
• a description of the operating conditions of the investment project and the economic potential;
• the location of the investment project;
• the total project cost;
• a list of eligible costs of the investment project;
• the operating costs and profits, if any;
• a financing plan;
• the form and the amount of financial aid required for the investment project;
• any other relevant information which would help the ministers in charge to understand the qualities or the specific aspects of the investment project or programme and its incentive effect.

The business must grant the Minister of the Economy and the Minister of Finance the authority to verify with the Luxembourg Inland Revenue, the Registration Duties, Estates and VAT Authority and the Joint Social Security Centre that the business has not evaded its tax and social obligations. If not, the business must attach the certificates issued by these administrations providing proof that all tax and social charges have been duly paid.

Companies that have existed for less than 3 years must provide a business plan.

The ministry can request any other useful information required to fully understand the project.

Form of aid

The aid may take the form of a capital grant, a recoverable advance payment or an interest relief.

The company can also resort to the SNCI's equipment loan which is offered at an interest rate below the marker rate. In accordance with State aid regulations, this interest benefit is considered to be an element of aid that must be taken into account. In this case, the aid requested is divided into a capital grant and a subsidised loan. The sum of the 2 amounts is equivalent to the amount of aid requested.

Maximum amount of financial aid

The amount of aid cannot exceed:

• 20 % of eligible costs for small enterprises;
• 10 % of eligible costs for medium-sized enterprises.

For any investment project, the amount of aid may not be less than EUR 1,000.

Payment of the aid

Capital subsidies and recoverable advances are paid out after completion of the investment project. However, one or more advance payments may be made as the investments are made.

The business and the Minister of the Economy agree together, at the time the aid is granted, on the repayment terms of the recoverable advance payment if the project is successful.

The person submitting the payment application (the applicants themselves or their representatives) must have a LuxTrust product (e.g. Token, Smartcard or Signing Stick) or an electronic identity card (eID).

The payment application must be submitted before the deadline indicated in the decision/agreement.

Forms / Online services

Who to contact