CALL FOR APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION PROJECT GRANTS FROM THE MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND UNIVERSITIES
The call will be open from January 9 to 30
At IMPULSO, we are pleased to inform you that the MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, INNOVATION AND UNIVERSITIES has opened the call for PUBLIC-PRIVATE COLLABORATION PROJECT GRANTS, aimed at financing experimental development projects carried out through effective cooperation between companies and research organizations, with the goal of boosting the transfer of scientific and technical knowledge to the productive sector, promoting the development of new technologies, processes, products, and services, and contributing to technological transformation, industrial competitiveness, and business innovation.
This call has a total budget allocation of €300 million.
Below, we summarize the main features of these grants:
BENEFICIARIES
- Groupings of companies and research organizations.
- At least one company, which must act as the representative and coordinating entity of the project.
- One or more research organizations, public or private, (universities, public research bodies, technology centers, health research centers, private non-profit R&D&I centers).
- All participating entities must have tax residency or a permanent establishment in Spain.
- EIGs (Economic Interest Groupings) cannot be beneficiaries.
TYPES OF PROJECT
- Projects involving experimental development carried out in cooperation.
- Areas include, among others: Health; Culture, creativity and inclusive society; Civil, biomedical, and defense security; Digitalization, artificial intelligence, and telecommunications; Industry, space and defense; and Energy, mobility and sustainable transport.
PROJECT REQUIREMENTS
- Duration: 3 years, starting after January 30, 2026 and within 2026.
- Incentive effect.
- Competitive selection process.
- Minimum budget: €350,000 (minimum 10% per participant, minimum 51% for the business sector, maximum 70% per company).
ELIGIBLE EXPENSES
The following items may be financed:
- Personnel costs (max €50/hour):
- Public research organizations → new hires
- Companies or business associations→ existing staff and new hires. Permanent hiring of PhD holders with financing in the form of a grant (minimum gross annual salary of €29,000).
- Equipment and apparatus costs:
- Public research organizations. New equipment only, provided it is used exclusively for the project and its useful life is exhausted during project execution.
- Companies or business associations. Depreciation of new and used equipment, rental, or leasing fees.
- Costs of consumable materials, supplies, and similar products.
- Consulting: only for the lead entity, maximum €20,000/project.
- Audit: maximum €2,500 per beneficiary entity.
- Subcontracting: maximum of 50% of each entity’s budget
- Other direct costs: travel, patents, technical assistance.
- Indirect costs (20% for companies or 25% for other entities, calculated on the project’s direct costs).
TYPE AND INTENSITY OF SUPPORT
- Public research organizations: grant, up to 100%.
- Private research organizations: grant of up to 100%.
- Public-sector companies: grant of up to 40%.
- Private-sector companies: loan of up to 95%, with the possibility of part of it as a grant.
- Interest rate: 1-year Euribor, 10-year repayment term with a 3-year grace period.
- Grant for personnel costs when hiring a PhD holder for project development.
GUARANTEES AND ADVANCE PAYMENTS
- Guarantees: beneficiary entities will be exempt from providing guarantees, except when the loan amount exceeds €2 million per project. In this case, guarantees will be established for the amount of the grant awarded.
- Payment forecast: Aid, in any of its forms, will always be paid in advance once the favorable award decision has been issued. Payment of the aid will be made under the terms specified in the award decision.
APPLICATION PERIOD
Application period: Starts on January 9, 2026 and ends on January 30, 2026 at 2:00 PM.
This type of financing does not add to the company’s banking risk, as it does not appear in the CIRBE figures.
01/16/2026
