What is State Aid?

“Because we have been working on environmental issues for some time I was surprised at how much useful practical information was new to me which I can now apply within my organization.”
Sheila Daly, University of Portsmouth

What is State Aid?

 

 

 

 

State Aid refers to public money being used to provide assistance to organisations. The use of State Aid is regulated and monitored to ensure that this State money is not used to distort competition and trade in the European Union. This public money can take various forms, including grants, tax breaks, and free or subsidised consultancy or event attendance.

In the UK, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can receive a maximum of €200,000 (£180,5461) from public money (State Aid) within any 3 consecutive financial years. Any less than this amount is considered de minimis, meaning it would not give an organisation any kind of unfair advantage.

The Utilise Plus programme operates within de minimis State Aid regulations. This means that you must be certain that the value of any of the services you apply for through the programme, plus any State Aid you have received or applied for under any other programmes, will not exceed your maximum State Aid allowance of €200,000 (£180,5461).

For grants and energy audits, you will be informed of the amount of State Aid you receive prior to the grant being issued / the audit taking place. For events, the amount of State Aid you are receiving is specified on individual events pages. You will also receive a letter once the Utilise Plus programme concludes in September 2019 which will confirm the total amount of State Aid your organisation has been provided with.

Please contact the Sustainable Business Partnership CIC team if you would like further information.

 

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1 Exchange rate based on the European Commission monthly exchange rate January 2019: €1 = £0.90273 (you are responsible for re-calculating this figure to ensure it is up-to-date when necessary)