aws-guarantee – special terms and conditions: environmental sustainability and digitization
This information gives an overview of specifications in the aws program "aws guarantees".
The aim is to facilitate the financing of projects related to environmentally sustainable economic activities that have a significant positive impact on the climate and the environment and contribute to the achievement of six specific environmental goals (climate protection, adaptation to climate change, sustainable use and protection of water and marine resources, transition to a circular economy, pollution prevention and control, protection and restoration of biodiversity and ecosystems).
In addition, promising digitalization projects in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, IT infrastructure, quantum technology, etc., which contribute to the digitalization of the Austrian economy, as well as recycling and production facilities for the production of components and devices of information communication and technologies in Austria will be supported.
- SMEs and large companies implementing projects in Austria that exclusively concern investments in environmentally sustainable or digital economic activities.
- The "environmentally sustainable economic activity" have to meet the criteria of Article 3 of the EU Taxonomy Regulation (EU) 2020/852. For applications until Dec. 31, 2023, taxonomy-eligible economic activities as defined in Article 1(5) of Regulation (EU) 2021/2178 may also be supported.
- For projects of SMEs, the guarantee amount per project must exceed EUR 750,000 (below this amount, the guarantee guidelines under the KMU-Förderungsgesetz/SME Promotion Act apply.).
Eligible costs
- R&D costs eg. personnel costs, prototype costs, test material, external costs
- tangibles, eg. machinery, equipment, construction
- current assets and working capital related to investments (up to an amount of 50 % of the investment) e.g. personnel costs, materials
Amount of financing
Up to 80 % of a loan with a max. aws-liability of 25M EUR
The guarantee amount for investment in assets and working capital funding must not exceed 25 M EUR per project.
From a project volume of 10M EUR aws does not take a risk share of more than 1/3 of the overall risk – with the exception of projects with high economic relevance and good credit ratings.
Costs of the guarantee
- processing fee: 0,25 % of the loan amount (one-off)
- guarantee fee: depending on your credit rating annually at least 0.3 % of the guaranteed loan to the extent of the guarantee ratio, in case of counter guarantees by EU-programmes also less.
Investments in non-environmentally sustainable or non-digital economic activities.
(These projects can - if they comply with the guidelines - be supported under the basic conditions of the aws guarantee).
