National
Development Agency

Funding exceeding 17 billion HUF was made available in a national perspective. The funding framework is expected to further substantially increase up to contracting, due to the strong demand for funding and the high number of good quality applications submitted. Mr László Varju, State Secretary of the Ministry for National Development and Economy, held a press conference on 16 November in the company of one of the applicants recommended for approval within the framework of this scheme.   

The site development call announced by the National Development Agency is aimed at upgrading and extending currently operating sites used by small and medium enterprises (SMEs), replacing sub-standard sites and facilitating the better exploitation of site capacities, with the aim of preserving and increasing the competitiveness of SMEs. Beyond these objectives, the call itself specifically prioritises preserving and improving employment levels. The call’s immediate objective relates to strengthening SME activities, increasing the equity of small and medium enterprises operating at a regional level and promoting that investments geared towards site development contribute to preserving and increasing employment in the region.

Within the framework of this scheme, applicants were eligible to apply for the construction of new buildings used in connection with production and services activities, the transformation and extension of existing buildings, the implementation of necessary building installation systems, as well as the development and upgrading of basic infrastructure. The procurement of equipment required, as well as activities tying in with the elimination of environmental damages are also eligible for funding as complementary activities.   
Funding ranging between 10 and 150 million HUF may be approved per application. The scope of applicants is open, i.e., business organisations (micro, small and medium enterprises) and cooperatives regardless of the industrial sector they operate in were eligible to submit development concepts. Despite the economic crisis, applicants show ongoing keen interest in funding opportunities. Applications applying for funding amounting to a total of 40.3 billion HUF were submitted in response to calls originally announced in 7 regions and allocated a funding framework of 17.85 billion HUF. This funding framework is expected to further substantially increase up to contracting, due to the strong demand for funding and the high number of good quality applications submitted. Within the framework of this scheme, the average rate of funding per workplace is equivalent to 1.2 million HUF.        

Applicants assumed commitments to preserve these jobs for a period of 3 years.
Application assessment has been carried out in 4 regions and will be completed in the remaining 3 regions in the near future, following which contracting will begin in every region.    

The press conference that was held on 16 November was organised in Szigetszentmiklós at the site awaiting development and owned by the company recommended for approval, namely, SANSZ 2002 Individual Company. This is the third time this company has been approved funding within the framework of New Hungary Development Plan calls. Strengthening competitiveness and the company’s ability to adapt to the market by continuously extending the scope of activities and capacities are the long-term strategic objectives of this company. Thanks to funding amounting to over 12 million HUF approved within the framework of the site development call, SANSZ 2002 will be able to set up a new production unit and procure machinery used for manufacturing complex building sheet metalworking systems.