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Did you know that Hong Kong government is supporting local enterprises to expand their business into Mainland China and overseas markets? Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) looking for ways to grow their way beyond Hong Kong and strengthen their brand on the global stage, the BUD Fund is a key. SMEBro will explain to you this powerful tool for SMEs, a fund designed specifically for Hong Kong registered companies to enhance competitiveness through branding and exploring new market opportunities. What is the BUD Fund? Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Sales Fund or BUD funding are key initiatives from the Hong Kong government, announced by the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) to support enterprises' projects in business upgrading, brand development, transformation, and expansion of overseas market sales. Funding can be used for improving product or service quality, conducting marketing activities, adopting new technologies, or business transformation processes, and taking measures to explore overseas markets by enhancing their overall competitiveness and better development in the industry. How does the BUD application process work? The BUD funding application has several key steps to ensure the company's projects align with the fund's objectives and eligibility criteria. This is the step-by-step application process for BUD funding: Project planning and documentation A company needs to identify the promotional plans and target regions for your next project such as trademark registration, exhibitions, video production. Don't forget to prepare necessary company documents such as a copy of the annual return form, copy of the business registration certificate, evidence of substantive business operations in Hong Kong, proof that there is an investment relationship between the applicant and the local business involved based on the project. Application fund Complete the BUD funding online electronic application form or ask SMEBro to handle it. Submit the application form with the required documents. Project proposal preparation The proposal must align with branding, upgrading and domestic sales. Create a detailed project proposal with objectives, scope, and expected outcomes. Waiting for approval The approval time is up to 60 working days from the date of receipt of a complete application and the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC) will review your application. Initial disbursement During approval, a funding agreement needs to be signed. For projects less than 2 years, 75% of the funding is disbursed after contract signing. Then it's time for project implementation according to the approved project proposal, and the company must ensure all expenditures are in accordance with the approved budget and scope. Audit and final report At project completion, a company submits the final report with details of outcomes and expenditures. You need a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to audit the project. Then the final disbursement (25% of the funding) will be disbursed after the Trade and Industry Department reviews the audit and final report results. The difference between BUD, E-Commerce Easy and EASY BUD The difference between general application, easy application and e-commerce application is the maximum funding amount for each project, funding disbursement, project implementation time, and funding scope. The easy application has a maximum of HKD $100,000 funding for each project, while the general application and E-commerce easy are HKD $1,000,000 at maximum. There's no initial payment funding disbursement for easy applications while others can choose to submit the project applications in method 1(applying for the first phase of funding) or method 2(not applying for the first phase of funding). The project implementation time for general application and e-commerce easy is up to 24 months, while easy application is up to 12 months. The funding scope for general applications is broader and more complete, while e-commerce easy focuses on online sales platform advertisements, mobile applications, company websites, and other e-commerce related measures.  Should I Apply BUD Fund or TVP? The easy application includes advertisements, exhibitions, travel and accommodation expenses, trademark registration applications, company websites, testing and certification services, design and production of promotional materials, and external audit fees for approved projects. What are the qualifications for applying for BUD special funds? The applicant must be a non-listed company registered in Hong Kong under the Business Registration Ordinance (Cap. 310). The company must have actual operations and business transactions within Hong Kong. This can be proven when the company hires employees, conducts product or service transactions in Hong Kong, and pays regular taxes. The funding must be used for projects that aim to develop business in the FTA and IPPA markets or Mainland China, not within Hong Kong. These projects must be in accordance with their title, it's for Branding, Upgrading, and Domestic Sales. Approval process and funding distribution The Hong Kong Productivity Council will review the application within 2-4 weeks and may request additional documents or clarifications. Upon approval, the applicant will receive notification from HKPC in writing, and need to sign a funding agreement in accordance with the terms and conditions. Can BUD funding be applied by startups that have no income? Yes, only if a company is engaged in a scientific research project and can prove it will get income in a foreseeable future, plus a signed sales contract. But traditional industries such as trade retail will not accept applications from businesses with no income. BUD funding details you need to know There are many things you need to pay attention to for this funding. You must understand about eligibility, amount of funding, funding principles, and funding method. If you are overwhelmed with this, you can trust SMEBro. We have extensive experience in BUD applications, with more than 500 BUD applications since 2016. Our clients have been approved for BUD success cases with a total amount of more than $110 million. With SMEBrother, you can get a professional team that can help you to apply for BUD easily, no matter what your business scope and where you are. We will help in all aspects. With the many demands to apply for BUD as an agency, we guarantee that the application will be successful, and we will assist you to fill in the project budget to increase the success rate. Plus, we will make sure to be an auditing partner that is easy to work with - simply give us your raw data and accounting information and let us do the rest for you.

