Spain launches grant program to attract R&D investments from foreign companies

The scheme seeks to encourage development of new research and development activities by companies with foreign capital which are or plan to be established in Spain.

Purpose

1. The objective of this call is the award of aid in 2017 for highly innovative actions that promote investment by foreign companies.

2. Support will be provided for investment in plants, equipment, human resources and technology, insofar as they are used in the project and with the aim of improving the competitiveness and productivity of the Spanish economy.

Type of projects

All the projects and activities defined may be conducted according to one of the following categories:
a) Individual project or activity: performed by a single entity, whose type may be any of those cited as beneficiaries.

b) Project or activity in cooperation: those in which more than one foreign-owned company participates and whose relations are formalized in a contract, covenant or agreement establishing the rights and obligations of the different participating subjects.

Eligible Costs

a) Staff costs:
b) Instrument and equipment costs insofar as and for the period they are used for the project.
c) Costs for buildings and land, insofar as they are used for the project and for its duration.
d) Costs relating to contractual research and acquisition of intellectual property or patents,
e) Additional overheads incurred directly as a result of the project.
f) Other operating costs,
g) Costs of constituting and/or setting up the company that will implement the co-financed R&D project

Funding

The maximum intensity of support may be a maximum of 80% of the amount considered eligible for industrial research projects, and 60% for experimental development projects. The maximum level of aid per beneficiary for this call is 200,000 euros  (under De minimis aid regulation).

Location

The activities for which the aid is awarded must be carried out before December 31 2017 in one or more of the following Autonomous Communities:

• Extremadura,
• Andalusia,
• Canary Islands,
• Castilla la Mancha,
• Murcia,
• Galicia
• Valencian Community.

Beneficiaries

Notwithstanding the exceptions established in Article 1 of EC Regulation 1407/2013, the beneficiaries of the aid may include the following entities:

a) Any foreign-owned company, whatever their legal form, engaged in economic activity and that is validly constituted at the time of the award.

b) Groups of companies with the participation of at least one foreign-owned company, which will be entitled to receive aid in proportion to the percentage share of the foreign equity.

Deadline

18th  april 2017

All information are available here.