Regional Support

The Lower Austrian Regional Support Program offers financial assistance to projects of economic significance to a region, in particular in economically and structurally underdeveloped regions. The range of assistance opportunities is broad: investments in infrastructure in the industrial/commercial sector, but also tourism-related, cultural and social projects. The essential criterion for financial support is whether the project brings about a significant economic stimulus for the development of the region.

Support opportunities range from promotion of investments to consultative services on a regional level. There are three main fields of activity:

• Field of activity: initiative projects
  Utilizing EU means to the greatest extent possible, ecoplus initiates, supports and provides guidance on regional initiative projects in Lower Austria. Here the regional interconnectedness of leading operations and regions plays an important role.
• Field of activity: initiative themes
  Select priorities for regional development are identified, encouragement and guidance offered and concrete investment projects are supported. Examples of initiative themes include cycling tourism, nature parks and trade fairs.
• Field of activity: region
  In order to support the development of a region in a targeted way, strategic development concepts are created and realized jointly with regional decision makers and partner institutions. Examples of these types of activity include the Wachau Masterplan and the implementation of the LEADER program.

Support Processing

The processing of regional support projects is carried out by the respective department of the Office of the Lower Austrian Provincial Government in close cooperation with ecoplus. A support agreement is drafted which delineates all conditions and obligations of the project backer. An audit is completed out by ecoplus. An on-site inspection is carried out for all investment projects in order to verify that funds have been utilized as agreed.