Are you setting up your own business ? Funding will be core to your project.

Depending on their profile, type of business (production, research, innovation) or indeed the location of the business in France, companies can benefit from various aid mechanisms.

Is your company eligible for certain local support ?

The Invest in Bretagne team, working closely with the regional council, will introduce you to the right contacts to help you find the aid to which you are entitled.

 

Trust us to help you!

 

Useful information

 

TYPES OF aid

 

• Grant : non-refundable aid calculated as a percentage of the cost or the investment.
• Subsidy : fixed non-refundable financial aid.
• Refundable advances / honour loans / zero interest loans involving a sum of money loaned without interest and refundable.
• Low rate loans, support loans.
• Co-financing and guarantees : these two mechanisms are often combined to leverage banks, which frequently provide up to 50% of the projected capital.
• Tax and social insurance exemptions, tax credits offer many aid mechanisms.

 

Different aid mechanisms can be offered to you depending on the type of investment, set-up location and people hired.

 

NATIONAL AID MECHANISMS

 

Types of investment

 

Company founder

Do you wish to set up a new company or a young new innovative company (JEI). You can benefit from different types of exemptions.

 

Research, development, innovation

There are two tax credits available :

• Research tax credit (CIR) : 30% of eligible research expenses of up to €100 million and 5% above this threshold. The French CIR is the most generous in Europe.
• Innovation tax credit (CII) : 20% of the costs necessary to design and / or produce prototypes or pilot installations of a new product, with a €400,000 ceiling.

 

Taking over a stressed business asset

You can benefit from the corporate tax exemption for 2 years and potentially exemptions from local taxes.

 

Industrial investment job creation

Re-industrialisation assistance (ARI) is a refundable advance with no interest or fees of between €500,000 and €2 million.

It excludes any other state assistance for national investments. ARI is for :

• SME – mid-sized firms which intend to create new structures and large-scale projects in terms of investment (at least €5 million eligible), jobs, (at least 25 jobs) and which have an impact on the employment pool.
• VSE – SME which have an eligible investment plan of at least €2 million, resulting in the net creation of 10 jobs on site.

 

Innovative and promising investment

Companies can benefit from a forward investment plan (PIA) which is based on the co-financing principle (with banks). Companies can thus benefit from refundable advances or partially refundable advances, grants or equity investments. Eligibility criteria :

• Sectors : third-level education and training, research, industrial sectors, sustainable or digital development
• Innovative nature of the project
• Environmental and social impacts
• Outlook for creating, maintaining or developing the business
• Financial solidity of the candidate company.

 

Set-up location

 

French companies can benefit from exemption or reduction regimes depending on their location in France.

Companies operating in the industrial or services sector can particularly benefit from a territorial development bonus (PAT) if they set up in certain eligible zones.

The PAT is granted on the basis of certain eligibility criteria related to :

• Project type
• Company size
• Socio-economic conditions
• Compliance with the employment and investment thresholds.

Eligible costs comprise investment costs or salary costs across 2 financial years.

The company can obtain up to €15,000 in grants per job created.

 

Employment aids

 

Tax credit for competitiveness and employment (CICE)

The CICE is a relief on long-term social security payments with immediate effect.

Any company employing employees and subject to tax on revenue or corporate tax can benefit from it.

The CICE base is made up of gross remunerations subject to social security payments.

The tax credits are applied as a priority to income tax or corporate tax. The CICE can be cumulative with other supports.

 

Pre-hire training support (AFPR)

This is financial aid paid to the employer for a pre-qualified training programme for the purposes of hiring: Fixed-term contract (CDD) of six to twelve months as a career development contract or a temporary employment contract.

 

Recruitment grants

There are also recruitment grants which include subsidised contracts: the State makes a financial donation in return for the recruitment of a person considered a priority by the public authorities.

• The industrial training research convention (CIFRE) is aid provided to companies for hiring a trainee doctoral student within the framework of a research partnership with a public laboratory.
  • Amount: €14,000 a year for three years.
  • The CIFRE is cumulative with the research tax credit.
• Career development and apprentice contracts are alternative employment contracts, i.e. where time is shared between an educational institute for theoretical knowledge and with a company for practical know-how.
  • Types of aid: Exemption from social insurance contributions, refund of training expenses, an apprentice training bonus, tax credit, tax deductions.

 

RECOVERY PLAN

 

The France Recovery plan is an exceptional plan of €100 billion to stimulate the French economy tackling the health crisis and the resulting economic and social consequences, to rebuild France of 2030. Its aim is to fast track :

• Ecological transition : industrial decarbonisation, the development of innovative green technologies, energy renovation of public buildings and housing, clean mobility.
• Business competitiveness : to support the development of industrial projects (modernisation, digitalisation, decarbonisation, relocation, territorial development), diversify sectors with high added-value, develop business and create jobs in forward-looking sectors.
• Cohesion of the territories : to develop the competencies and qualifications mainly for young people, strengthen the health system (transforming medico-social institutions, restructuring healthcare provisions, modernising digital tools) and support local authority investment projects.

 

Main measures for business

 

• Lower corporate and production taxes (CVAE, CFE, CET).
• Strengthening company own funds, especially through State-guaranteed loans.
• Support for investment and modernising of industry through calls for tenders in the 6 strategic sectors : aeronautics, automobile, nuclear, agri-food, health, electronics and essential industry inputs.
• Support for export : strengthening the means for prospection insurance, export cheque, VIE cheque.
• Aid to master and disseminate digitisation through the France Num initiative which provides different supports, calls for tenders and guaranteed loans to finance the digital transformation of businesses (VSE/SME).
• Specific recovery loans (PPR) and recovery obligations (OR) to provide SME and mid-sized firms with new long-term finance, maturing in 8 years, integrated with their own funds and standard debt. PPR are bank loans and OR are distributed by investment funds managed by portfolio management companies within the framework of a State agreement
• VSE growth loan is a loan offer provided by BPIfrance with State financial support, with the aim of facilitating intangible Investments in VSE, low-value tangible investments and the increase in working capital requirement. A financial partnership is mandatory to benefit from this support : bank, capital contribution from shareholders or private equity companies, participative loans, crowdfunding.

 

REGIONAL AIDS

 

In order to support companies in their creation, recovery, innovation and local and international development projects, the Region has put different aid mechanisms in place.

In close association with the Region, the Invest in Bretagne team will help you identify the aids available to you depending on your project.

 

Your tools

 

• National online guide of business supports from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
• Aides-entreprises.fr, a reference database on aid to companies.
• Measures in the business recovery plan
• The 2021 Finance Law : the main measures for companies
• Make a French start – 10 insights to grow your business in France – Available support and grants, Business France – Mazars.
• Calls for tenders and calls for expression of interest under the current PIA (forward investment plan)
• Calls for tenders under the recovery plan

 

Your contacts