Industry will invest 308 million in aid for R&D&i in the technology sector

On the one hand, it will allocate 93 million euros for large ICT projects with great technological value that have a significant driving effect on other companies in the sector. On the other hand, 215 million will focus on experimental development technological projects close to the market.

The Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, through the Secretary of State for Telecommunications and the Information Society, makes the second call for innovative technological projects for an amount of 215 million euros and the call for large ICT projects for an amount of 93 million euros.

The publication of this call is carried out in compliance with the integrated annual aid plan of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism for the year 2014, approved by Order IET/593/2014.

These initiatives are carried out within the framework of Order IET/786/2013, of May 7, which establishes the regulatory bases for the granting of aid in the field of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) and the Information Society, within the Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation Plan 2013-2016 within the framework of the Digital Economy and Society Strategic Action.

Likewise, these initiatives are one of the axes of action of the Digital Agenda for Spain, which aims, among other objectives, to strengthen the Spanish ICT sector as a source of wealth and employment generation.

Large ICT projects

The aid is aimed at encouraging the launch of industrial research projects with a minimum budget of 5 million euros with the potential to produce a high social and economic impact, and exert a significant driving effect on other companies in the sector.

Based on the public consultation carried out in the sector, and whose report can be consulted on the website of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, it is expected that this call will promote the creation of more than 240 direct jobs and turnover of more than 800 million euros.

The maximum amount of aid for this call is 15 million euros in subsidies, and 78 million euros in loans.

Given the objective of this call, the requirements for projects are that they have a minimum budget of 5 million euros and subcontracting of at least 15% of the budget presented.

Aid under the loan modality will be granted at an interest rate of 0.513%, with a repayment period of five years, including two grace years, and aid in the form of a subsidy will be 25% if the grade obtained is greater than or equal to 7 points and 15% if a grade between 5 and 7 points is achieved.

Companies interested in participating in this call have until July 21 to submit their applications.

Innovative technological projects

The aid is aimed at encouraging the launch of projects with high innovative potential that are close to the market and that allow increasing the competitiveness of the Spanish ICT industry.

This call complements 1/2014, intended for experimental development projects, which was called in December 2013 with a budget of 140 million euros. On this occasion, those thematic areas that had been excluded from call 1/2014 are incorporated, making room for any of those present in Order IET/786/2013, and the project evaluation procedure will be carried out in a single phase.

The maximum amount of aid for this call is 16 million euros in subsidies, and 199 million euros in loans.

In order to facilitate access to financing, and following the line set by call 1/2014, the minimum budget for the projects has been set at 200,000 euros and the payment of aid, in its two modalities of grant and loan, will always be made on a partial advance basis, regardless of the annual or multi-year nature of the project's execution. Said payment is conditional on the presentation of guarantees for 25 percent of the amount of the aid granted.

Aid under the loan modality will be granted at an interest rate of 0.513 percent, with a repayment period of five years, including two grace years, and aid in the form of a subsidy will be 10% for projects that achieve a grade greater than or equal to 7 points in the evaluation, and 5% for the rest of the projects.

Thematic areas

The call includes all the thematic areas included in Order IET/786/2013:

• Industries of the future (Internet of the future, cloud computing, massive data processing, applications for the mobile ecosystem and smart cities).
• Cybersecurity and digital trust.
• ICT applications and solutions aimed at improving the competitiveness of SMEs.
• Evolution of electronic administration.
• Health and social well-being applications.
• Environmental management applications.
• Applications and solutions related to digital content.