There was a good turnout of Chamber members at a recent seminar on the new EU Funding Programme. The seminar was held in association with the EU Programmes Secretariat at the Eliott Hotel and its purpose was to introduce members to the new Programme, which runs until 2013.
The seminar explained how previous EU programmes had helped several local businesses in the past to access grants to develop their businesses or to start-up entirely new businesses.
The new Programme starts in July this year and members were encouraged to apply if they had a business idea but lacked sufficient funds to start the business.  The first stage is to contact the EU Programmes Secretariat in Europort. The Secretariat guides applicants through the process and if they qualify, they will obtain EU funding to assist the business expand or get off the ground.
One point that was emphasised during the seminar was that EU funds are grants not loans so if a company meets the criteria, they may be eligible to secure a grant. This reduces the amount that the company needs to invest to expand or start the business.
After the seminar, three Chamber members who had attended made appointments with the EU Secretariat to begin the application process. In the days following the seminar, a further two members met with the Secretariat to see if their plans were eligible for funding.