The new law on aid for research, development and innovation (RDI) has just come into force.
The new provisions give effect to the reform of aid for research, development and innovation undertaken in the context of bringing the aid schemes in line with the objectives of community policy in this area.
The Ministry of Economy has chosen to transpose all the opportunities offered by the European framework to encourage private companies to increase RDI spending, to boost their innovation efforts and to encourage partnerships between private companies and public research centres.
The new law on the promotion of RDI includes the existing aid schemes: aid for research and development projects or programmes; aid for carrying out technical feasibility studies; aid for innovation in favour of SMEs; aid to young innovative enterprises; support for process and organisational innovation; aid for research infrastructures and innovation clusters.
The innovation aid scheme for SMEs includes several old measures specifically designed to support RDI in small and medium-sized enterprises and should facilitate their access to RDI subsidies. Other changes relate to the aid scheme for technical feasibility studies for which a single rate will apply and the limit for aid granted to young innovative firms to be €800,000. In addition, the rates applicable to SMEs' process and organisational innovation projects are increased to 50%.
In addition to the existing aid to support RDI, a new aid measure for investment in research infrastructures is now available to support the acquisition of research facilities that are intended to be shared. In addition, the new legislation provides for the possibility in the future to grant aid in the form of repayable advances, equity contributions for young innovative enterprises or in the form of subsidised loans and tax credits as well as the subsidies that have been applied up to now.
The detailed guidelines for the application of the RDI aid and the conditions for eligibility for such aid can be consulted on the www.guichet.lu and on the innovation portal.
