The government will for the second time launch its financial support programme offering a subsidy to small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to digitalise their operations, with the application period to start later this year.
This time, the number of places will increase to 600 from the just 200 last year when the programme was first rolled out.
Unchanged from last year, each beneficiary will receive a subsidy of up to 18,000 patacas for a service to be provided by one of the programme’s listed IT companies which will digitalise their operations.
The support programme has been launched by the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT), which has commissioned the public Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM) to implement the programme.
CPTTM is a non-profit organisation jointly funded by the Macau government and various companies and businesspeople in the private sector.
The programme was fully financed by the government last year, while this time it will be jointly funded by the government and two gaming operators, namely Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) and MGM.
A press conference about this year’s programme was held at the DSEDT headquarters in Nam Van on Tuesday.
The programme aims to encourage local SMEs to launch a digital transformation in their marketing campaigns, payments, and other daily operations.
Last year’s scheme ‘met with great enthusiasm’
Addressing the press conference, DSEDT Director Tai Kin Ip noted that the government first rolled out the programme last year, adding that it was “met with great enthusiasm” as the number of applications was six times higher than the number of places. Tai said this showed that “there is huge demand from local SMEs for digital transformation”.
The application period of last year’s programme ran between early July and early August, which received a total of 1,208 applications, according to a CPTTM statement in November last year.
Consequently, Tai said, his bureau has decided to continue with the programme this year, with the number of places increasing to 600 from 200.
Tai said that in addition to the government’s payments to the programme, this time it will also be financially supported by GEG and MGM.
Tai did not reveal how much the government and the two gaming operators each will pay.
This year, the programme will have two application periods, each of which will have 300 places. The first application will run between May 6 and 26, while the second one will run between November 11 and 29.
As last year, this year’s programme will cover businesses in sectors comprising retail, wholesale, restaurants and manufacturing, as well as other businesses that provide customers with various other daily-life services. Locally established companies that employ no more than 100 employees will be eligible for the programme.
Businesses only operating online will not be covered by the programme. In addition, companies will be required to be “financially sound” to be eligible for the programme.
Before benefiting from the subsidy of up to 18,000 patacas, each potential beneficiary will be required to take a six-hour training course on digitalised operations. Each company can have one or two of its staff to attend the course.
The course of last year’s programme lasted three hours.
Tai said that this year’s programme is expected to cost 14 million patacas. Last year, the programme was budgeted at 4.76 million patacas.
Different to last year, this time the programme will only accept companies that have been awarded “Certified Shops” by the government’s Consumer Council (CC), or those that are applying for the “Certified Shops” awards when submitting their applications for the subsidy.
Potential beneficiaries will be required to submit their applications online at https://www.cpttm.org.mo/SMEtech2024/.
Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) Director Tai Kin Ip (centre) speaks during Tuesday’s press conference about this year’s subsidy programme for digitalising local SMEs’ operations, as Macau Productivity and Technology Transfer Centre (CPTTM) Director General Victoria Alexa Kuan Chan (left) and Consumer Council (CC) President Leong Pek San look on. – Photo: Tony Wong
