Sub-prefect for recovery, Gilbert Manciet (originally from Saint-Pierre) is the facilitator of France Relance in Reunion and the contact for project leaders. He explains how the device works.
Who decides on the acceptance or rejection of a project and on what criteria? ?
Companies submit their application on a digital platform on which they are asked for a certain amount of information. In particular the nature of the project, the level of investment envisaged, the expected assistance in terms of leverage effect, and the consequences that this project can have on both the competitiveness and development of the company, the dimension of ecological transition in the production tool, and the capacity of the project to create employment and social cohesion, to encourage the company to recruit new employees over a deadline to be identified. The file is submitted on a site managed by the Public Investment Bank (BPI). Premier point : an exchange takes place between the BPI and the project leader to complete the file. Ensuite, we watch, with DIECCTE, regional council services, as well as with the BPI and the Prefecture the SGAR services and the sub-prefect for the recovery that I follow the level of admissibility of the file based on the criteria holes that I have just mentioned to you and also taking into account the envelope financial resources available to us. We do not have an open envelope from which we can draw without limit.
How many companies have committed to the system to date? ?
Fin 2020, The first six companies were selected, of which 2,8 million euros were allocated in aid. Since this date, six additional companies were selected. What makes, since the launch of the system on Reunion Island, 12 companies selected which obtained a total of 4,7 million in aid out of a total investment figure of 17 million euros.
And how many companies were not selected ?
During the first selection, two companies were not selected and, during the second selection, three companies. So we officially have five unsuccessful companies. I say officially because there are projects today on which we have not yet decided. We move forward based on our financial capabilities. The system is scalable with subscriptions at the national level. On these companies not selected, some did not meet the eligibility criteria. The other important point, alongside the pillars of competitiveness, ecological transition and recruitment, it is the company's ability to raise bank loans to complete the financing of the project. That, it’s the BPI that will say it. On 10 euros, I ask for 2 euros of help, I bring 2 euros from my personal contribution, and I need to borrow 6 euros. Am I financially able to borrow these 6 euros ? This is not always the case. Finally, there are projects for which our financial envelope did not allow us to meet the expectations of project leaders. Our response was then to redirect them towards the European financing system, hence the link between the Region, the State and the BPI in this plan to allow these projects to be realized. This was the case for three unsuccessful files.
Can a rejected project respond to the call for tenders a second time in a new version? ?
A company can represent itself if its file is updated in terms of eligibility. Also if its self-financing capacity improves, she can now borrow. SO, oui, we can resubmit a file. I don't assume the result, but there is no limit of applications.
What determines the amount of aid allocated ?
The percentage depends both on the financial capacity of the company and the envelope available at the time the file is processed. It is understandable that project leaders try to benefit from the maximum subsidy rate. The vast majority request aid covering 80% of the investment. Our help, if it cannot respond to requests of this height, must nevertheless be sufficient for the company to obtain a leverage effect. We dialogue with the company to find out the minimum that will allow it to complete its project. As an example of what is requested and what is granted, I give you the following two comparative figures : companies that obtained 4,7 million euros required around 7 million.
Will the call for projects last until the end of the Recovery plan or is a deadline set? ?
The funds are not expandable, it’s a safe bet that there will be a limit. This is why our strategy today is very simple. As soon as we identify projects that could potentially benefit from aid under the Industrial Territory, we ask entrepreneurs to respond to the call for projects. It is better to submit the project and wait for the response, even without the certainty of being retained, than missing the boat if, A day, the call for projects is closed by national measure. Project leaders whose target today is to purchase equipment that will allow them to improve their production, to have more ecological production, and to hire two people in the first six months, including an apprentice, that they submit their file ! It's not a complicated action. This is an opportunity that must be seized in all cases.. Because I invite on this point : if a project does not fit into a box in the recovery plan, we try to see if it can fit into another box.
The selected project leaders all emphasize the simplicity of the procedure and the speed of the response.. Is France Relance reshuffling the cards for financing innovation? ? How do you simplify the investigation and process the files so quickly? ?
We give pragmatism to our action. Our facility, it is first of all to know the financial envelope available to us when we process the files, which is not always the case with common law systems. We know the shooting window, where we can go and where we can't. On the other hand, the government requests that actions be taken as soon as possible in the territory, that projects are done as quickly as possible. The health crisis is not over. We want to give oxygen and energy to the desire to undertake through these projects so that the end of the crisis occurs with a minimum of gloom.. To give meaning to life, projects are needed. We are therefore not inventing something but we have the capacity to mobilize funds to meet the expectations of project leaders.. There is finally a dynamic of information on France Relance, widely reported. Behind us we try to respond as quickly as possible so that project leaders quickly know what to expect..
The agri-food sector is largely absent from the call for tenders so far : how to explain it ?
For the agri-food sector, specific calls for projects are open at national level, but to activities whose turnover must be greater than one million euros. With this threshold, many Reunion agri-food companies cannot respond to these calls for tenders. This is why I asked for it to be lowered on our territory. I have not yet received a response from the national level.
What message do you want to send to project leaders? ?
The recovery plan is intended to live. We are still launching this appeal to project leaders to seize this opportunity without delay.. And I emphasize again that the projects not selected are oriented towards paths other than recovery, so that they can nevertheless move forward. We have a dedicated mailbox where interested people can ask questions. I personally handle this mailbox.
To know more
reunion-relance@reunion.pref.gouv.fr
