Commission finds that Lithuanian support to Science and Technology Parks does not constitute state aid

On 30 September 2016, the European Commission announced its decision that Lithuania's planned public support to Science and Technology Parks does not constitute state aid as the public support will be fully transferred to start-up small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the Science and Technology Parks are not themselves beneficiaries of state aid (see Commission MEX/16/3266), Further, the pass-on of the public support is designed so as not to distort competition between the providers of support services for the SMEs.

In this context, the Commission has requested that Lithuania ensures that the State support in the form of rent-free use of buildings is fully passed-on to the start-up SMEs as well as full transparency of the support to SMEs, in particular to guarantee that it meets the conditions required for de minimis support (for example, no more than EUR200,000 per SME over three years). Lithuania must also claw back any residual advantage at the level of the Science and Technology Parks.

The Commission's decision acknowledges the important role that innovation intermediaries, and in particular Science and Technology Parks, can play in promoting the creation and growth of innovation-oriented SMEs. Innovation intermediaries put at the disposal of such SMEs both physical facilities and technical knowledge to overcome the most common hurdles hindering SMEs' initial development.