Moldovan Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development, Future Technologies USAID project sign agreement on partnership

Chisinau, 18 April /MOLDPRES/ - An agreement on partnership today was signed between the Organization for Small- and Medium-sized Enterprises Sector Development (ODIMM) and the Future Technologies Activity, financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the government of Sweden.    

Attending the event, Economics Minister Sergiu Gaibu said that this was a cooperation due to boost the economic growth namely on the segment of the small- and medium-sized enterprises, which represent a driving force of the sector. ‘’At the same time, I come up with a good news. At a today’s cabinet meeting, the state budget law was amended and, inter alia, we supplemented the sum for ODIMM by 200 million lei, which will allow the development of more projects on backing the native entrepreneurs,’’ Sergiu Gaibu noted.  

For his part, the head of the USAID Mission in Moldova, Scott Hocklander, said that Russia’s invasion in Ukraine had had a major impact on the economy in the region. ‘’We will use all opportunities to provide a tangible assistance to enterprises, which had to bear the consequences – first of the pandemic and then of the war,’’ Scott Hocklander stressed.    

The agreement on partnership provides for joint actions of stimulating the digital transformation of businesses and implementation of digital innovations in the entrepreneurial activity in Moldova.  

Under the document, the Economics Ministry, through ODIMM, will provide grants to the small- and medium-sized enterprises working in the digital innovations sector. The programme’s goal consists in providing non-refundable assistance in grants to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the following components of digital innovation, green technology and sustainable production in the following fields: information and communication technologies, digital media, fabrication, agriculture, education, health, financial services, creative industries, e-Trade, recycling.     

The technological start-ups will benefit from non-refundable financing in grants within the limit of 80 per cent of the costs dealing with the development and promotion of products and/or services, but not more than 500,000 lei.    

The United States Agency for International Development in late 2021 launched a new programme in Moldova – Future Technologies Activity (FTA). The new initiative, with duration of five years, is meant to continue the activities undertaken for enhancing the competitiveness of the country’s strategic economic sectors and is set to promote a digital, creative and circular economy.  

FTA will stimulate the enterprises to adopt technologies which increase the productivity and to implement innovations which stay are the basis of the digital economy, turning to good account the creativeness, know-how and technologies for a sustainable growth. The project is also set to help companies make transition to the model of sustainable business, circular economy and to enforce ecological practices and technologies, in order to edify a robust economy and society in Moldova.