SOURCE: https://www.industriaconectada40.gob.es
Companies with their own legal personality, legally incorporated in Spain and duly registered in the relevant register, regardless of their size, which carry out an industrial activity and are not part of the public sector, are eligible for the aid provided. The applicant shall be deemed to carry out an industrial activity if the activities for which they are applying for financial aid fall within Section C, Divisions 10 to 32 of the National Classification of Economic Activities (CNAE 2009) and complementary activities, as set out in Annex I of the Order on the Rules. Furthermore, the applicant must have carried out these activities for at least a period of three years up to the closing date for applications.
In addition, a number of thematic priorities have been established, such as:
- Platforms for interconnecting the company’s value chain (software).
- Solutions for advanced data processing (software).
- Artificial intelligence solutions (software).
- Industrial simulation projects (digital twin, software).
- Additive design and manufacturing (3D simulator, R&D&I, new processes or new materials and inks, etc.).
- Augmented reality, virtual reality and computer vision projects.
- Collaborative and cognitive robotics (at least one physical robot).
- Sensors.
As regards the instruments and characteristics of the aid, the support takes the form of a combination of loans and grants, with two distinct strands of action:
- ACTIVA – SMEs: for SMEs only, as defined by the EU. The grant will run for 5 years (with a 2-year grace period).
- ACTIVA – Large-scale projects: for all companies, with the grant running for 10 years (with a 3-year grace period).
The total funding to be awarded, comprising the nominal loan plus the grant, will amount to a maximum of 80 per cent of the eligible budget. Eligible expenditure must be incurred within 24 months of the award decision, and for ACTIVA – SME this would consist of:
- Apparatus, equipment and infrastructure.
- External collaborations.
- Depreciation costs for instruments and equipment, and hire of equipment for preliminary validation.
However, for ACTIVA – large-scale implementations, the eligible costs are as follows:
- Staff costs.
- Costs of equipment and inventory items.
- Costs of contract research, technical expertise and patents.
