Last week Tuesday, April 7, the Cabinet announced that it will initially make €100 million available for bridging loans to startups, scale-ups and innovative SMEs financially affected by the impact of the corona crisis. Regional Development Companies (ROMs) will provide this Corona Bridging Loan (COL). We will announce more about the different loan forms and their criteria in the near future.
From when can I submit my application?
As indicated by the Cabinet, this measure will be submitted to the European Commission and is expected to be approved in the fourth week of April. As soon as possible thereafter, it will then be possible for companies to submit their applications. To this end, we are launching a dedicated online portal together with TechLeap and Invest-NL. Only applications submitted online will be considered. In the course of the coming week we will come up with extensive information on the criteria and preconditions of the Corona-OverbruggeningsLening (COL). We will also prepare a comprehensive Q&A for all the questions that are on the minds of entrepreneurs, but also, for example, investment funds. This Q&A will be supplemented daily.
Applications from North Holland and Utrecht
One of the frequently asked questions is where entrepreneurs from North Holland and Utrecht can go with their applications, since there are no regional development corporations in those provinces (yet). As mentioned, all applications will be done through a national online portal. Applications from Utrecht and North Holland will be handled by a team of funding professionals at the ROM Regio Utrecht in formation and at an implementing organization in North Holland, respectively.
- Annemarie Atema
- Marketing & communications manager