Funding Application

Eligibility

All private enterprises (excluding publicly listed companies, statutory bodies and non-government organisations funded by the Government) with a valid Business Registration Certificate, ongoing business commenced before 1 January 2020 and substantive business operation in the industry related to the project in the application at the time of application are eligible.

One entity can submit one application only. Related entities*would be treated as one single entity. Applicants are required to indicate and declare in the funding application as to whether any of their related entities have applied for or received funding support under the D-Biz Programme at the time of application.

*Entities set up as different legal entities but having the same individual(s) each holding 30% or more ownership in such entities (up to the ultimate level of natural person(s) if the entities are held by corporate shareholder(s).

Application Period

Application is open from 9 am on 18 May 2020 to 6 pm 31 October 2020.

Assessment Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on individual merits and considered on a case-by-case basis. The assessment criteria of the D-Biz Programme projects include:

• Relevance of the proposed project to the applicant’s business – the project should enable enterprises to continue their business and services during the epidemic;
• Reasonableness of the budget – assessment with reference to market prices of the technologies in question as known to the Committee or the Secretariat will be made. Individual items of expenditure must also be essential and directly related to the implementation of the project;
• Reasonableness of the implementation details – consideration may include whether concrete project deliverables and outcomes have been set. The implementation details should also be realistic taking into account factors such as the complexity of the IT solution and the project duration; and
• Capability of Service Provider(s) – consideration will be made to the technical capability of the Service Provider(s). Each Service Provider will be considered on a case-by-case basis having regard to the Service Provider’s technical capabilities and experience relating to the IT solution categories as mentioned in the Guidance Notes for IT Service Providers;
• Adverse record of Service Provider(s) as known to the Committee and the Secretariat if available.

If a project is worthy of support in principle, the level of funding may be adjusted with reference to the project cost approved by the Committee.

The Government and the Secretariat reserves the right to reject an application on grounds including but not limited to:

• A petition is presented or a proceeding is commenced or an order is made or a resolution is passed for the winding up of the applicant; or
• A false, inaccurate or incomplete statement or representation is contained in the application or a promise or a proposal is made knowingly or recklessly; or
• The applicant is in default of its obligation(s) under another grant agreement entered into with any other local public funding sources whether or not in relation to the D-Biz Programme.

Incomplete application will not be further processed until the applicant has rectified the errors or provided all the necessary information. Once the applicant has provided the outstanding information or documents, the application concerned will then re-join the queue at the end of the queue.

To ensure fair and reasonable allocation of resources, the Programme Secretariat will process up to 10 funding applications involving services provided by the same system integrator being the service provider each week. The rest of the applications will be processed in the following week.

Note: Whether or not the applicants engage Service Providers on the Reference List will not affect the application outcome.

Guidance Notes

Application Form Sample

Application Form Demo

Notes for Auditors

Model Clauses in Probity and Non-Collusive Quotation/Tendering Certificate

Attention

1. Before filling out the application form, please read the "Guidance Note" carefully, and prepare the e-copies of the relevant supporting documents, to make the application process more efficient.
2. The D-Biz Programme only accepts online application, solely through the below button. By forwarding the hyperlinks, application might become invalid.
3. The Secretariat will primarily contact the applicant via email. Please ensure the email address provided is accurate and check the mailbox (including the Junk mailbox) regularly.
4. Repeated applications will not be accepted. Any request for amending the information submitted will not be entertained.
5. Please ensure your web browser is compatible with any one of the following system configurations:
   - Internet Explorer 11 or upper
   - Microsoft Edge 44.18362 or upper
   - Firefox 74 or upper
   - Chrome 81 or upper
   - Safari 13 or upper (mac OS only)

Other related information

Introduction

IT Service Providers Reference List

Application for enroling to the IT Service Providers Reference List

Distance Business Programme Vetting Committee