THE CDTI DIRECT INNOVATION LINE (LIC) LINKED TO THE AEROSPACE AND HEALTH PERTES REMAINS OPEN

We remind you that CDTI’s application period for the AEROSPACE AND HEALTH DIRECT INNOVATION LINE (LIC) program is still open. The aim of this program is to fund individual business innovation projects aligned with these two areas:

• AEROSPACE AREA: projects related to the design, development, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of manned and unmanned aircraft, space vehicles and propulsion systems, as well as the corresponding infrastructure needed for their operation (such as airports, air navigation systems, launch sites, or satellite tracking stations) and for carrying out experimentation and testing tasks during their development phases. Also the development of commercial services directly related to aeronautics and space infrastructure.
• CUTTING-EDGE HEALTH AREA: projects aimed at promoting and protecting health through the development and incorporation of products, innovative procedures and digital solutions that add value in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation of patients in a personalized way.

We would like to give you advance notice of the main features of this program:

BENEFICIARIES:

Companies (SMEs and large companies*), Agrarian Transformation Companies, Cooperative Societies, Labor Companies, Public Business Entities, State-Owned Mercantile Companies, etc.

*Large companies that are not in a situation comparable to a credit rating of at least B- may not be eligible beneficiaries.

Excluded sectors: fishing and aquaculture, primary production of agricultural products, export-related activities.

TYPES OF PROJECTS:

Individual business innovation projects linked to the Aerospace and Cutting-Edge Health PERTEs:

• Active incorporation and adaptation of emerging technologies within the company, as well as processes for adapting and improving technologies for new markets.
• Application of industrial design and product and process engineering to improve the technology thereof.
• Application of a new or significantly improved production or supply method, including significant changes in techniques, equipment and/or software.
• Projects involving minor changes or improvements, increases in production or service capacity through the introduction of manufacturing or logistics systems very similar to those already in use, or the discontinuation of a process, are not considered innovation projects.
• Not eligible for funding are actions that directly or indirectly cause harm to the environment:
  • Those related to fossil fuels, unless they concern the generation of electricity and/or heat using natural gas, as well as the related transport and distribution infrastructure, provided they comply with Annex III of the Technical Guidance on the application of the DNSH principle.
  • Those included within the EU ETS framework whose estimated greenhouse gas emissions are not below the relevant benchmarks.
  • Those related to waste landfills and incinerators and to mechanical biological treatment plants.
  • Those in which the long-term disposal of waste may cause harm to the environment.

PROJECT REQUIREMENTS:

• Incentive effect: the application must be submitted before the investments begin.
• Duration: between 9 and 18 months, as a single milestone, with the possibility of extension, but they may not end later than December 31, 2026.
• Budget: minimum €175,000.
• The company must finance at least 15% of the project budget with its own resources or external financing.
• Funding from the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism à Compliance with the DNSH principle must be certified: a positive ex-ante DNSH compliance report must be submitted, issued by an entity accredited by ENAC, before signing the loan agreement with CDTI (maximum period: 3 months from the approval of the aid).
• This aid is incompatible with any other aid.
• Alignment with one of the lines identified for the Cutting-Edge Health area or the Aerospace area:

CUTTING-EDGE HEALTH AREA à related to promoting and protecting human health through the development and incorporation of products, innovative procedures and digital solutions that add value in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment or rehabilitation of patients in a personalized way. Projects must align with one of the following points:

• Cross-cutting lines:
  • Maintain Spain’s leadership position in clinical research and retain investments from pharmaceutical companies.
  • Invest in the development, digitalization and modernization of industrial capacity and facilitate the shift of production chains toward high-value-added diagnostic, therapeutic and rehabilitative innovation, expanding our industrial autonomy.
• Strategic objectives:
  • Promoting personalized precision medicine.
  • Development of advanced therapies and other innovative drugs.
  • Improvement of prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and health-oriented research based on the collection, processing, analysis and exploitation of data.
  • Digital transformation of healthcare under secure cybersecurity conditions.

AEROSPACE AREA à related to the design, development, manufacturing, operation and maintenance of manned and unmanned aircraft, space vehicles and propulsion systems, as well as the corresponding infrastructure needed for their operation (such as airports, air navigation systems, launch sites, or satellite tracking stations) and for carrying out experimentation and testing tasks during their development phases.

• Priorities in aeronautics:
  • Research and development aimed at increasing aircraft efficiency and significantly reducing air transport emissions, including airport infrastructure and air navigation systems that facilitate more efficient air traffic.
  • New developments in unmanned aircraft and the necessary software and hardware infrastructure for their safe operation in shared airspace.
  • On-board systems and equipment.
• Priorities in space:
  • Design of payloads related to environmental monitoring, quantum communications and security in international cooperation.
  • Strengthen Spanish technological capabilities for the commercial use of space (including New Space).
• Cross-cutting priorities:
  • Sustainability, digitalization and innovation in the aerospace industry, including innovative maintenance systems such as predictive analytics and real-time monitoring.

ELIGIBLE COSTS

• Acquisition of new fixed assets that represent a significant technological leap for the company carrying out the project.
• Costs for
• Materials and consumables.
• External collaborations and subcontracting (general limit of 80%, with possible authorization from CDTI up to 100%). Subcontracting activities to related entities requires prior authorization from CDTI.
• Overhead costs (this will be an automatic calculation at the time of approval, up to a maximum of 25% of personnel costs or 20% of direct costs).
• Costs of auditing (maximum limit of €2,000).
• Costs of validating compliance with the DNSH principle (limit of €2,000).

AID:

• Partially repayable loan, of up to 85% of the eligible budget.
  • Loan: Fixed interest rate of 1-year Euribor +0.75%, with repayment over 10 years. A 1-year grace period is included from the expected project completion date.
  • TNR: Non-repayable tranche: 15% of the financial coverage of the partially repayable aid (maximum coverage: 75% of the total approved budget).
• Aid subject to the DE MINIMIS Regulation (€300,000 over the last 3 years).
• Aid incompatible with other aid for the same project.

GUARANTEES AND ADVANCES

• Guarantees: CDTI may require the provision of guarantees for the repayment of the aid when the company’s economic and financial analysis so requires. Where applicable, CDTI may apply a reduction or exemption of the requested guarantees, with a maximum exemption limit calculated at the company or business group level, in accordance with the new exemption measures published in March 2025.
• Possibility of an advance payment of up to 90% of the aid granted, without additional financial guarantees (unless deemed necessary following the company’s economic and financial analysis).

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

The window is permanently open. Until December 31, 2025.

If your company has a project that fits this call and you are interested in applying for funding, at IMPULSO we offer a comprehensive support service throughout the entire life of the application, from drafting the proposal to final justification and payment collection. Thanks to our experience, you will be able to take advantage of this great funding opportunity.

April 22, 2025