Step Change Fund (SCF) Application Form 2015

Marketing Assistance Programme (MAP) and

Step Change Fund (SCF) Application Form 2015

This form covers applications for both the MAP and SCF

Applications for the MAP are open to companies with a turnover in the range €100k - €3.5m

Applications for the SCF are open to companies with a turnover in the range €100k - €5.0m

Applications can be made for both the MAP and the SCF, where a company’s turnover falls within the range €100k to €3.5m. No more than one grant per company will be awarded.

Eligibility does not confer an automatic entitlement to aid. The selection process is a competitive one.

The SCF is aimed specifically at companies demonstrating significant new activities or a major new project which involves a substantial step change or departure for the company.

Approvals under the SCF will be limited to a maximum of 8 (eight) applicants in 2015.

Important

SECTION A: To be completed by all applicants

SECTION B: To be completed by applicants applying only for the MAP

SECTION C: To be completed by applicants applying only for the SCF

ALL SECTIONS to be completed by applicants applying for both the MAP and the SCF

APPENDIX 1 & 2: To be completed by all applicants

Please type in the spaces provided, save the application form as a MS Word document, and return it by e-mail as soon as possible, and no later than Friday 06 Feb 2015

There is no limit on word count, so provide as much information as you feel is appropriate. It is up to you to make a strong case for your company.

The application form should be accompanied by a copy of your latest available full set of accounts. These may be e-mailed with the application or posted separately.

The application form should be e-mailed to

Please read the General Conditions and Guidelines before completing the application.

SECTION A

To be completed by all applicants

1. Company Details

Provide as much information as possible by typing into the space provided.

Company/ Business Name

Trading as

Address

Contact Person

Phone

/ E-Mail / Website /

Are there any associate or partner companies within the group?

/ Calendar Year / Total Turnover € / Exports € / Full-time Equivalent Staff *
Actual 2012
Actual 2013
Actual 2014
Projected 2015
Projected 2016

* An FTE is the equivalent of one person working full time. For example: 1 person working full time = 1 FTE:

2 people each working 4 hours per day, 5 days per week = 1 FTE

What are the reasons for the growth/ decline in actual figures over the period 2012 to 2014?
Please be specific
Please provide some details to back up your projections for 2015 and 2016? How will you achieve the growth rates projected?
Please be specific

2. Business Overview

Provide as much information as possible by typing into the space provided.

Establishment Date

Brief business history and background:

ownership, key business milestones: product launches/ awards/ listings, etc. /

What are your business’s strengths?

What are your business’s weaknesses?

What opportunities exist for your business?

Potential threats to your business?

Products

Provide as much information as possible by typing into the space provided

What are your products?

Brief description: pack sizes, positioning (premium/ budget, etc.)

-You may submit a separate product list

What is unique or innovative about your products, your marketing or your production process?

What quality standards are in place?

For example, HACCP, BRC /

Are you registered for the Bord Bia Origin Green programme?

If so, have you attended a workshop? Have you submitted your sustainability plan yet?

Do you produce any own label products (for example, Tesco Finest) or brands for third parties? If so, for whom and since when?

Do you outsource your production? If so, to whom and since when?

Markets

Provide as much information as possible by typing into the space provided.

Domestic Market Channel: Where are your products currently available? Provide examples of some key customers.

What is the percentage breakdown between retail, foodservice, on-line sales and direct-to-consumer (from your own outlet, at farmers markets and events)?

Retail / %
Foodservice / %
On-Line / %
Direct to Consumer / %
Total / 100%

Export Markets: Where are your products available overseas? Provide examples of key customers.

What is the % breakdown between retail, foodservice and on-line sales?

Retail / %
Foodservice / %
On-Line / %
Total / 100%

Exports as a % of turnover

/ ___%

Planned marketing activity for 2015

See pages 4 and 5 for activities that are eligible for support

Product: What new product development, modifications to existing products/ packaging, or new quality measures will you be undertaking?

