Beneficiaries are considered employers who meet the following criteria:

1. Entities registered in the Employers’ Register of the Social Insurance Services.

2. Businesses operating in areas controlled by the Republic of Cyprus.

3. Employers who are natural or legal persons (public or private law) or joint ventures.

4. Employers with economic or non-economic activity, provided that their activity does not distort competition.

5. Employers who pay the fee to the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) for employees who will participate in the program.

*The following cannot participate:

1. The Government for civil servants.

2. Businesses operating in exempt sectors

3. Employers/employees with administrative sanctions in force by the HRDF.

4. Businesses with pending aid recovery orders from the EU

1. Tuition/Participation Fee:
   – The cost of participating in the training program, as determined by the foreign organization.

2. Travel and Return Expenses:
   – Airfare in economy class, as well as train/bus expenses to and from the training location.

3. Accommodation Expenses:
   – Maximum limit calculated as (Duration of stay abroad + 1 day) x (60% of the approved daily subsistence allowance)
   – The allowance is determined by the Ministry of Finance.

4. Trainee Personnel Cost:
   – Calculated based on the participant’s daily salary for the working days he/she is absent due to training.

Note: VAT is not an eligible expense.

The grant percentage (aid intensity) is 80% of the accepted eligible expenses.

1. Excluded sectors:
   Employers active in the following sectors are not eligible for subsidies:
   – Primary production of fisheries and aquaculture.
   – Processing and marketing of fisheries and aquaculture products with subsidies linked to quantity/price.
   – Primary production of agricultural products.
   – Processing and marketing of agricultural products with conditions of passing on aid to primary producers.
   – Activities directly linked to exports.
   – Aid requiring the use of domestic goods and services instead of imported ones.

2. Training Program:
   – Duration: 10 – 420 hours.
   – Conferences are not approved.
   – The training must address a need that cannot be met in Cyprus.
   – There must be a detailed daily program from the organizer abroad.

3. Participants:
   – Each employee can participate once per year.
   – More than one employee from the same employer is not allowed to attend the same subsidized program.
   – Their duties must be directly related to the content of the program