One of the most common reasons why Czech companies avoid digitalization is the fear of a long payback period. The system supplier should help companies with this. They will calculate when the company will get a return on its investment and also recommend a suitable subsidy program. Czech state institutions regularly announce subsidies that finance, for example, tools for automatic document exchange or an advanced warehouse system. We will guide you through the entire process and recommend a suitable solution.
Technologies with a quick return as a way out of the crisis
The current crisis has affected companies of all sizes and segments. In the survey, we asked Czech and Slovak companies how they are dealing with the difficult situation. Most often, it is by reducing operating costs, and digitalization and automation tools help them in this, among other things. 60% of the companies surveyed said that they plan to invest in technologies with a quick return in the near future. For example, those that automate administration or warehouse processes.
In practice, we encounter various concerns that discourage companies from purchasing these tools. This stems from the fact that technologies such as WMS (Warehouse Management System) or EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) are still relatively unknown to Czech companies and suppliers do not sufficiently educate the market.
Most common concerns: safety and expensive investment
There are 3 most common concerns about digitalization among small and medium-sized companies:
- The company's management does not know who will coordinate digitalization - unlike large companies, they cannot afford an internal specialist who will take care of the digitalization of individual departments, connection to the information system, or training of colleagues.
- They are worried about the security of their data if it is stored online in the cloud.
- They also often think that the investment will be too high and with a long payback period.
A digitalization partner , which is usually the system supplier itself, will relieve you of the aforementioned concerns:
- It will help you choose a solution that is financially worthwhile and compatible with your ERP system.
- He will professionally guide you through the entire digitalization process and, for example, take care of employee training.
- It will guarantee the security of your data.
- It will help you find a suitable subsidy program that will return part of your investment.
Subsidies = opportunity for small and medium-sized businesses
Czech subsidy programs of the Ministry of Industry and Trade support mainly small and medium-sized enterprises , financing their projects up to 75% of the total costs. The following subsidy programs are currently open:
- Digital Enterprise – Virtual Enterprise. This program can be used by a company to purchase non-production technologies and systems for the office, production or warehouse. The program subsidizes both software and hardware and offers up to 40% financing.
- The Country for the Future is a subsidy program for small and medium-sized companies and serves to reorganize company processes, including the introduction of related IT technologies for the purpose of digitalization. The subsidy will cover the project up to 50%.
- Innovation vouchers with up to 75% support rate serve small and medium-sized companies, among other things, to optimize processes with the aim of reducing company costs or significantly increasing efficiency.
- Technology for MAS (CLLD) targets small and medium-sized enterprises from cities and municipalities with less than 25 thousand inhabitants. The subsidy is used for the purchase of new technologies that enable the digitalization and automation of production, as well as for the acquisition of software and services. The subsidy will cover the purchase by 50%.
Czech SMEs can also access European subsidies under the Horizon Europe project. This seven-year EU research and innovation programme is divided into three main pillars. The second pillar focuses on the competitiveness of European industry and also covers digitalisation. The programme operates on the basis of continuous calls for proposals, which you can apply for. The total budget of the programme is 96.5 billion euros.
How to find out about subsidy programs
We know from experience that companies often have problems navigating the multitude of subsidy programs and finding the ones that are right for them. Whether due to the large amount of information or the difficulty of following the constantly announced programs. Contact us without obligation, we have an overview of subsidy programs and we will advise you .
We understand the grant application requirements, timelines, funding levels, and other important grant aspects for each program. Our consultants are your partners and guide you through the entire grant application process.
Contact us and together we will find a tailor-made solution for your company.
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