Request for Propsals: Support for Enterprise Development for Ukraine 2025

Aims

• By addressing these objectives, the grant scheme aims to uphold economic activity during the war, support transitioning Ukraine’s economy from a primary raw material exporter to a robust producer of high-value finished products, fostering long-term economic stability and sustainable economic growth.

Objectives

• The relevant objectives of the grant scheme for this call for proposals are:
  • Ukraine can decide its own future.
  • Governmental financial stability, and maintenance of critical societal functions are improved.
  • Governance is improved, and in accordance with EU accession requirements.

Prioritised Sectors

• Consideration will be given, but not limited to, such sectors as:
  • Energy: Focus on sustainable energy production and the transition towards it
  • Food security, agriculture and food production: Efficiency and modernization of agriculture, improved conditions for trade of agricultural produce and food production
  • Infrastructure: Businesses related to the production of input factors required for the reconstruction of Ukraine such as for critical infrastructure.

Funding Information

• The total budget allocation for this call is projected at NOK 100 million across 2025 and 2026, subject to documented demand for support and Parliamentary appropriation.
• The grant may cover up to 60% of the incurred project costs and the applicant is responsible for financing the remaining share. The applicant must justify its grant needs as share of the overall project. Applications for grant amounts under NOK 5,000,000 will not be given priority. The applicant cannot expect to receive a grant that exceeds twenty per cent of the applicant’s annual documented turnover.

Supported Activities

• Project activities that may be supported include:
  • Feasibility studies for establishment of new projects as well as expansion of existing projects
  • Pilot production as part of a feasibility phase for establishment of business
  • Guarantee and risk premiums for financing. See section 5A for more information.
  • Capital expenditures of up to 50% of applied amount may be covered as long as this is required for increased value creation (here understood as increased investments, jobs or revenues).
  • Ancillary costs for basic local, public infrastructure and investments required for the realisation of the main project. For these types of costs, grants may constitute up to 80% of incurred costs.
  • If required for a successful establishment, vocational training of local staff related to the establishment of business, including gender-based actions to enable women to acquire skills in high-demand sectors as per the National Strategy for Bridging the Gender Pay Gap until 2030.

Target Audiences

• The main target group for this scheme is commercial entities and the ultimate beneficiaries of increased business activity is the Ukrainian population.

Eligibility Criteria

• Any commercial organisations may apply. The applicant must be a legal commercial company. Please note that neither investment, consulting companies, nor equipment suppliers, will be prioritized for support under this call for proposal.
• The applicant must have the necessary professional and administrative expertise and capacity to implement the project, this means i.a that:
  • The applicant must have the necessary professional and administrative expertise and capacity to implement the project, this means i.a that:
    • Priority will be given to applicants that have financial capacity to implement the supported project.
    • Priority will be given to applicants that can document, alone or in partnership with collaborators, forming a consortium or similar arrangement, a turnover of at least NOK 25 million from commercial activities in at least one of the last three financial calendar years. The applicant must present audited accounts for the last two available financial calendar years. The annual turnover criterion does not apply where applicants can document a market capitalisation of minimum NOK 50 million. In case the applicant is not legally obliged to be subject to statutory audits (to be documented), financial statements will be accepted.
  • The applicant must have considerable ownership and involvement in the implementation of the main project. Applicants that own minimum 25 % of the equity in the planned main investment will be given priority.
  • The applicant must demonstrate good insight into the issues concerned and must have set clear, achievable objectives for the project(s).
  • The applicant has good systems and routines for risk management and internal control. This includes systems and procedures for the prevention, detection and managing suspicions of corruption and mismanagement.

For more information, visit NORAD.