Project sustainability is the period after the financial completion of a project during which the recipient is obliged to preserve the results of the investment and meet the measurable indicators in accordance with the agreement on the provision of the non-repayable financial contribution. For investment projects, it generally lasts five years; for small and medium-sized enterprises, it can be shortened to three years. During the sustainability period, the recipient must not terminate or relocate the production activity, transfer assets acquired from the contribution without the provider's consent, or substantially change the nature of the project. Fulfilment of the obligations is reported in subsequent monitoring reports and verified through on-site checks. A breach of the sustainability conditions leads to the return of the contribution, or the proportional part of it corresponding to the period during which the conditions were not met. Sustainability therefore needs to be taken into account already when planning the project's business model.
See also: Monitoring report.
