Dear reader,
In this week’s newsletter, we answer more of your questions about support schemes for entrepreneurs and we round up all the latest government information straight from the Ministry’s desk. Plus a special focus on how the community is helping to address the face mask shortage. The fight back continues!
The French Tech Mission
We continue to receive lots of questions. And once again, we’ve picked out the 3 most popular or most pertinent, and have put them to our network of French Tech Correspondents, who all work on the frontline in government departments.
This week, you asked us:
1. How can I make employees (who are willing) temporarily available to other companies?
2. How does the decree of 26 March 2020 impact short-time working?
3. What rate is the Government paying to employees usually on a day rate?
The Government is gradually establishing new measures to address the COVID-19 crisis. Here are two that could be relevant to you:
- Payment deferrals for social security contributions and direct corporate taxes have been extended until the end of April. Just like in March, you need to apply online to URSSAF and the DGFIP. More details here.
- The Ministry for the Economy has set out the terms and conditions for state-guaranteed loans and published an FAQ on the subject, including crucial questions such as: How much can you borrow? Can foreign banks benefit from the state’s guarantee? What employee numbers and turnover are used to determine the amount of the loan? Discover all here.
- For more about the measures implemented by the Government since the beginning of the crisis, consult our knowledge base. It’s updated regularly.
Face masks have become an essential piece of equipment for healthcare and other frontline workers. In the face of the current global shortage, our community is going out of its way to make a difference. Here are some of the mask and pandemic-related initiatives you can join or support:
- Using its textile expertise and experience in manufacturing medical devices, BioSerenity (a Next40 company) has started producing washable and reusable textile masksat its factory in Rosières-près-Troyes (Aube). The prototypes were manufactured a few weeks ago and are now undergoing quality checks. They’re set to be used by members of the general public.
- Le Slip Français (a French Tech 120 company) is also doing its part to produce masks. It’s working closely with creative and manufacturing partners, as well as national authorities (Ministry for the Economy, National Standardization Organization etc.) – all part of a collective effort led by the Strategic Committee of the Fashion and Luxury Industry (CFS). The result of their hard work? 2.2 million masks are produced every day. Read more about this extraordinary initiative here.
- The #ProtegeTonSoignant (#ProtectYourHealthcareWorker) collective has already amassedmore than 1 million euros in donationsto buy medical equipment, including masks. You can donate here.
- Have you heard of StopCovid19? It’s a platform developed by Mirakl in partnership with the Ministry for the Economy – and, in just a few weeks, it’s already delivered convincing results. More than 550,000 litres of hydroalcoholic gel, a million masks and thousands of gowns have been distributedthanks to the platform. If you produce any of these essential medical items, register on the platform now!
- Have you developed a digital solution to help fight the pandemic? Then why not add it to the platform launched by the Ministry for Solidarity and Health? Tools dedicated to the general public (information chatbots, online games, etc.) are referenced here, while those for healthcare professionals (online consultations, remote patient monitoring, etc.) are here.
– Sifted (Financial Times) a publié un récap des aides gouvernementales destinées aux entreprises à travers l’Europe. Utile si vous opérez dans plusieurs pays.
– France Digitale a réalisé une liste de startups qui peuvent vous aider en cette période de crise, en incluant des membres du Next40, comme OpenClassrooms, Frichti ou Klaxoon.
– Cédric O, le Secrétaire d’État chargé du numérique, a répondu aux questions de BFM Business sur la mobilisation de la French Tech pendant cette crise. À voir ici
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