Malta Enterprise aims to finalise the evaluation of applications for European Regional Development Fund schemes submitted until last March by the first quarter of next year, executive chairman Alan Camilleri assured The Times Business.
The government agency is tasked with administering seven schemes under the €42 million ERDF programme split into three trances.
The third call for applications closed last March 31. No fewer than 623 applications for €37.7 million in funds were submitted, even though the remaining budget for this third phase is just €17.7 million.
Two of the seven schemes under this tranche, that for start-ups and another for international competitive grants, have already been evaluated: 11 companies were awarded €550,309 under the first and 20 companies €1.1m under the second.
Mr Camilleri said the e-business scheme, for which a total of 108 applications were filed, is in the final stages of the evaluation process and should be completed in the coming weeks.
“Every effort is being made to finalise the process and to send replies to the applicants as soon as possible,” Mr Camilleri said. “Before approving new projects, Malta Enterprise had to focus on those approved under the first two calls in order to ensure they were actually carried out and the commitments with the ERDF are maintained to secure the funding.”
Under the first two calls, a total of 396 applications were approved to the tune of €24.9 million. Beneficiaries first have to carry out the approved projects before being reimbursed for eligible costs incurred.
The energy grant scheme has again proved most popular: 246 applications were filed in the third call after 149 were submitted in the first two tranches. Ninety-seven applications were filed for funds from the innovation scheme, 77 from the international competitiveness funds, 45 for start-ups, and 23 for innovation related to the environment.
Two calls, rather than three, were made for applications for research and development funds. The second call has seen 28 applications for a total of €4.03 million, although only €2.64 remains in the kitty for this scheme.