The aim of the call for proposals is to co-finance the eligible costs of providing technological solutions and embracing digital transformation of key production and business processes in Slovenian SMEs. The funding will spur the growth and development of the businesses receiving support. It will also help mitigate the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the back of investments in the integration of digital technologies in all areas of business operation and in deployment of digital business models. As part of the call for proposals, investments in production and operation processes of the supported businesses will be promoted to drive digital transformation, as well as energy-efficient and material-efficient processes. In addition, the goal is to increase the added value per employee and preserve jobs. Investments will facilitate the restructuring and modernisation of business and production processes and the roll-out of new digital business models. In the short run, the enterprises are expected to maintain their market position; in the long term, the support will help the businesses strengthen their position in the existing markets while facilitating entry into emerging markets.  

At least 300 projects or SMEs that will implement digital transformation, improve employee competences and increase added value per employee by at least 3% will be supported under the call for proposals.

The Slovene Enterprise Fund will publish the call for proposals on Friday, 18 June 2021. The call for proposals will be open to all businesses with a registered office, a business unit or a branch office in the Republic of Slovenia.

This is already the fifth major investment in a series of REACT-EU investments in the past few months. In February 2021, the European Regional Development Fund supported the project Covid-19 – Relocation of the Department for Pulmonary Diseases to the University Medical Centre Maribor with a contribution of EUR 3.6 million; in March, there was a further EUR 4.5 million injection for the project Covid-19 - Hospital renovation to extend capacities of Ljubljana Intermediate Care Department, in May, EUR 1.5 million were approved for the project Covid-19 – IT supported vaccination appointment scheduling system for primary-level facilities and end of May 2021, a Call for proposals for co-financing investment into infrastructure to strengthen resilience of institutional care facilities by taking into account the deinstitutionalisation efforts worth EUR 93 million was launched as part of the country’s efforts to enhance the resilience of the long-term care system.