The primary aim of the “Research in Epirus” initiative is to promote collaboration between businesses and research institutions, and to support existing enterprises operating or planning to operate in the Region of Epirus in developing competitive products and services. This is achieved through:
i) the formation of collaborative consortia between enterprises and appropriate research organizations, or
ii) the implementation of research activities either through contractual collaboration with research institutions or via in-house R&D departments.

Eligible Beneficiaries

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• Large enterprises only in collaborative projects that necessarily include at least one SME.
• Research organizations, entities (e.g., universities or research institutes, technology transfer organizations, innovation intermediaries, research collaborators with physical and/or virtual presence), regardless of legal status (public or private) or funding sources, whose primary purpose is independent basic research, industrial research, or experimental development, or widespread dissemination of the results of those activities through teaching, publishing, or knowledge transfer.
• Other entities that qualify as research organizations (subject to conditions).

Eligible Expenditures

Research project costs may include:

• Personnel Costs: permanent or fixed-term staff, or contract workers whose work is clearly defined in relation to the project (researchers, technicians, and other support staff to the extent they are engaged in the project).
• Other costs: calculated with a single flat rate of 40% applied to eligible direct personnel expenses. These expenses relate to research activities and include:
• 1. Depreciation costs for instruments and equipment, in proportion to how long they are used for the project;
  2. Depreciation costs for buildings and land, in proportion to how long they are used for the project;
  3. Contract research, knowledge, and patents acquired or licensed from external sources under fair market conditions;
  4. Additional overhead and operating expenses directly resulting from the project.

Budget Limits

Under this action, research projects may receive funding for budgets ranging from €50,000 to €300,000 or up to €400,000 if at least two enterprises participate.

Restrictions apply as follows:

• The total budget of enterprises participating must be at least 30% of the total project budget.
• In collaborative projects with multiple enterprises, each participating company must contribute at least 15% of the total budget.

Key Participation Criteria

Businesses submitting proposals must:

• Not be classified as “undertakings in difficulty” under Article 2, Paragraph 18 of Regulation (EU) 651/2014.
• Have at least one fully closed (annual) financial year.
• Request a total budget that does not exceed 100% of their highest turnover in one of the three financial years preceding the application year.
• Not have incurred any final, binding penalties under Article 39, Para. 1 of Law 4488/2017, specifically for: i) severe or highly severe labor law infractions (three fines/three inspections), or ii) undeclared labor (two fines/two inspections).
• Be registered in the Beneficial Owners Registry (Article 20 of Law 4557/2018) prior to submitting the application.
• The project coordinator must be an enterprise.
• Each enterprise may participate in up to three proposals, with different scopes; only in one can it act as Coordinator.

Non-Eligible Participants:

• Public enterprises, public bodies or organizations, their subsidiaries, legal entities under public law, and local government authorities.
• Offshore companies.
• Enterprises operating in excluded sectors under EU Regulation 651/2014.

Evaluation Method

Funding applications undergo a comparative evaluation process.