Implementation of the Measure provides conditions for diversification of business activity and enhancement of job opportunities, and will therefore contribute to the sustainable economic and social rural development.

The Measure will enhance economic competitiveness, development of entrepreneurship and labour market, finally leading to an increased development rate in rural areas.

Scope of the measure

Aid is granted to entities for investments associated with setting-up or development of micro-enterprises dealing with:

1) services for agricultural holdings or forestry;

2) public services;

3) wholesale and retail;

4) craft and handicraft;

5) construction and installation works and services;

6) services for tourists and sports and leisure services;

7) transport services;

8) public utility services;

9) processing of agricultural products and edible forest products;

10) warehousing and storage of products;

11) production of the energy products from biomass;

12) accounting, consulting or IT services.

Aid may be granted, if:

1) operation is justified from the economic point of view;

2) operation meets requirements resulting from the legislation in force referring to this operation;

3) the seat or branch or place of residence of the entrepreneur and, in the case of operations related to the immovable property, the location of the immovable property are:

a) in locality situated within:

• a rural community, or

• an urban-rural community, except for towns with population exceeding 5 thousand inhabitants, or

• an urban community, except for towns with population exceeding 5 thousand inhabitants

(in case of entities other than agricultural producer groups and preliminarily recognized fruit and vegetable producer groups, recognised fruit and vegetable producer organisations as well as entities providing services for agricultural holdings or forestry),

b) in a town belonging to:

• a rural community, or

• an urban-rural community, except for towns with population exceeding 20 thousand inhabitants, or

• an urban community, except for towns with population exceeding 5 thousand inhabitants (in the case of agricultural producer groups and preliminarily recognized fruit and vegetable producer groups, recognized fruit and vegetable producer organizations as well as entities providing services for agricultural holdings or forestry),

4) the business plan provides for the establishment of at least 1 job, which is justified by the material scope of the operation;

5) in the previous 2 years the applicant did not receive support under OP Human Capital, Measure ‘Promotion of entrepreneurship’ .

Definition of Beneficiary

Natural person, legal person or organizational unit without legal personality carrying out business activity as a micro-enterprise employing less than 10 persons with a turnover not exceeding the PLN equivalent of EUR 2 million.

Form and amount of aid

Aid has the form of reimbursement of part of eligible costs.

The amount of aid granted for the operation implementation cannot exceed:

• PLN 100,000 – if the business plan provides for the establishment of 1 to 2 jobs (expressed in full-time annual average employment), which is justified by the material scope of the operation;

• PLN 200,000 – if the business plan provides for the establishment of more than 2 and less than 5 jobs (expressed in full-time annual average employment), which is justified by the material scope of the operation;

• PLN 300,000 – if the business plan provides for the establishment of at least 5 jobs (expressed in full-time annual average employment), which is justified by the material scope of the operation.

Maximum amount of aid granted to a single beneficiary cannot exceed PLN 300,000 within the Programme implementation period.

In the case of agricultural products (included in the Annex 1 of the EC Treaty) and edible forest products processing, the maximum amount of aid granted to a single beneficiary cannot exceed PLN 100,000 during the Programme implementation period.