Short summary
Technology Incubation provides two forms of support. Direct, which takes the form of a subsidy of up to CZK 4,500,000, and indirect (in the amount of CZK 500,000) in the form of workshops, seminars, consultations with experts, etc. The amount of direct aid varies according to the scheme of application – higher amounts are available in the so-called “direct aid” scheme. Incubation Plus. Compared to funding from an investor, support from our project has some undeniable advantages. These include the range of services provided, the length of the procedure, which is twice as long for some subsidy titles, and, most importantly, the fact that the financial subsidy received does not affect the ownership shares in the company. This will make it easier for you to find further investments in the future.
Less administration, more time for you
When preparing the project, we tried to keep the administrative burden as low as possible. We’ve kept the entire application and evaluation process to a minimum so you can spend your time on your business. If you’ve already submitted your application to the program, you may have noticed that you didn’t have to submit a myriad of statements, endorsements and certifications along with your business plan. We have moved this unavoidable paperwork to the end of the evaluation process so that applicants do not waste time on paperwork in case their application does not meet all the criteria or does not stand up to the competition. It should be noted here that the submission of an application does not guarantee automatic admission to incubation. However, the big advantage is that projects can apply to us repeatedly, but only once in each call.
We will be happy to help you with the formalities
Assume that you have successfully clicked through the Agenda Information System and submitted your application for support in the programme. By sending the application, an administrative procedure was initiated, which has its own specifics and takes up to several months. Once the application process is closed (i.e. after the current call is closed), our team starts the formal check of the received documents. For each application submitted, we check the accuracy of the data entered against public registers and registers, and the extent and completeness of the materials submitted. This part of the formal control is an indisputable advantage as it gives applicants the opportunity to correct the deficiencies identified. Therefore, you do not have to worry about your project being excluded, e.g. for incorrect chapter numbering or some other formal detail. Our team will return your application with a request for completion and you will have the opportunity to correct the deficiencies within the next 5 days.
Innovation, that’s what it’s all about
If you have followed the instructions for completion, resubmitted your corrected application within the deadline and everything is in order, our team will forward your application to the Innovation Evaluators. The innovation of your project is always judged in the technology sector in which you have applied. If you have submitted a request to the AI HUB sector, it will be dealt with by AI experts etc. Specifically, two experts in the field will focus on the innovative parameters of your technology. Within approximately one calendar month, the innovation assessors will then issue an expert opinion that will decide whether your project will proceed to the next round of evaluation or whether your application will be rejected as not innovative enough for the sector.
Pitch in front of the evaluation committee
If you have passed the innovation assessment, the experts’ opinions will be submitted to the evaluation committee. It is another imaginary stop on the journey for millions of crowns. It is an independent body of five experts specialising in different aspects of the sector. For example, in the aforementioned AI Hub, the evaluation committee will include a representative of CzechInvest (usually a project manager from the relevant sector) and experts on the technological and business side of the project from the state administration, academia and the business environment. In this way, the panel will revisit the innovativeness of your project, taking into account the opinions of the innovation assessors. In addition, the evaluation panel will review the feasibility and scalability criteria, again in accordance with the current call text.
The committee will review the written application materials, which you can complete during the face-to-face meeting. An important part of the whole process is the presentation in front of the evaluation committee. The presentation takes the form of a pitch, which is the benchmark for assessing the subsequent recommendation of the project for support. You can prepare for this presentation in advance in cooperation with the pre-incubation managers. They will guide you through all parts of the process, advise you on how to improve your presentation and what to look out for. Presentations before the evaluation committee take place within two to three months, taking into account the number of submitted projects and the time available for all external evaluators. You will receive a percentage rating based on the application you submitted, the most important points of which you will remind us of during your presentation, and your answers to additional questions from the evaluation committee. This is subject to the recommendation or rejection of your project for support.
The subsidy is already within reach
After the presentations are completed and all evaluation opinions have been issued, the Project Call Board will meet, during which formalities such as the calculation and validation of the allocation for project support will take place. This is followed by a final check of the successful applicants and the official issuance of the support decision and the start of incubation. The whole process from the close of the application process to the start of incubation takes several months.
Don’t be afraid to contact the pre-incubation manager
The whole evaluation process is time-consuming and you certainly don’t have to worry about your project plans sitting in a file cabinet somewhere. Our team of experts takes a close look at each application and assesses its quality. We remind you that even after submitting your application, you can consult all the following steps with our pre-incubation managers, who will attend to you according to the current time capacity.
We wish all applicants every success and good luck in the tough competitive environment of other projects.
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