Press releases

7 entrepreneurs, whose businesses have been selected for funding under the Programme for Enhancing the Competitiveness of SMEs and their internationalisation, have today signed grant contracts with the Organisation for Entrepreneurship Development (ODA). Companies will access grants of up to RON 2 million from the state to strengthen capacities to promote products and services on foreign markets. The total value of the investments resulting from the implementation of the investment projects amounts to approximately RON 7.5 million, of which the grant is approximately RON 3.8 million, while approximately 250 jobs are maintained and created.

Of the total number of companies to be financed, 4 operate in rural areas and 3 in urban areas. At the same time, 5 businesses are active in the agri-food sector (production of tea and coffee; honey processing; making wine from grapes; manufacture of biscuits and locust beans), 1 company is active in the manufacturing sector (production of stretchable ceilings) and 1 company provides engineering and architectural services. They plan to expand into new markets such as: Romania, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Germany, the USA, Canada, the Baltic States and South Korea.

Among the entrepreneurs who signed grant contracts today is Leonid margine in Nisporeni, the owner of a business specialising in the production, processing and marketing of tea.

“Our company was founded in 2011 and specialises in making natural teas. The raw material is of local origin which is grown on own agricultural land, with plants grown without chemical fertilisers and herbicides. Our aim is to obtain and offer exclusively natural products to satisfy consumers’ most refined tastes. Today, our products arrive on the shelves of shops in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Ireland. From the ODA grant, we aim to carry out a study to identify new customers and partnerships in the Baltic States and then place our products on the market in those countries ", the entrepreneur argues.

Another entrepreneur who will access non-reimbursable funding is Anatolii Hmelevschi from Comrat, the manager of a company specialised in the production of wine from grapes.

“Our company was reorganised in 1995 following the privatisation of the Comrat wine plant and is specialised in the production of wine from grapes. Each year, the company processes 5-6 thousand tonnes of grapes and bottles around 3 million bottles of wine. The wines are exported to more than 20 countries in the world (Norway, Germany, Romania, Czechia, Poland, China, etc.). From the grant obtained from ODA we aim to procure audit service, certification of the management system according to the international standard ISO22000: 2018. The audit will improve product security processes, and implementing this standard will make the company more competitive in international markets, making it easier to establish new partnerships.”

The programme to increase the competitiveness of SMEs and their internationalisation aims to increase the export capacity of domestic companies, increase the competitiveness and productivity of businesses. Through this mechanism, entrepreneurs receive non-reimbursable funding in the form of Business Voucher (up to RON 100) and Grant of up to RON 2 million.

The programme supports both the purchase of business development services and the procurement of equipment, machinery and plant; registration and exploitation of intellectual property rights, acquisition of intellectual property; procuring franchises, licences, software, raw materials and materials necessary for the production process.

Enrolment in the Programme is on a rolling basis, https://bit.ly/3ZFQ9Te