TOP tourism grant assistance, part C: Innovation

General information

The object of this financial assistance is the conception, development, and implementation of creative and booking-relevant innovative offerings by small and medium-sized businesses in tourism and leisure (individual innovative projects) and by cooperation across businesses along the tourism value creation chain within a tourism destination (cooperative innovative projects).

Financial assistance applicants may be cooperative groups, provided that the cooperating partners

• are pursuing a common economic goal that is orientated towards sustainable collaboration,
• if the cooperative group is not a standalone legal entity, they must establish joint and several liability in the financial assistance contract for the cooperative project to receive financial assistance, and
• when submitting an application for financial assistance, they must submit a declaration undertaking to make available the required capital.

For individual innovative projects, for eligible costs from at least 100,000 Euro (lower limit) to a maximum of 500,000 Euro (upper limit), the financial assistance consists of an allowance of 50 percent of the eligible costs; for cooperative innovative projects, the allowance is 70 percent of the eligible costs; however, in both cases, the maximum amount is 200,000 Euro (‘De-minimis’ limit).

Enterprises affected

Small and medium-sized businesses in tourism and leisure with a place of business in Austria and a membership with the WKO of the federal division tourism and leisure industry (or companies listed in the annex to Section 2 of the WKG). Members of this division include companies in the catering and hotel sectors, as well as leisure and sports businesses, travel agencies, cinemas, cultural and entertainment businesses and health care businesses.

Requirements

See description of content

Deadlines

The financial assistance is awarded by means of a ‘call’ procedure. ‘Call procedure’ means that you can submit an application if there are currently calls for projects.  Please visit the website of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy to find out about current calls for projects^{German text}.

Competent authority

Austrian Hotel and Tourism Bank (→ ÖHT)^{German text}
Parkring 12a
1010 Vienna
Email: oeht@oeht.at

Procedure

Applications for financial assistance must be submitted to the ÖHT by mail. The remainder of the process, from application review, to decision, to payment, is administered by Department VIII/4 of the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy.

Required documents

The materials to be submitted include the following:

• Full completed application form with authorised company signature (minimum requirement)
• Project datasheet (provides the jury with an overview of the project)
• Letter of recommendation from the Province
• Detailed project description
• Costs datasheet
• Signed ‘De-minimis’ form
• Declaration of funds
• Company register/register of associations excerpt
• Organisation statutes (e.g. memorandum of association, association statutes, statutes)

Costs and fees

There is generally no charge for the financial assistance applications.

Legal bases

• Guidelines of the Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism on the TOP Tourism Impulse 2014 - 2020^{German text}
• Annex to Section 2 of the Wirtschaftskammergesetz (WKG)