BUD（Branding, Upgrading and Domestic Market Development Support Scheme）資助計畫是香港特別行政區政府推出的一項旨在幫助企業提升品牌、升級技術和拓展內銷市場的資助計畫。然而，許多企業在申請過程中可能會遇到申請被拒的情況，這往往是因為對BUD資助的範圍和限制理解不足。為了避免這種情況，本文將詳細解析BUD資助計畫中不可報銷的開支專案，幫助你更好地規劃申請策略。   日常運作開支  BUD資助計畫並不是為了補貼企業的日常運作成本。以下是一些常見的不可報銷的日常運作開支：   不可報銷：  老員工的薪水和福利  辦公用品和文具 常規的辦公設備維護和修理費用  日常的租賃費用（除非與專案直接相關）  可報銷： 新員工招聘費用，但需注意不超過總開支的20% 與專案直接相關的裝修或租賃費用，同樣需控制在總開支的20%以內   機器設備和生產工具  在機器設備和生產工具方面，BUD資助計畫支持企業引進能夠顯著提升生產效率和產品品質的設備：   不可報銷：   - 日常運作所需的通用機器和設備   - 機器設備的保險費和保養費用   - 用於現有產品生產的模具和工具  可報銷：   - 新增的、專用的或具有特別功能的機器設備   - 用於製造新產品的模具，但報銷比例不超過總開支的70%   產品樣本和原型  產品樣本和原型的製作是產品開發過程中的重要環節，但BUD資助計畫對此有特定的要求：   不可報銷：   - 使用昂貴或貴重材料製作的樣本，特別是那些可能被用於銷售的   - 樣本製作的常規材料和工藝費用  可報銷：   - 一般產品樣本的製作費用，但需控制在總開支的30%以內   廣告和市場推廣  廣告和市場推廣是提升品牌知名度和市場影響力的有效手段，但BUD資助計畫對此有明確的限制：   不可報銷：   - 互聯網廣告的保證金、分紅、上架費用等   - 與專案不直接相關的廣告和市場推廣費用  可報銷：   - 平臺推廣和廣告宣傳費用，但報銷比例不超過總開支的50%   差旅和交通費用  差旅和交通費用是企業運營中不可避免的開支，但BUD資助計畫只報銷與專案實施直接相關的部分：   不可報銷：   - 與專案實施無直接關聯的差旅費用   - 個人旅行和非工作相關的交通費用  可報銷：   - 與專案實施直接相關的差旅費用，但需控制在總開支的20%以內    BUD資助計畫的目的是支持企業通過品牌建設、技術升級和市場拓展來增強競爭力，而不是簡單地覆蓋企業的日常運營成本。因此，企業在申請BUD資助時，應確保所申請的開支專案符合資助計畫的目標和要求。   小貼士 重要提醒：如果BUD資助申請不通過，申請者需要承擔已開展專案的全部開支。因此，在申請前仔細規劃和準備你的開支計畫至關重要。 建議：在申請BUD資助前，建議企業詳細閱讀相關的指南和規定，必要時可尋求專業的財務顧問或相關政府部門的幫助，以確保申請材料的準確性和完整性。   通過深入瞭解BUD資助計畫的報銷規則，企業可以更有效地規劃申請策略，提高獲得資助的可能性，從而為企業的長遠發展提供強有力的支持。

