SEKUENS HAS JUST LAUNCHED THE NEW CALL FOR SMEs IN ASTURIAS FOR INVESTMENT GRANTS FOR ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION
New grant call for SME investments in the Principality of Asturias, managed by SEKUENS.
On March 25, the Asturian Agency for Science, Business Competitiveness and Innovation (SEKUENS) published a NEW call offering INVESTMENT GRANTS FOR SMEs FOR THE ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION OF TERRITORIES WITHIN THE PRINCIPALITY OF ASTURIAS.
This call will have a budget allocation of €4M, which could be increased to €5M for Asturias alone, representing a major opportunity to finance SME investment projects aligned with the industry’s green transition, with job creation and retention, and that help to retain population in areas at risk of depopulation.
Below is a summary of the main features of these grants:
BENEFICIARIES
- Self-employed individuals and SMEs.
- Excluded, among others, are communities of property, civil partnerships, associations, and foundations.
Although the territorial scope of these grants is the entire Principality of Asturias, carrying out the project in Just Transition Municipalities (MTJ) and/or Municipalities affected by the Demographic Challenge (MRD) will be taken into consideration.
The included sectors of activity are:
- Industrial sector.
- Industrial services to businesses:
- Engineering, design, technological consultancy, and technical assistance directly related to industrial activities.
- Development of the information society, innovation, and new technologies. Includes e-commerce.
- Logistics platforms.
- Product testing laboratories.
- Packaging services and special packaging.
- Material recovery (separation and sorting). Recycling.
- Exceptionally, in municipalities affected by the demographic challenge (MRD), in addition to the above activities, projects that help attract and retain residents in areas at greatest risk of depopulation may also be supported.
- Projects related to the traditional agricultural and livestock sector, such as projects and initiatives for the use, applications, and development of raw materials and critical materials, including bioproducts.
TYPES OF PROJECT
- Investment in tangible and intangible assets related to the creation of a new establishment or the expansion of the capacity of an existing establishment; the diversification of an establishment’s output into products or services not previously produced or provided there; or a fundamental change in the overall production process.
- Acquisition of assets belonging to an establishment that has closed or would have closed if it had not been acquired (replacement investment does not constitute an initial investment).
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
- Eligible budget between €30,000 and €2,000,000.
- Incentive effect: Investments must not have started before the application is submitted.
- Finance at least 25% of the eligible investment with your own resources or through external financing without any form of public aid.
- Maintain the subsidised assets for a period of 5 years from the end of the implementation period.
- Maintain permanent jobs (self-employed or employees) for the 3 years following completion of the investment project.
- Declare that the actions planned in the project have a zero or insignificant impact on climate and environmental objectives in accordance with the DNSH principle (“Do No Significant Harm”; do not cause significant harm to the environment).
- For construction investments exceeding €40,000 and for supplies and services exceeding €15,000, it is mandatory to submit at least three quotes from three different suppliers.
ELIGIBLE COSTS
The following are considered eligible expenses:
- Tangible assets.
- Land (maximum 10% of the total investment) and site development.
- Acquisition of first-use buildings, as well as construction and refurbishment.
- Technical installations.
- Machinery and equipment (max. 8% of the civil works budget + equipment and installations).
- Intangible assets. Patents, licences, technical know-how, or other intellectual property rights.
- Project engineering and site supervision.
Investments that amount to a mere replacement are not considered eligible expenses.
Leasing and renting are not accepted.
TYPE AND INTENSITY OF AID
This is a non-repayable grant. The amount will be the result of applying a % to the eligible investment amount:
| Company type | Maximum aid |
| Small company | 35% |
| Medium-sized company | 25% |
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Call open from 26/03/2025 to 09/05/2025 at 14:00.
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 the final justification and payment collection. Thanks to our experience, you can make the most of this great funding opportunity.
Please do not hesitate to contact us.
Phone: 985 26 90 04 / Email: impulso@impulso.es
27/03/2025