Please elaborate

Place: What are your target markets for 2015 – Geographic (domestic, export) and Market Channel (retail, foodservice, direct)?

What activities will you undertake to help you meet these new targets? Trade Fairs, Market Visits, etc.

Please elaborate

Promotions: What activities will you undertake to support both current and new listings (in-store promotions, samples, consumer events, etc)?

Please elaborate
Who is your target end-consumer
(age, status, lifestyle, etc.)? / Sustainability
Please describe how your business promotes sustainable practices, such as energy efficiency, waste disposal, packaging, etc.
Co-opetition
Co-opetition is one of the key elements of Bord Bia’s Pathways for Growth, which is part of the Food Harvest 2020 strategy for the agri-food industry.
Co-opetition can be defined as a business strategy where companies compete in some areas and cooperate in others. It can include members of supply chain working together to improve quality and/or reduce costs, or companies working together to supply a large customer.
Please click here for more information on co-opetition in practice, and examples of some initiatives.
Please provide one example of how your business has engaged in co-opetition in the last 2 years.

Other grants

/ Have you received grant aid from any other State agency in 2013 or 2014? If so, please give details.
Do you intend to apply for grant aid from any other State agency in 2015? If so, please give details.

Marketing Assistance Programme (MAP) Application Form 2015

SECTION B:

To be completed by applicants for Marketing Assistance Programme

MAP Programme Activities

Please include all eligible activities that you will undertake in 2015

1) Trade Fairs and Exhibitions

Activities eligible for grant aid are as follows:

Space rental, stand construction, installation of services, telephone connection
Transport of exhibits to and from the exhibition, samples
Design and display costs, origination of Point-of-Sale material (but not printing)
Photography, interpreting, stand valeting, catalogue entry, insurance expenses
Economy airfare, subsistence (set rate of €200 per person per night for duration of event)

Event / Location / Estimated Cost
(ex VAT) € / Date
Total Cost

2) Marketing, Design and New Product Development

Activities eligible for grant aid are as follows:

Market research visit: economy airfare and subsistence (set rate of €200 per person per night)
Marketing consultancy costs
Design of a website, including development of E-Sales/Marketing and On-Line activities
Design and origination of POS material, packaging, labels and brochures (but not printing)
In-store promotions and tastings, including the cost of samples
Purchase of published reports and market information
Marketing training, courses and seminars
Samples used in product development

Activity / Location / Estimated Cost
(ex VAT) € / Date
Total Cost

3) Quality Measures

Activities eligible for grant aid are as follows:

Quality Research – including airfare and subsistence (set rate of €200 per person per night)
Quality Consultancy Costs – costs linked to the feasibility, introduction and application of recognised quality schemes (HACCP, ISO, BRC, etc.)
Quality Training and Audit Costs
Nutritional Analysis
Origin Green – formal application fee and annual participation fee
Mentoring/ Consultancy costs with regard to sustainability plans

Activity / Location / Estimated Cost
(ex VAT) € / Date
Total Cost
Total proposed MAP expenditure / €

Marketing Assistance Programme and

Step Change Fund (SCF) Application Form 2015

SECTION C

To be completed by applicants for the Step Change Fund (SCF)

The SCF is aimed specifically at companies demonstrating significant new activities or a major new project, which involves a substantial step change or departure for the company.

Approvals will be limited to approximately 8 (eight) applicants in 2015.

Step Change Fund

Applications for the Step Change Fund must demonstrate significant new activities or a major new project, which will involve a substantial step change or departure for the company.
For example: Product launch on a new export market / establishing a new route to market / launch of a new brand or a new product range, etc.
The SCF will support activities over a 2 year period which are necessary to bring the project to fruition.

Project Overview:

Describe the project that you wish to undertake with support from the SCF, referring to

Project Goals
Project Capabilities, Potential Impacts and Business Opportunities
Project Challenges

Highlight any underlying research in the above regard, and outline the main steps required to bring the project to fruition. Please be specific and include milestone dates and relevant measures.

