Regional investment grants

Which companies can apply for investment grants in general?

Small and medium-sized companies and large companies if the investment concerns new economic activity. The grant cannot be approved for activities which are conducted within rural center of Sundsvall.

Some basic requirements which must be met, the company must: 

• Conduct its business venture and create lasting employment at the company's permanent workplace in Västernorrland County
• Not conducted as a hobby. By hobby activities meaning that the main personal income is derived from, for example, employment, pension or other activity. This implies that if it is only the business owner who works in the applicant company, he/she may not have more than 50 compensations from elsewhere.
• Set a goal of having at least one full-time job within 1 year
• Have good care of staff with a collective agreement or comparable wages and working conditions.
• Have a financial need for the grant
• Assessed to be able to achieve long-term profitability
• Operated on market terms
• Produce or refine one’s own product or service
• Not being in any financial difficulties, which will be checked via a credit report

Important prerequisites 

• The application must be submitted prior to the investment begins -nothing may be ordered, agreed or purchased beforehand
• The investment granted approval must lead to increased employment in the applicant company.
• Grants are not approved for businesses ventures which operate in a local or regional market where there is competition with similar business ventures
• For the establishment of enterprises, the otherwise valid requirement for existing income and salary withdrawals in the company can be waived
• The level of grants is between 15-40 percent
• The level of grants is determined based on where in the county the business venture is conducted and the size of the company
• Investment up to SEK 25 million
• Investments exceeding SEK 25 million are handled by the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
• The investment must be at least SEK 20,000

Which investments are eligible for regional investment grants?

• Buildings - new, reconstructions and extensions
• Machinery, equipment and other movable assets

Which investments are not supported for grants?

• Vehicles or portable equipment
• Purchase of land or buildings
• Renovation and maintenance of property
• Acquisition of existing company
• Replacement investments
• Standard electronics such as mobile phones and computers
• Moulding tools which are placed with others and are not used in one’s own production
• Hand tools
• Operating costs, such as rent or salary
• Own work
• Purchase from relatives
• Investments which follow from legal or official requirements
• Purchase via leasing

Grants are not granted to activities such as:

• Are resellers (that is no own manufacturing or processing of products or services)
• Operates in the steel sector, coal industry, shipbuilding industry, synthetic fiber industry, transport sector or associated infrastructure, energy production, energy distribution, energy infrastructure, agriculture and fisheries.
• Have premises for rent
• For the most part financed with public funds