Romania will get EUR 502.5 million under the EEA & Norway grants 2014-2021, after being the first country, from the 15 Beneficiary States across the EU in this new funding cycle, to have signed The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Donor States (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein). The total budget includes EUR 48.7 million of national co-financing.
Out of the total budget, approx. EUR 155 million will be dedicated to the private sector, under the following programme areas:
- Business Development, Innovation and SMEs (EUR 45 million)
- Renewable energy, energy Efficiency, energy Security (EUR 62.8 million)
- Research (EUR 47 million)
The programme for Business Development, Innovation and SMEs aims to support increased value creation and sustainable growth. Under the programme Renewable energy, energy Efficiency, energy Security, the aim is to support less carbon intensive energy and increased security of supply. The Research programme will aim to enhance research-based knowledge development.
Out of the programmes directly addressing the private sector, Innovation Norway will manage 2 of them (the Business Development, Innovation and SMEs and Renewable energy, energy Efficiency, energy Security), while the Romanian Executive Agency for Higher Education, Research, Development and innovation Funding will operate the Research programme. Relevant Donor Partners will be involved in every programme.
Further programme areas of less direct relevance for the private sector are:
- Social Dialogue / Decent Work,
- Local Development and Poverty Reduction. Enhanced Roma Inclusion
- Justice
- Home affairs
- Education, Scholarships, Apprenticeships and Youth Entrepreneurship
- European Public Health Challenges
- Environment, Climate change, Adaptation and Ecosystems
- Cultural Entrepreneurship, Cultural heritage and Cultural Exchange
- Civic Society
The total EEA & Norway Grants budget allocated to Romania, including the funds for Bilateral Relationship and Technical Assistance, amounts EUR 513 million.
For a complete overview of the EEA & Norway grants 2014-2021, you may have a look at the Blue Book – the document outlining the strategy of this mechanism until 2021.
For an overview of the 2009-2014 results of the EEA & Norway Grants mechanism, with a focus on the funding that was available for private sector enterprises, please check Winnovart’s 2015 study.
