ANDALUCIA TRADE TO IMMINENTLY LAUNCH GRANTS FOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN ANDALUSIA.

At IMPULSO, we are pleased to inform you that the Andalucía TRADE Agency plans to imminently open the 2024 call for the GRANTS PROGRAM FOR RD+i PROJECTS IN ANDALUSIA. Its purpose is to promote industrial research and experimental development in Andalusia, within the framework of activities established in the Smart Specialisation Strategy for the Sustainability of Andalusia, S4 Andalusia.

Below, we summarize the main characteristics of these grants:

BENEFICIARIES

• Individual projects:
  • SMEs with the following legal forms: commercial companies, cooperatives, and worker-owned companies.
• Grouped projects:

In the case of projects in grouping with an SME, the following may also be beneficiaries:

• Companies that are NOT SMEs with the following legal forms: commercial companies; cooperatives and worker-owned companies.
• Foundations and associations whose main activity is research, technological development, innovation, and/or the dissemination and transfer of knowledge.

Legal entities, both public and private, that, even without legal personality, can carry out the projects, activities, or behaviours, or that are in the situation that motivates the grant, will be considered beneficiaries. The legal entities that can form part of the groupings must meet the requirements established for beneficiaries.

TYPES OF PROJECT

To be eligible for grants, projects must fall into one of the following categories:

• Industrial Research.
• Experimental Development.

NOTE: In non-competitive calls, projects will be evaluated in strict order of submission.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS

• They must be carried out in Andalusia.
• They must fall within at least one of the Specialisation Environments or Cross-Cutting Support Axes of the S4Andalucía Strategy.
• Maximum execution period: 2 years, extendable up to a maximum of half of the initial execution period.
• They must reach the minimum eligible budget (to be determined in the call).
• Their objective must be the search for new products, processes, or services or the improvement of existing ones.
• Viable from a technical, economic, and financial point of view.
• They must have a favourable scientific-technical and impact evaluation. The minimum score to be achieved in the evaluation process will be determined in the call.
• Incentive effect.
• Grouped projects will involve two entities. A grouped project will be understood as one carried out by an SME and a large company or by an SME and a foundation or association whose main activity is research, technological development, innovation, and/or the dissemination and transfer of knowledge.

ELIGIBLE CONCEPTS

• Personnel costs related to research staff, technical staff, and other auxiliary personnel to the extent that they are dedicated to the project.

In no case will personnel costs dedicated to the processing and/or management of the requested grant be considered eligible.

In grouped projects, the lead entity may include up to a maximum of 5% of the total hours dedicated to the project for coordination activities.

• Contract research costs, as well as consultancy and equivalent services exclusively for the project.

Costs corresponding to any form of consultancy associated with the management and processing of the requested grant are expressly excluded.

• Indirect costs incurred by the project, which by their nature cannot be directly attributed (up to 15% of eligible and justified personnel costs).

NON-ELIGIBLE CONCEPTS

• Costs of instrumentation and equipment, regardless of the acquisition or use period in the project.
• Costs of materials, supplies, inputs, and similar products.
• Travel expenses.
• Expenses related to currency exchange rate fluctuations.
• VAT that is recoverable according to national regulations.
• Late payment interest, surcharges, fines, and economic penalties, and expenses incurred for litigation and legal disputes.
• Costs corresponding to any form of consultancy associated with the management and processing of the grant are expressly excluded.

TYPE AND INTENSITY OF AID

The percentage of the grant to be awarded will depend on the size of the beneficiary company and the nature of the project (individual or grouped), as established in the following table. The amount of aid to be granted will be calculated by applying the grant percentage to the eligible budget.

The grant program is 85% co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund, within the framework of the Andalusia ERDF Operational Program 2021-2027.

ADVANCES

No advances are possible.

GUARANTEES

Grant beneficiaries must have the economic and financial capacity to develop the project, i.e., possess working capital (the difference between current assets and current liabilities) greater than or equal to 20% of the project’s eligible budget (to be accredited with annual accounts or corporate tax returns).

If this percentage is not met, it must be accredited, before the final resolution, by one of the following means:

• Accrediting the availability of a loan, credit, or other instrument subsequent to the time reference of the last financial statements presented, allowing working capital to reach at least 20% of the eligible budget.
• Constituting a first-demand bank guarantee (up to 20% of the eligible budget) exclusively for project financing, explicitly stated in its clauses.

Newly created companies or any other that is not obliged to present a balance sheet in the corresponding Registry may provide documentation for economic and financial solvency accreditation through any of the aforementioned forms.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

The deadline for submitting applications will be established in the call (opening is expected in May).

04/16/2024