Project Timeline / Provide specific details and include dates and measures where necessary
Project Start Date
Key Milestones and dates
Project End Date

Project Planning

Outline the key steps or activities required to bring the project to fruition /

Date to be completed

Step 1:
Step 2:
Step 3:
Step 4:
Step 5:

Project Resourcing

People resources required to ensure that the project can be progressed and delivered / Yes / No
Are all the necessary positions currently in place and working on the project?
Have you filled all the necessary positions?
Have you commenced recruitment, or designated staff to the positions?
Have you identified the resourcing that will be required?

Product(s) with regard to to the SCF project

/ Yes / No
Is the product or range of products, relating to the project, already in production?
If not, is there a prototype in place?
If not, has the product been substantially developed?
If not, is it at planning stage?
If not, is it at pre-planning stage?

Capacity for Growth

/ Yes / No
Is there sufficient spare capacity in the existing premises?
Is there any planned future plant expansion?
Do you plan to sub-contract the manufacturing?
Targets and projected impacts of the new project
Impact / Total new sales € relating to project / Total new exports € relating to project / No. of new staff in place due to project
Projected impact of project by Dec 2015
Projected impact of project by July 2016
Projected impact of project by Dec 2016

SCF Project Costs

/ Please outline the key activities required to bring the project to fruition
Activity / Location / Date to be undertaken / Estimated Cost
(ex VAT) €
Total Cost

Eligible costs include those relating to trade fair participation, market research visits, marketing consultancy, design of packaging and POS material, design of a website, new product development, product samples and quality measures.

Costs that are not eligible include advertising, printing, personnel and capital expenditure.

Funding

Provide specific details below

How do you propose to fund the project?

For example: bank loan, shareholder/ director loan, additional equity, etc.

Additional Information

Provide specific details below

Please provide any further information in support of your application

Appendix 1 – Declaration

Checklist: make sure that you have:

Check [x]

Completed all the relevant sections above

Submitted your latest available set of year end accounts

Submitted up-to-date management accounts

Submitted your De-Minimis declaration – see Appendix 2 below

It is a condition of every agreement of assistance that the amount approved will be cancelled or reduced if the beneficiary does not proceed with the proposed activity or reduces its scale.

Eligibility does not confer an automatic entitlement to aid. The selection process is a competitive one.

Applications received are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 1997.

I declare that the information contained in this application is true to the best of my knowledge and belief and that no request for a similar marketing grant from State or Semi-State sources has been made in respect of the proposals herein.

Name
Position
Date

Applications to be sent by e-mail to:

Appendix 2

DE MINIMIS AID

The support in respect of the Marketing Assistance Programme and the Step Change Fund is provided in accordance with European Commission Regulation No. Reg. 1407/2013 on de minimis aid. Under this regulation, small amounts of aid, up to €200,000 over any period of three years to any one enterprise, are regarded as too small to significantly affect trade or competition in the common market. Such amounts are regarded as falling outside the category of State aid that is banned by the EC Treaty and can be awarded without notification to, or clearance by, the European Commission.

A Member State is required to have a mechanism to track such aid (called de minimis aid) to ensure that the combined amount of de minimis payments from all State sources to one enterprise in any period of three fiscal years (calendar years) does not exceed the €200,000 ceiling (€30,000 in the case of Seafood producers).

Please provide details of any de minimis aid which has been granted to your company within the past two fiscal years (calendar years) and in the current fiscal year (calendar year) to date. Note that a false declaration by a company resulting in the threshold of €200,000 (or €30,000 in the case of Seafood producers) being exceeded could later give rise to the aid being recovered with interest from the company concerned.

Declaration of de minimis aid

I confirm that:

1. No de minimis aid has been granted to my company within the last two fiscal years (calendar years) of 2013 and 2014 or to date in 2015.

Signed for Company:

Date:

2. My company has been granted the following de minimis aid within the last two fiscal years (calendar years) and in the current year to date. (Details to be given of amounts granted in each of the years.)

2013

2014

2015 to date:

Signed for Company: Date: