BUSINESS SERVICE VOUCHER FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Starting on June 2020, the City of Rovaniemi has started to provide Business Service Vouchers. Next application period will be opened on 17 February and be open open until 14 March 2021.
Applications for service providers began earlier on April 2020. The application process for service providers is continuous.
The Business Service Voucher acts a business policy instrument for the city, the intention of which is to support the growth and internationalisation of SMEs, and for providing assistance with change of ownership situations. At the same time, the voucher assists in the development of the company services markets in the Rovaniemi region.
The voucher supplements the publicly funded expert services, such as the services of the ELY Centre, and is a swift instrument for catering to the needs of Rovaniemi’s SMEs. The purpose of the Business Service Voucher is to contribute towards the continuation or activation of the development activities of enterprises and increasing the turnover and number of jobs in companies.
If you have been unable to reach our advisers for further information, please send an email request for us to contact you to yrityspalvelut@rovaniemi.fi. We will contact you as soon as we can.
What is the Business Service Voucher intended for?
The Business Service Voucher is the commitment of the City of Rovaniemi for compensating on behalf of the customer some of the prices for services provided by the service provider up to a predetermined value. The customer enterprise can independently decide from which service provider approved by the City of Rovaniemi they purchase services from using the voucher.
As the organisation granting the vouchers, the City of Rovaniemi is not responsible for the selection made by the customer. The Business Service Voucher has to be granted before the service can be used. The service provider and customer enterprise granted the voucher shall mutually agree on the terms and conditions of providing the service in question. The City of Rovaniemi, as the organisation granting the voucher, is not a contractual party.
The Business Service Voucher finances the development measures of enterprises. The term development measures means activities that affect the company in the long term, are strategically significant, and renew company operations. The Business Service Voucher can be used for purchasing the following expert services related to the development of commercial activity:
- Planning internationalisation and implementing market research
- Participation in trade fairs related to internationalisation (in Finland and abroad); payments for participation, sales booth fees and travel expenses
- Funding and investment plans related to company growth, including applications
- Services for improving financial management
- Legal and contract advice
- Consultation and research services focused on growth intended for the boards of directors and executive committees of companies
- Company strategy and governance
- Product development, commercialisation and service design
- Services for developing the digitalization of the company
- Services related to the development of sales and marketing
- Appraisals, legal and contract advice related to change in ownership
If your company operates in Rovaniemi’s rural district, please check also the Business Service Voucher provided by Rovaniemen kylien kehittämissäätiö (Foundation for the Development of Villages in Rovaniemi; information and application only in Finnish) from here
What is the value of the Business Service Voucher? Own funding share 20%.
The value of the service purchased using the Business Service Vouchers granted by the City of Rovaniemi is
2,500 euros (VAT 0%), or 5,000 euros (VAT 0%)
of which the company shall itself fund 20% (i.e. 500 euros or 1,000 euros). The Business Service Voucher is valid for a period of six months.
This year, it has been decided that a total of 150,000 euros will be distributed via Business Rovaniemi. The purpose of the Business Service Voucher is to support the growth and internationalisation of SMEs, and for providing assistance with change of ownership situations.
The granting of the vouchers is deliberated by Business Rovaniemi, i.e. the organisation providing economic development and business services for the City of Rovaniemi.
How can we apply to be a service provider for the Business Service Voucher?
Service provider means a company that provides the services sought using the Business Service Voucher. Companies approved as service providers are registered in the Vaana service voucher system that is already used by the City of Rovaniemi. A company that can be approved as a Business Service Voucher service provider must satisfy the criteria stated in the Act on the Contractor’s Obligations and Liability when Work is Contracted Out. You can apply to become a service provider using the Business Rovaniemi link below.
In practice, the service provider is required to register with the so-called Reliable Partner (Luotettava Kumppani) service (www.vastuugroup.fi) that enables the granting organisation to check the aforementioned criteria have been met. The application time for service voucher provider is continuous.
Find the application form here (in Finnish):
APPLICATION FOR SERVICE PROVIDER
How do I choose my service providor?
The company granted the Business Service Voucher shall independently select the service provider they require using the Vaana.fi service provider register. We will update the register continually. You will find all accepted service providors from here (in Finnish): täältä
Can my company apply for a voucher?
Very possibly, yes! However, there are a few conditions and criteria that have to be met before receiving Business Service Voucher. The voucher is made available to small and medium-sized enterprises (Business ID / VAT number) based in Rovaniemi who are focusing on growth or internationalisation, require company renewal and/or strategic development.
Before submitting the application, the company applicant should click on the link updated above to examine the service products of approved service providers.
The company granted the Business Service Voucher shall independently select the service provider they require using the Vaana.fi service provider system. The service provider and customer enterprise agree between themselves on the terms and conditions for the provision of the service.
Great! How do we apply?
You can apply for a Business Service Voucher by completing the application form. The application may be submitted during 17.2. – 14.3.2021. The decisions will be informed by the end of March 2021.
We recommend that you prepare your application thoroughly. Well-completed applications will naturally make the decision-making process smooth, however, from the applicant's point of view it is far more important to make sure that the decision makers will get a true and sufficient picture of the development project, because only a limited number of Business Service Vouchers may be granted within the current year's budget. Please read the instructions and what appended information is required, and send your application well in advance before the end of the application period. The applications will be processed already during the application period on a first come, first served basis.
Appendices required for the application
- Financial statements for latest financial year; the entire so-called balance sheet book, pdf or jpg format, max 5 appendices
- Latest financial reports for the current financial year; the so-called long income statement and balance sheet including a comparison with the previous year, pdf or jpg format, max 5 appendices
- Certificate of tax debts and if the company has tax debts, verification of the tax repayment plan approved by the Tax Administration. The online tax debt register can be found from here: https://www.vero.fi/en/e-file/mytax/
You may attach also other possible appendices e.g. concerning the intended use of the voucher; pdf or jpg format, max 5 appendices.
When applying, the entrepreneur must provide assurances that the information is correct.
If you are uncertain about something, please contact our business developers Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. before submitting the application. An incomplete or deficient application will cause delays in the decision-making and may lead to the rejection of the application; the lack of appendices required will cause the rejection.
Fill in the application here (unfortunately for now only in Finnish):
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE APPLICATION FORM
How does the Business Service Voucher work?
More information about the Rovaniemi Business Service Voucher, including billing information: