Business First employees are to be trained in how to tap EU funding, under the terms of a cooperation agreement signed between the entity and fellow public agency Servizzi Ewropej f’Malta (SEM).  

The agreement will see Business First workers receive training from SEM experts, while Business First will work with SEM to better inform it about business needs and the types of funding they require.

The deal was signed by SEM CEO Rodrick Zerafa and Business First CEO Marika Tonna. Principal Permanent Secretary Tony Sultana, Economy Ministry Permanent Secretary Nancy Caruana and EU Funds Permanent Secretary Jonathan Vassallo were all present for the signing. So too was Malta Enterprise CEO George Gregory and Darren Grasso, who leads the SEM project support department. SEM is a state agency tasked with promoting the uptake of EU funding and helping individuals, organisations and companies develop projects that can benefit from EU co-financing.

Business First is a state-run entity that serves as the government’s main contact point for businesses. Among other things, it offers businesses support when applying for state-run schemes.