The Programme for the EU Funds’ Investments 2021-2027 includes the investments of the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Social Fund. In the framework of first policy objective “Smarter Lithuania”, EU funds’ investments will be used to promote transformation of the Lithuanian economy into a higher value-added economy, its competitiveness and digital connectivity.
In pursuit of the Programme for the EU funds’ investments in 2021–2027 for Lithuania, EU funds’ investments will be used to create SMEs access to finance including possibility to develop crowdfunding as a financial instrument. In order to encourage SMEs investments, new financial solutions are needed to implement infrastructure projects, espacially investments. Policy instrument will contribute to catalysing long-term financing and address market failures in infrastructure, transport, culture, social, health, education, ICT and water management sectors. The benefits from improved policy instrument will focus on aspects linked to the boost of the usage peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding platforms as financial intermediaries to finance the infrastructure, prosumers market or any other SME-related sectors.

The Regional SMEs competitiveness plan 2021-2023 is the main instrument at regional level to develop entrepreneurship policies. It includes areas:
- Entrepreneurship
- Business Growth
- Accessibility of financing
- Equality and sustainable development
- Improvement of business competitiveness through digitalisation

The objective is to work under the area of accessibility of financing on specific programmes for access to alternative financing instruments. Competitiveness Plan considers specific actions to facilitate access to financing for entrepreneurs and business through different alternative financing instruments:
- Training, accompaniment and advice to facilitate access to and the successful obtaining of collective financing or crowdfunding.
- Actions to promote access to private investment, development of a training plan, events to meet with investors, mentoring of projects, support and advice in the search for and access to private investment.
- Training for entrepreneurs and business people in the search for and access to new alternative financing instruments.
- Specialised advice and expert accompaniment to improve access to alternative financing.
- Training actions in different formats, durations and levels of specialisation to facilitate knowledge and ways of accessing financing options, as well as training in financial management.
- Development of tools and other support instruments to facilitate knowledge of different financing formulas.

The proof-of-concept fund (POC) is combination of ERDF funding and funding of Utrecht Province with the total amount of 4,2 mln. EUR. POC fund is managed by Regional Development Agency Utrecht Region. The first investment was done in February 2021 (at the moment 8 projects are in portfolio, and one is in the contracting phase). With the POC-fund ROM Utrecht aims at companies who are in early TRL phases (4 to 6) with a co-investor on board for deals from 50k to 250k EUR. This makes it possible/easier to broaden the co-investment policy to the crowd. The co-investor finances has to be at least 25%, therefore combination of POC with crowdfunding would be desirable. The POC-fund represents the early-stage financing instrument that is the first product in the finance funnel.

The source of funding for POC is 1,3 mln EUR from ERDF (investing capital) and, 1,3 mln. EUR from the province of Utrecht. We are now planning to expand the funding from ERDF to 2,8 EUR. The fund does not have calls but is always open. In the future (2024) ROM Utrecht plan a further expansion to 9 mln. EUR.

Province of Antwerp “Inclusive Economy Action Plan 2020-2024” through the Trividend Province of Antwerp provides subordinated loans to social entrepreneurs in order to achieve the following objectives:
-increasing the integration of disadvantaged groups into the labour market
-generate new ecologically sustainable activities,
-promote or establish cooperation between the social and the regular economy.
The investment-support granted must be aimed at, at least, two of the above objectives.

“Trividend Province of Antwerp cv” was set up by Trividend cv and the Province of Antwerp in order to complement other policy instruments, such as grants. The main objective of this fund is to provide loans to social enterprises which are already too far in their development to receive grants, but still are not or not yet eligible for bank finance or bigger investors. Loans are limited to 50.000 euro per investment. These loans are meant to provide first external investment and to help entrepreneurs to build their social enterprise to a level which makes it possible to access bank loans or bigger investments.

