Industry allocates 477 million euros to innovative technological projects

In 2013, the aid program for the telecommunications and information society sector will have 55 million euros for subsidies and 422 million euros for loans at an interest rate of 0.528%.

The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism will allocate 477 million euros to innovative technological projects in order to promote R&D&I and increase competitiveness through the incorporation of new technologies into our economy. Of the total aid, 422 million will be allocated to loans and 55 million euros to subsidies.

The Government has improved the financing conditions of this call to encourage investment in R&D&i. In order to facilitate access to financing, the payment of aid, in its two forms of grant and loan, will be made partially in advance in two payments. The first, which will be for 75% of the total aid, will be carried out in 2013 and the second, in 2014. To facilitate obtaining the aid, the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism has also set the guarantees that the successful bidders must present at 25% of the total amount of aid, compared to 35% last year.

As contemplated in the General Budget Law for 2013, in order to stimulate investment in R&D&I, loans for these projects will be granted at an interest rate of 0.528% (1-year Euribor) with a repayment period of 5 years, including 2 grace years, compared to the 3.95% interest rate of last year's call.

Aid in the form of a subsidy will reach 20% or 12% of the project for SMEs and 15% or 9% for the rest, depending on the valuation established for each project.

This year's call has been aligned with the objectives included in the Digital Agenda for Spain. In this context, projects that want to qualify for aid must be included in one of these thematic priorities: industries of the future (Internet of the future, cloud computing; massive data processing, applications for the mobile ecosystem, applications for smart cities); cybersecurity and digital trust; ICT applications and solutions aimed at improving the competitiveness of SMEs; evolution of electronic administration; environmental management applications; and applications and solutions related to digital content.

The deadline to submit projects will end on June 6.

New project evaluation model

To improve the management of aid for R&D projects in the field of ICT during the period 2013-2016, on May 9, the Official State Gazette (BOE) published a Ministerial Order that establishes the new bases for the call for this aid. This order defines the project evaluation procedure.

As a novelty, the possibility of evaluating all applications submitted to the call in two phases is established, with an agile, transparent and effective procedure carried out by an Evaluation Commission. An oral presentation session will also be allowed for the directors of the projects that participate in the grants.

In the different phases, the technological innovation of the projects, the financial and technical solvency of the applicants, the socioeconomic impact of the projects and the international projection of the companies due to the R&D&I activity in ICT developed will be assessed.

The Digital Agenda for Spain

The call for this aid is an impact measure launched under the Digital Agenda for Spain, approved on February 15.

The Digital Agenda for Spain is the Government's roadmap for ICT and electronic administration. The Agenda establishes Spain's strategy to achieve the objectives of the Digital Agenda for Europe; maximizing the impact of public policies on ICT to improve productivity and competitiveness; and transforming and modernizing the Spanish economy and society through effective and intensive use of ICT by citizens, companies and Administrations.

Likewise, the call for aid is included within the State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation 2013-2016, specifically in the Strategic Action for Digital Economy and Society that includes the measures of the Digital Agenda for Spain aimed at promoting the Spanish System of Research, Development and Innovation in the field of ICT.