The COMPETE 2030 Program has launched a call for “Collective Actions – Qualification” with applications open until June 12, 2024.
The notice aims to contribute to changing the productive specialization profile of the business fabric in the less developed regions of Continental Portugal NUTS II (Norte, Centro, and Alentejo).
To achieve this, there is an indirect focus on qualifying business models and productive offerings, supporting SMEs in adopting more advanced business strategies that drive higher levels of productivity, intensifying the use of intangible competitiveness factors that simultaneously reinforce innovation and the external orientation of Portuguese companies.
This notice covers major actions that allow:
Enhance business capacity through qualification processes, in addition to direct support to companies, contributing to improving competitiveness, flexibility, and responsiveness in the global market, using intangible investments in areas related to new organizational and management models, and production qualification, among others;
Foster entrepreneurial culture, particularly through the identification and awareness of critical competitiveness factors; Raise awareness among SMEs for the promotion and intensification of innovative and qualified activities for their progression in the value chain; Produce and disseminate information about sectors, product/service positioning, and funding opportunities in strategic areas for sustained and competitive growth;
Raise awareness of the importance of financial literacy in SMEs and develop tools to enable them to make informed and up-to-date decisions; Capture, produce, and promote access to information and tools for SMEs regarding financing models in strategic areas for their sustained and competitive growth, stimulating sharing and interaction with stakeholder communities, thereby reinforcing their ability to access financing and capital markets;
Raise awareness among SMEs for the adoption of increasingly sustainable practices in the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) pillars, contributing to environmental preservation, social well-being promotion, and increasing companies’ resilience and adaptability, resulting in more attractive and reliable companies and products/services for stakeholders, boosting their competitiveness.
Eligible applicants include:
Business associations, chambers of commerce and industry, and tourism promotion agencies;
Public agencies with competencies in knowledge valorization, business development, and promotion of economic development planning and management strategies;
Non-profit private entities pursuing public interest objectives and that have established partnerships with the entities mentioned in the previous bullet point to pursue public policies of an entrepreneurial nature;
Other public entities and other non-profit entities participating in co-promotion projects with one of the entities mentioned above, provided it is justified given the nature of the operation.
The notice applies to the Norte, Centro, and Alentejo regions, with the effects of the supported operation needing to be felt in at least two of these three regions.
Check here:
COMPETE2030-2024-5 Notice Collective Actions – Qualification
