• to increase the competitiveness and growth of companies in the wood processing industry with new development-research design approaches and thus increase the penetration of companies into new markets
• to provide companies in the wood processing industry with the help of external experts the possibility of research, development and design of their existing or new products or services
• to encourage cooperation between researchers, designers and companies in this sector, as there is a large gap in their cooperation and networking

The subject of the public call is the co-financing of eligible costs of activities related to research and development or design and the costs of purchasing a patent.

• 60% co-financing of eligible costs
• Minimum subsidy: EUR 1,000.00
• Maximum subsidy: EUR 9,999.99

• EUR 0.3 million for the period 2024–2025

• Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises based in the Republic of Slovenia, which as legal or natural persons are engaged in economic activity and are organised as companies or self-employed individuals or cooperatives
• SMEs that introduce products and services in the field of use and have registered activity:
  – section C16 Processing of wood, manufacture of products of wood, cork, straw and plaiting materials, except furniture
  – section C31 Manufacture of furniture (except class C 31.03 – manufacture of mattresses)
• The applicant must be entered in the Business Register of Slovenia before 31 December 2022

• Costs of external contractors related to research and development
• Patent purchase costs

VAT is not an eligible cost.

SMEs can claim costs incurred from the publication of the public call until 30. 9. 2025.

Activities that will be carried out and paid for within the eligibility period specified in the co-financing contract will be eligible for co-financing. The beneficiary must carry out all activities before submitting the payment request.

• The project must be consistent with the purpose and subject of the public call
• In the application, the applicant must state an external contractor from the list:
  – researchers, which is published on the website of the Information System on Research Activities in Slovenia (SICRIS) https://cris.cobiss.net/ecris/si/sl
  – designers, which is published on the websites of the Centre for Creativity (CzK) https://czk.si/skupnost/kreativci/ or the Association of Designers of Slovenia (DOS) https://www.dos-design.si/abc
• The selected external contractor must be actively registered in the Business Register of Slovenia on the date of submission of the application
• Before submitting the application, the SME must obtain Form 1: Preliminary opinion on the application, which shows that it is a technologically and design-wise more demanding end product based on wood
• When selecting an external contractor, the SME must act economically and obtain the service at market price
• The selected external contractor cannot be an applicant under this public call, at the same time the applicant cannot be an external contractor to other applicants
• The service of the external contractor must not be performed before the submission of the application to this public call
• SMEs can obtain funds under the public call once in the period

• The application is submitted electronically via the Fund’s ePortal
• The deadline for submitting applications is until 31 3. 2025 or until funds are exhausted

Publication of the public call in the Official Gazette l. RS no. 101/2024 of 29 11. 2024:

• Public call
• Call documentation (last updated 10 January 2025)
• Application for obtaining form 1
• Application for obtaining form 2
• Form – request to replace an external contractor
• Sample contract
• Special conditions

• Call documentation – 29. 11. 2024