On 26/06/2025, the 3rd Aid Scheme Announcement for the submission of investment project applications was announced under the “Processing – Supply Chain” scheme of the new Development Law 4887/2022.
Contents
Purpose
The purpose of this scheme is to support investment projects in the manufacturing sector—excluding the processing of agricultural products for which a special scheme is established—and in the supply chain sector. The aim is to promote technological, production, administrative, and organizational upgrades, as well as innovative and outward-looking growth and expansion, in order to strengthen the competitive position of enterprises in both domestic and international markets.
Submission Timeline
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Start date for submission of applications: 1 July 2025
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Deadline for submission: 10 October 2025 (following an extension)
Budget
The total budget of the present scheme for 2025 amounts to one hundred and fifty million euros (€150,000,000), of which seventy-five million euros (€75,000,000) are allocated to tax exemption incentives.
The remaining seventy-five million euros (€75,000,000) are allocated to grants, leasing subsidies, and wage cost subsidies for newly created employment, and are funded by the Public Investment Programme of the Ministry of Development.
Eligible Investment Projects
Projects must qualify as initial investments and meet at least one of the following conditions:
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Creation of a new establishment (new unit)
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Expansion of production capacity of an existing establishment (unit)
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Diversification of the output of an existing establishment into products or services not previously produced or provided, provided that eligible costs exceed at least two hundred percent (200%) of the book value of the reused assets as recorded in the tax year preceding the application
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Fundamental change in the overall production process of an existing unit. For large enterprises, eligible costs must also exceed the depreciation of the relevant assets over the last three fiscal years. If the relevant depreciation cannot be clearly determined, this condition is considered unmet.
Replacement of equipment and acquisition of shares in another company do not constitute initial investments.
For logistics service investment projects (NACE code 52.29.19.03) providing services to third parties, services provided to group companies may amount to a maximum of 30% of the total services provided. Additionally, the location of such projects must be distinct from other business activities of the company or group.
For the establishment, expansion, or modernization of logistics service units, the implementation of integrated ICT and telematics systems is mandatory (where absent) to support storage, loading/unloading, and overall materials/goods management.
Eligible Beneficiaries
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Commercial companies
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Cooperatives
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Social Cooperative Enterprises, Agricultural Cooperatives, Producer Groups, Urban Cooperatives, and Agricultural Corporate Partnerships
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Consortia engaging in commercial activity
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Public and municipal enterprises and their subsidiaries
Eligible Regional Aid Expenditures
The eligible costs of investment projects for which regional aid is granted are as follows:
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Construction, expansion, and modernization of buildings and related facilities, including accessibility works for persons with disabilities and environmental landscaping (capped at 45% of total eligible regional aid costs; 70% for logistics services to third parties under NACE 52.29.19.03)
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Purchase of all or part of existing assets (subject to conditions)
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Purchase and installation of new modern machinery and equipment, including technical installations and transport vehicles for internal use
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Leasing payments for new modern machinery and equipment
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Modernization of special and mechanical installations
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Technology transfer via purchase of intellectual property rights, licenses, patents, know-how, and unpatented technical knowledge
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Quality assurance and control systems, certifications, software acquisition and installation, and business organization systems
For large enterprises, eligible expenditure on intangible assets must not exceed 30% of the total eligible regional aid expenditure. For SMEs, the ceiling is set at 50%.
The wage cost of new jobs created as a result of the investment is eligible for two (2) years from the creation of each job, provided it results from an initial investment and is claimed independently of other eligible expenditure.
Aid Conditions:
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The project must result in a net increase in Annual Work Units (AWUs) at the establishment and the enterprise compared to the previous twelve months before application.
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All job positions must be filled within three (3) years of completion and operational start of the investment.
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Each created position must be maintained for at least five (5) years in large enterprises, four (4) years in medium-sized, and three (3) years in small enterprises.
Eligible Expenditures Outside Regional Aid
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Consultancy services to SMEs (for new small and medium-sized enterprises and not linked to routine operations)
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Vocational training costs
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Consultancy related to vocational training
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Personnel costs of trainees and general indirect costs during training
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Investment aid for SMEs
Types of Aid Provided
The following types of aids are provided in the scheme:
This consists in the exemption from the payment of income tax on the realized pre-tax profits, which arise based on the relevant tax legislation, from the total activities of the enterprise, after deducting the legal entity or legal person income tax corresponding to the profits distributed or allocated to the partners.