Social enterprises can apply for credit through the Province of Antwerp. This application is assessed by the Investment Committee (IC) of Trividend cv. The IC formulates an advice. This advice is submitted to the Board of Directors of Trividend Province of Antwerp, which takes the final decision.

The Regional Operational Programme of Central Macedonia 2021-2027 and the Priority axis 1: “A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity” has 3 Specific objectives:
RSO1.1. Developing and enhancing research and innovation capacities and the uptake of advanced technologies
RSO1.2. Reaping the benefits of digitisation for citizens, companies, research organisations and public authorities
RSO1.3. Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments

The objectives of PA1 is to Strengthen the specialization of the regional economy in sectors with comparative advantages,
and to improve business competitiveness and extroversion, by increasing the capacity of companies to integrate into international value chains, and producing new innovative products / services, Whilst ROP can provide funds to SMEs and organizations public and EU funds are almost never enough to finance the full potentials of SMEs and organizations. So, by providing good examples, training, networking and digital tools for alternative funding sources such as Crowdfunding the accessibility for funding will be increased.

In the Marche Region, the ERDF is implemented through the Regional Operational Program (ROP), a programming tool which defines the priority objectives at regional level. In particular, the ERDF ROP has the global objective of increasing the competitiveness of the "Marche System" by raising the potential and capacity for innovation of the production system, improving the protection and enhancement of environmental and cultural resources and promoting greater territorial cohesion. For the new programming period 2021-2027, more than 1 billion euros of resources are coming to the Marche region, divided into ROP and COP (Complementary Operational Program). The ROP is financed with EU-State-region resources according to the usual allocation 50-35-15.

The 2021-27 ERDF programming, with a budget of € 585.68 million, through a long process of negotiation with stakeholders, aims, as its main objective, to contribute to the development and strategic relaunch of the economic and social fabric, favouring the sustainability of investments in the Marche region, all through the activation of the 3 strategic priorities of the European Union: Strategic Objective 1 - a Smarter and More Competitive Europe with 55% aimed at actions aimed primarily at the smart specialisation of the regional economy.

The Regional Operational Program 2021-2027 has 4 Specific Objectives (SO) within Priority Axis 1- A competitive region through innovation, digitalisation and dynamic enterprises:
SO (i): Developing and increasing research and innovation capacities and adopting advanced technologies.
SO (ii): Leveraging the benefits of digitalisation for the benefit of citizens, companies, research organizations and public authorities.
SO (iii): Boosting sustainable growth and the competitiveness of SMEs and creating jobs for SMEs, including through productive investment.
SO (iv): Development of skills for smart specialization, industrial transition and entrepreneurship.
The project is addressing to the SO (iii) through which the following actions are provided:
-Development of skills at the level of the entities involved in the entrepreneurial discovery process,
-Competence training of employees of accredited innovation and technology transfer entities,
-Developing the administrative capacity of the actors involved in developing, implementing, monitoring, evaluating, updating and reviewing smart specialization strategies.

The Westpomeranian Region coordinates and activates entrepreneurship and investment commitment through Regional Development Strategy which is base for the ue of ESIF funds. The policy instrument supports actions for large and medium-sized innovative enterprises in the Voivodeship, also through increasing the investment attractiveness of the region and providing financial (ESIF) instruments. Supporting of entrepreneurship will go hand in hand with the strengthening of the network of economic ties in the cross-border and macroregional system. The goal of the local government is to strengthen investment and export relations in addition to the internationalization of entities operating in the region. Permanent and systematic ties with the world economy Development Strategy for the West Pomeranian Voivodeship until 2030 and the improving condition of the regional economy is to balance the limitations related to peripherization. The regional development fund will support the process of increasing investment and economic activity, which will allow to mitigate the negative effects of the expected reduction in the inflow of EU funds by providing comprehensive services and financial products dedicated to market gaps and the needs of various groups of entities. Within this policy instrument, great emphasis is placed on the development of instruments supporting entrepreneurship and the availability of new instruments for economic entities.