Enterprise Ireland Covid-19 Products Scheme now open – support for Irish based internationally focused companies

Covid-19 Products Scheme

The COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in an urgent need across the EU and globally for medical and public health R&D, products and solutions. In response, The EU Temporary State Aid Framework has been amended to allow for, “the facilitation of research and development and expanded production into Coronavirus related products”.

The COVID-19 Products Scheme is composed of three measures, all of which aim to support Irish based internationally focused companies (SME and Large) to address:

• Measure 1: COVID-19 relevant research and development (“R&D”) activities by companies coupled with the creation of useful IP.
• Measure 2: The construction and upgrade of testing and upscaling infrastructures that are utilised to develop COVID-19 relevant products.
• Measure 3: Increased production of products needed to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. These outputs should be achieved as quickly as possible.

The scheme is time-limited and all funding must be approved by Enterprise Ireland no later than the 15th of December 2020. The scheme is now open for applications.

What are COVID-19 relevant products?

• Relevant medicinal products (including vaccines) and treatments and their intermediates, active pharmaceutical ingredients and raw materials.
• Medical devices and hospital and medical equipment, including PPE and necessary raw materials.
• Disinfectants and their intermediary products and raw chemical materials necessary for their production.
• Track and trace, temperature monitoring and relevant COVID-19 responsive services.
• Process innovations targeting an efficient and streamlined production of the above.

Description of funding

This is a budget-limited scheme with the following features:

Measure 1

• • Max Grant Rate: up to 50% of qualifying costs
  • Max Grant: €650,000 per project

Measure 2 & 3

• • Max Grant Rate: up to 50% of qualifying costs
  • There is no upper limit to overall grant size (subject to budget)

Companies may make applications to all measures concurrently.

Key conditions of the scheme

• General:
  • The scheme is open to COVID-19 relevant product activities only.
  • Retrospective costs (on or after the 1st February 2020): Where applicable, costs associated with activities of qualifying projects may be retrospectively funded. In these cases, the aid must assist projects which accelerate project implementation or extend project scope. The company must demonstrate to the satisfaction of Enterprise Ireland that costs were incurred on or after the 1st of February 2020.
  • Funding must be approved by Enterprise Ireland no later than the 15th of December 2020. The cut-off date for applications in line with the lifespan of the Scheme is the 30th November 2020.

• Measure 1:

• • Aid beneficiaries must commit to grant non-exclusive licences for any Intellectual Property (IP) generated by projects funded through the scheme under non-discriminatory market conditions to third parties in the European Economic Area (EEA).
• Measure 2:
  • Resulting infrastructure cannot be predominately dedicated to one company; but instead consists of service providers that serve multiple users.
  • Project must be completed within 6 months of grant agreement being signed by the applicant. An investment project is considered completed when it is accepted by Enterprise Ireland as completed. Where the six-month deadline is not met, any payment under the grant agreement will be reduced by 25% of the amount of aid awarded per month of delay, unless the delay is due to factors outside the control of the aid beneficiary.
• Measure 3:
  • Project must be completed within 6 months of grant agreement being signed by the applicant. An investment project is considered completed when it is accepted by Enterprise Ireland as completed. Where the six-month deadline is not met, any payment under the grant agreement will be reduced by 25% of the amount of aid awarded per month of delay, unless the delay is due to factors outside the control of the aid beneficiary.

Eligible companies

Key eligibility criteria are stated below. Further detailed information can be found in the Company Guidelines document for the scheme.

• Employ 10 or more full-time employees*
• Are operating in the manufacturing and internationally traded service sectors

Who cannot apply?

The scheme is not open to companies who:

• Are active in the primary agricultural, fishery or aquaculture sectors.
• Operate in the coal and steel sector.
• Were covered by specific rules for Financial Services.

How to apply

Application forms are available from the Business Response Team within Enterprise Ireland, contact details for which are below:

• Email address:  businessresponse@enterprise-ireland.com
• Telephone number:   +353 1 727 2088

All completed applications should be returned to the following inbox:
GA-CPS@enterprise-ireland.com

For further information

Enterprise Ireland has a comprehensive suite of supports available for companies at all stages of development, under Sustaining Enterprise Fund and Innovative Start-Up funding, as well as other funding offers.

If you have funding needs, please get in touch with your Development Adviser or our Covid 19 Business Response Unit at businessresponse@enterprise-ireland.com

Further detailed information on this scheme can be found in the Company Guidelines document.