在競爭激烈的商業環境中，香港BUD基金提供了企業拓展和升級轉型的寶貴機遇。但許多企業在申請過程中遇到難題，往往因為對申請條件和流程缺乏深入瞭解。本文將梳理BUD基金申請的關鍵條件，指導企業如何有效利用這一資源，提高申請成功率。   明確基本資格：BUD申請的第一門檻 BUD基金對申請企業的運營規模和歷史有一定要求。企業不能是剛成立的，需要有為員工繳納強積金MPF的記錄，並在過去12個月內有明確的收入和支出記錄。這些是評估企業運營狀況的基礎，缺一不可。如果企業運營時間較短或尚未形成完整的運營體系，建議先集中精力發展業務，待條件成熟後再申請BUD基金。   建立業務聯繫：直接投資的證明  BUD基金要求香港企業在目標市場有直接投資，即企業需要與目標市場的業務建立直接聯繫。例如，餐飲企業應專注於餐飲業務的拓展，而非跨界投資不相關的領域。這樣的業務發展計畫更容易獲得BUD基金的支持和理解。   股權結構合規：持股比例的關鍵 BUD基金規定，申請企業在目標市場企業中需持有至少50%的股份。這一規定確保了企業對投資專案有足夠的控制權和影響力。同時，BUD基金對申請企業的自然人股東也有一定的限制。企業應及時聯繫BUD顧問，確保股權結構和分配符合申請要求。   初步發展規劃：成功申請的藍圖  一個清晰的初步發展規劃是BUD基金申請成功的關鍵。企業需要明確市場定位（去哪里），業務內容（做什麼），預算（多少預算），以及時間規劃（何時執行）。這3W1H是BUD基金顧問提供專業意見的基礎。企業不應期望顧問能提供所有答案，而應自身對發展計畫有清晰的認識和規劃。   結語 BUD基金是香港企業發展的強大助力，但成功申請需要企業做好充分的準備和規劃。瞭解並滿足上述四大條件，能夠幫助企業更順利地通過申請，獲取所需的資金支持。同時，及時與BUD顧問溝通，獲取專業意見，也是提高申請成功率的關鍵。合理利用BUD基金，能夠讓企業的發展邁出堅實的步伐，迎接更廣闊的市場機遇。

你是否也跟我一樣，為了省錢DIY申請BUD，結果申了3次都被拒批？ 💔 1年前開始申請，至今還沒獲批，眼看著大好機會都白白浪費了… 😭 別再像我一樣，浪費時間和金錢了！   👇👇👇 分享我的血淚教訓，教你如何“一次過”拿到BUD資金！👇👇👇 我們的一個客戶，製造行業，擁有自己的品牌和代理外國品牌，內地有3年業務，還聘請了員工。 他申請的專案並不難，都是大家經常申請的：增聘員工、廣告推廣、專利申請…   但為什麼會被拒批3次？ 拒批1：自己DIY申請，材料有問題，被拒 拒批2：致電BUD秘書處，回應太官方，按自己的理解修正，被拒 拒批3：再次和處方交流，提交新文件，還是被拒   🤦‍♀️ 最後，他實在搞不懂被拒的原因，找到我們顧問，幫他審查了所有文件，還有跟秘書處的對話，才發現是品牌代理文件上出現了疏漏！ 終於！🥺 4個月後，他獲得了85萬的資助！ 📊 HKPC最新數據顯示，BUD雖高達700萬，但平均成功率只有35%。也就是說10個申請裏，只有3個可以成功，想要“一次過”真的不容易！   ㊙️ “一次過”的秘訣？ 預算合理分配，降低風險⚠ 看清申請所需檔和程式👀 有專業團隊幫手👨‍💻   🔍 搵SMEBro有咩優勢？ 直接對接政府，❌沒有資訊差 團隊顧問曾任職BUD執行機構，🉑避開申請雷區 提供內地公司註冊、審計及報稅等相關事宜 專業營銷團隊，幫你快速融入內地推廣市場   別再讓你的BUD申請成為“雞肋”！ 聯絡我們，讓你輕鬆獲得BUD資金，拓展你的業務！