SLIM

Within small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), promoting learning and professional development of staff often does not take the highest priority. Although professional development is considered important, it often does not happen due to a lack of time, expertise, or financial resources from employers. The SLIM scheme prevents the lack of time, knowledge, and/or financial means from hindering employees’ learning curve. We would be happy to inform you whether you can apply for a subsidy and what conditions must be met.

Until 2024, large companies (more than 250 FTE) could qualify for the SLIM subsidy under certain conditions. This is no longer the case. If you work at a large company and are actively investing in internal Learning & Development, please contact the Social Innovation Team. We would be glad to discuss which subsidy schemes are available for your organization.

The SLIM scheme (Stimulus Scheme for Learning and Development in SMEs) encourages SMEs to invest in a strong learning culture within their organization. Entrepreneurs can apply for subsidies for various activities, such as developing training and development plans, providing career or development advice, or implementing methodologies to promote learning during work. Additionally, the scheme supports training programs in socially critical sectors such as healthcare, technology, and childcare. These programs must be part of a recognized Development Path: an overview of functions and step-by-step development opportunities within a sector. This provides employers and employees with tools to respond to personnel development and career prospects.

Note! It will be 60% for everyone! For individual SMEs, the SLIM scheme reimburses 60% to 80% of eligible costs, with a maximum of € 25,000 per application. Due to the high popularity of SLIM Individual, the subsidy ceiling is often reached, after which a lottery determines which applications are approved. As a result, only about one-third of the applications are granted.

A collaboration is also possible. This scheme is specifically intended for projects where SMEs jointly stimulate learning and development.

The project must focus on one or more of the following activities:

• Assessing the company, resulting in a training or development plan aimed at clarifying the training needs from the company’s perspective.
• Obtaining career or development advice for employees within the company.
• Supporting and guiding the development or implementation of a method within the company that encourages employees to further develop their knowledge, skills, and professional attitudes during work.
• Providing practical learning placements for a vocational training program or part of it in the third learning pathway at a recognized training company for a certain period.

Applying for SLIM subsidies can be done for various activities as mentioned earlier, but the process is challenging. For SLIM Individual, applications are assessed by lottery when the subsidy ceiling is exceeded. As a result, only about one-third of the applications are actually granted. In contrast, SLIM Collaboration generally offers more chances of success. Due to less oversubscription in this category, the likelihood of approval is significantly higher, provided the application is carefully prepared and meets the specified criteria.

The application periods for the individual SLIM subsidy take place annually in March and September.

Thanks to our 25 years of experience, we can optimize your subsidy process and take it off your hands almost completely. What kind of tasks can you expect?

• Assessing whether your proposed activities qualify for the subsidy scheme;
• Submitting the SLIM subsidy application to the Policy Implementation department;
• Acting as the contact person for the grant provider;
• Alleviating your administrative burden by providing support with the administrative processing.