16/10/2023
Automate with RAP grant
No, this is not a typo, we do mean RAP instead of RPA this time. There has been a tightness in the Dutch labor market for years, and many companies in almost every sector are dealing with it. Retaining employees has never been so important, after all, finding a replacement has never been so difficult either. Fortunately, the Rijnmond region is jumping to the rescue by establishing the "Rijnmonds labor market perspective fund" (RAP). That's quite a mouthful, but what it means and what it can do for you is explained in detail.
Rijnmond region shoots to the rescue
The Rijnmond region is coming to the aid of local businesses and entrepreneurs with its RAP initiative. The main purpose of RAP is to stimulate good ideas and reduce the labor shortage in the Rijnmond labor region. In addition, RAP focuses only on a few crucial sectors and some forms of economic transitions. The grant itself is a form of co-financing, up to a maximum of 50 percent of the relevant investment.
Focus on critical sectors
According to the site of the Rijnmond Employer Service Point, RAP focuses on the crucial sectors. These are :
- public transport
- care
- child care
- education
- construction and engineering
- the security chain
- the port and logistics
Should you find yourself in one of these sectors, you can claim the grant either way.
If this is not the case, do not give up hope yet. In fact, the RAP is also intended for general economic transitions. According to the Rijnmond Region website, they specifically target the following three types of transitions:
- the digitization transition
- the energy transition
- the transition to a circular economy
So are you part of a company that is not in a crucial sector, but is engaged in one of the above economic transitions and is located in the Rijnmond region? Then you still have a chance of getting a subsidy.
How does it work?
For the applications, an investment for the project must be a minimum of 20 thousand and a maximum of 500 thousand euros.
You must be quick to apply, as there are only a few times a year when you can apply for the RAP. The first opening starts on October 4, 2023 and ends on October 31, 2023. Before you can apply, it is important that you read carefully what the exact conditions are from the Rijnmond region. On the site under 'Application' there is all the exact information and a step-by-step explanation on how to apply.
Use the grant to digitize with VionA
At VionA, we work every day to help companies in their digital transition. This makes a digitization and automation project with VionA eligible for the RAP grant.
The payback period for an automation at VionA is normally around six months, with subsidy this would mean you would recoup the investment in three months.
With the lower limit of 20 thousand euros in mind, the following approach makes the most sense. VionA performs a company scan in which all processes are analyzed. Here, all digitization and automation potential are identified. From this, priorities can be set for the processes you would like to have digitized or automated. By recording which processes will be tackled in 2024, you can put together a package of more than 20 thousand euros and claim the 50% subsidy on the costs incurred. The payback period of an automation at VionA is normally around six months, with subsidy this would mean that you would recoup the investment in three months.
Sam is available to answer further questions and schedule the business scan.
