The most common mistakes

The most common mistakes when applying for financial grant

A company or organisation applies for an amount that is too large in relation to its financial resources. As a result, no Business Partnership Support is granted or the amount granted is smaller than the amount applied for.

A Finnish operator applies for support for a project in a field in which they have no experience. As a result, no Business Partnership Support is granted.

An export project is camouflaged as a long-term business partnership in the application. As a result, no Business Partnership Support is granted.

The most common mistakes made after Business Partnership Support has been granted

After being granted Business Partnership Support, the recipient does not go over the eligible expenses, i.e. check which aspects of the project the financial grant covers. This may lead to a disappointment later when the recipient does not receive support for all the expenses listed in the project application after submitting a reimbursement request.

As their project progresses, a Finnish operator amends the approved project plan or budget without applying the Ministry for Foreign Affairs or Finnpartnership for permission to do so through submitting a notification of amendment form. As a result, the amendments made are not necessarily approved or only part of them are approved. The recipient is not granted the entire amount of Business Partnership Support specified in the reimbursement request.

How to avoid possible mistakes

Companies and organisations applying for Business Partnership Support are encouraged to read the instructions on Finnpartnership’s website and the conditions of Business Partnership Support to avoid the most common mistakes that might happen when applying for financial grant. It is important that support recipients go over the decision issued by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs carefully to make sure they are aware of the project budget and conditions.