FAQ

FOSTER II PROJECT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTION: What is the support duration for the SME Support Mechanism?

ANSWER: The support duration is 16 months, consisting of four 4-month monitoring periods.

QUESTION: What is the source of funding provided for the project?

ANSWER: The funding is provided by the European Union.

QUESTION: Is there an age limit for SME owners applying to the SME Support Mechanism? How much is the support amount?

ANSWER: There is no age limit for SME owners who apply. If at least one of the personnel subject to employment is female or young (under the age of 30), a higher amount of support is provided, as specified in the table below.

QUESTION: I am a Tech Park company. How does the process work for me?

ANSWER: SMEs registered in the KOSGEB Database, with an up-to-date SME Declaration, and meeting the other requirements specified in the Call for Proposals can apply. There is no restriction regarding the place of operation.

QUESTION: Our primary NACE code is not related to the Manufacturing Sector, but our secondary NACE code is related to manufacturing. Can we receive support?

ANSWER: Having the secondary NACE code among the eligible sectors is sufficient to benefit from the support. This code must be included in official documents.

QUESTION: Is there a defined SME sub-scale required to benefit from the support?

ANSWER: All micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can benefit from the support.

QUESTION: Where should the support application be submitted?

ANSWER: Support applications can be submitted by connecting to the KBS system via e-government.

QUESTION: Are companies with older establishment dates advantageous in terms of qualifying for the provincial quota?

ANSWER: There is no evaluation criterion related to the date of establishment. However, the SME must have been established before 01/01/2024.

QUESTION: If there is an existing foreign employee, can this person be subject to employment under the support?

ANSWER: If the existing foreign employee holds Temporary Protection or International Protection status, they can be subject to employment under the “protected persons” employment category.

QUESTION: What is the age limit for personnel to be considered young under the SME Support Mechanism?

ANSWER: Young personnel refers to newly hired personnel under the scope of the support who have not reached the age of 30 as of their recruitment date.

QUESTION: Are the identity numbers of newly hired SuTP or FuIP personnel’s status reported to KOSGEB?

ANSWER: Information regarding personnel employed within the scope of the support is reported to KOSGEB through the online system at the stage of requesting support payments.

QUESTION: We are a 5-month-old company. Can we benefit from the FOSTER II SME Support Mechanism?

ANSWER: To benefit from the FOSTER II SME Support Mechanism, the enterprise must have been established before 01/01/2024.

QUESTION: I benefited from support under the FOSTER I Project. Can I benefit from the FOSTER II Project?

ANSWER: You can receive support under the FOSTER II Access to Finance Mechanism; however, it is not possible to receive support under the SME Support Mechanism.

QUESTION: In which currency will the support payments be made?

ANSWER: Support payments will be deposited in EURO into the SME’s EURO bank account.

QUESTION: What are the criteria for fulfilling the employment commitment under the SME Support Mechanism?

ANSWER: Criterion 1: Paying at least 61 days of Social Security Institution (SGK) premiums in each monitoring period for each employee subject to employment (1 Turkish citizen + 1 foreign national, with at least 1 new employment).
Criterion 2: Achieving 4 times the number of premium days belonging to the month with the lowest number of premium days in the 12-month reference period.

QUESTION: What happens if the number of SGK premium days is zero (0) in one of the months within the 12-month reference period?

ANSWER: There is no need to perform the employment preservation check regarding the reference period. In other words, 0 (zero) is taken as the baseline reference.

QUESTION: When does the 12-month reference period begin?

ANSWER: The reference period is the 12-month period preceding the month prior to the month in which the SME Support Mechanism Call for Proposals is announced.

QUESTION: The work permit procedure for foreign personnel takes a long time. Can I complete the SGK registration after obtaining the work permit?

ANSWER: Foreign nationals are required to start working by fulfilling their social security obligations within one month from the start date of their work permit or work permit exemption. To obtain comprehensive information on this subject, it is recommended to review the relevant webpage (https://www.csgb.gov.tr/uigm/genel-bilgi/yabanci-calisanlarin-sosyal-guvenligi). On the other hand, personnel who start working on or after the announcement date of the Call for Proposals are considered new employment.

QUESTION: What conditions must be met to remain within the quota allocated for the province?

ANSWER: Enterprises are scored based on criteria including technology level, certificates held, number of employees, operating profitability, return on equity, collection period of receivables, current ratio, financial leverage ratio, labor productivity, investment productivity, capacity utilization rate, research and development expenses, and the ratio of foreign employees and export sales to total sales. The highest-scoring enterprises within the quota are included in the support list.

QUESTION: We face difficulties in finding foreign employees. Do you provide any support in this regard?

ANSWER: KOSGEB does not offer direct support in this regard. However, by applying to the relevant KOSGEB Directorates, information can be obtained regarding institutions and projects that may provide assistance on this matter.

QUESTION: What happens if an employee subject to employment under the SME Support Mechanism leaves the job?

ANSWER: A new employee is hired to replace them. In order to receive support payment, the total number of SGK premium days for the departing employee and the replacement employee combined must be a minimum of 61 days within the 4-month monitoring period.

QUESTION: Can I employ a foreign national registered in another province?

ANSWER: Relevant legislation of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Presidency of Migration Management applies. The Work Permit / Exemption Document specifies the issuance date, permit start date, expiration date, and annotations, and the document is valid only within these periods. The document also specifies the trade name of the workplace and the province where the foreign national will work. For comprehensive information on this topic, please review the official webpage: https://www.csgb.gov.tr/uigm/genel-bilgi/yabancilara-duzenlenen-belgeler/.

QUESTION: What happens if we cannot fulfill the committed employment during the monitoring periods of the SME Support Mechanism?

ANSWER: If the employment commitment is not met in any of the four 4-month monitoring periods, an additional period equal to one monitoring period is granted. If the employment commitment is not fulfilled in any two periods, including the additional period, the support process will be terminated.