The Moldovan young people who want to start a business in rural areas could receive grant assistance through the program “START for Young People: sustainable business at home”. A relevant Government decision was drafted by the Ministry of Economy and Infrastructure in cooperation with the Organization for the Development of the Sector of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and was proposed for public debates, IPN reports.

To be eligible, the young people should be aged between 18 and 35, be citizens of Moldova and should manage a newly registered enterprise.

The requested financial support cannot be larger than 180,000 lei or 80% of the total cost of the project. The beneficiary company will make an own contribution of minimum 20% of the value of the investment project. The program will last for two years, since the grant assistance is fully transferred.

A number of 250 businesses run by young entrepreneurs are planned to be financed within the program. Also, about 600 young people will be involved in the process of generating innovatory business ideas all over the country, while at least 540 young people will be trained and helped to develop innovatory businesses and to design investment projects.

An estimated 60 million lei is needed to implement the project. The money was planned in the medium-term budgetary framework for 2018-2020.