The amount of the tax exemption is calculated as a percentage of the eligible costs of the investment plan or of the value of the new mechanical and other equipment acquired through financial leasing, and constitutes an equivalent reserve, which is maintained in a separate account in their financial statements.
This consists in the free provision by the State of an amount of money to cover part of the eligible costs of the investment plan and is determined as a percentage of these costs.
This consists in the coverage by the State of part of the payable installments of financial leasing contracts concluded for the acquisition of new mechanical and other equipment. It is determined as a percentage of their acquisition value and is included in the payable installments.
The leasing subsidy may not exceed seven (7) years and the period starts from the date of completion of the investment.
This consists in the coverage by the State of part of the wage cost of the new jobs created and linked to the investment plan, for which no other state aid is received.
Aid Intensity and Amounts of Aid
The aid rates for eligible costs of initial investments are granted based on the maximum aid intensities of the Regional Aid Map, as approved by the European Commission decision C(2022) 25 final/06-01-2022 and amended by decision C(2023) 6801 final/16-10-2023.
The current Regional Aid Map has been published on the website of the General Secretariat for Private Investments of the Ministry of Development: https://ependyseis.mindev.gov.gr/uploads/photos/chpe.pdf
The aid rates for the eligible costs of initial investments are granted based on the maximum aid intensities of the Regional Aid Map as follows:
a. For micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, the aid rates for all types of incentives, except for the grant, are granted at the maximum rate of the Regional Aid Map.
The grant incentive is provided at eighty percent (80%) of the maximum rate of the Regional Aid Map. Increases are foreseen for the implementation of investment plans in special disadvantaged areas of the country.
b. For large enterprises, for all types of incentives except the grant, the rates are granted at eighty percent (80%) of the maximum rate of the Regional Aid Map.
Minimum Amount of Investment Plans
To be included under this scheme, the investment plan must have a minimum eligible cost, which is determined based on the size of the entity and specifically amounts to:
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one million (1,000,000) euros for large enterprises,
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five hundred thousand (500,000) euros for medium-sized enterprises,
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two hundred fifty thousand (250,000) euros for small enterprises,
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one hundred thousand (100,000) euros for micro enterprises,
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fifty thousand (50,000) euros for Social Cooperative Enterprises (Koin.S.Ep.), Agricultural Cooperatives (A.S.), Urban Cooperatives, Producer Groups (O.P.) and Agricultural Corporate Partnerships (A.E.S.).
Maximum Amounts of Aid Granted
The total amount of aid per investment plan submitted may not exceed twenty million (20,000,000) euros for all types of aid, i.e., grant, tax exemption, leasing subsidy, or wage cost subsidy, and fifty million (50,000,000) euros for all collaborating or linked enterprises.
Funding Scheme of Investment Plans
- Each entity participates in the cost of the investment plan either with own funds, or with external financing (or a combination thereof).
- At least twenty-five percent (25%) of the eligible cost of the investment plan must not include any state aid, public support or provision.
- The participation of the entity in the eligible cost of the conventional investment is calculated on the total eligible costs, after deducting the amount of the requested grant, if provided in the funding scheme.
- In the case where the investment plan includes a wage cost subsidy for newly created jobs, the non-subsidized part of these costs may be covered by own funds or external financing.
Scoring Criteria
The scoring criteria are divided into four (4) groups:
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Group of criteria evaluating the maturity of the investment plan, with a scoring range of 0 to 42
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Group of criteria evaluating the financial data of the entity, with a scoring range of 0 to 25
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Group of criteria evaluating sustainable development elements, with a scoring range of 0 to 18
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Group of criteria evaluating the increase in employment, with a scoring range of 0 to 15.
Evaluation of Investment Plans
- The evaluation of investment plans starts from the date of submission of the application and is completed with the result of the evaluation check by the Evaluation Committee within ninety (90) days from the closing date of the scheme.
- The assessment of reasonable cost and the check of the scoring indicators are carried out using the comparative evaluation method.
- The minimum required score for each investment plan to be included in the ranking tables is fifty (50) points.
