Cervera Transfer R+D Projects

Strengthen the innovation capacities of SMEs and mid-cap companies by contracting R&D activities from knowledge-producing centres or carrying out R&D projects in collaboration with these entities in one of the Cervera priority technologies.

Cervera priority technologies:

• Advanced materials
• Circular economy
• Energy transition
• Smart manufacturing
• Health technologies
• Safe and healthy food chain
• Deep learning and artificial intelligence
• Advanced mobile networks
• Smart transport
• Information protection
• Quantum computing

SMEs and mid-cap companies (MIDCAPS).

Companies included in the scope of Law 3/2004 of 29 December establishing measures to tackle late payment in commercial transactions, which fail to comply with the payment deadlines laid down in said Law, may not be beneficiaries.

The call is open all year round.

All year round.

Partially repayable grants.

Fixed interest rate: One-year Euribor, fixed at the date on which the aid is approved.

Aid of up to 90% of the total approved budget (provided that the maximum aid intensity ceilings allowed under State aid regulations are not exceeded).

• If the R&D project is exclusively financed by CDTI funds, the interest rate will apply to the full aid amount.
• If the R&D project is co-financed with Community funds, the interest rate shall apply only to the repayable amount of the aid.

Repayment period: 10 or 15 years.

Loan repayments will be made twice a year.

The first repayment will be made three years after the project's centre of gravity, and a minimum of two years from its completion date.

Ordinary interest on the loan shall accrue twice a year from the moment any amount of aid, including advances, is provided.

Non-repayable amount of 33% of the financial coverage of the aid.

The CDTI may require guarantees for the repayment of the aid when the economic-financial analysis of the company so indicates.

Where appropriate, the CDTI may apply a reduction or exemption to the guarantees requested.

Advance payment of 35% of the aid up to a limit of €250,000, with no requirement for additional guarantees.

The company must finance at least 10% of the project budget from its own resources.

Minimum eligible budget: €175,000.

Relevant contribution of knowledge-producing centres, which may not be less than 10% of the total budget approved by the CDTI Board of Directors.

Duration: 12–36 months. Projects may have one or more technical milestones, the duration of which must be between 9 and 18 months.

Yes (FEDER funds or other European funds).

Projects that meet the conditions of FEDER 21-27 will be financed with these funds, unless there are insufficient funds available in the development region, in which case they will be financed with CDTI funds and under the conditions applicable to CDTI financing.

Projects co-financed with FEDER funds for the 2021-2027 period must comply with the specific application rules, detailed in the instrument file.

Among others, they must present a positive report of compliance with the principle of not causing significant damage to the environment (DNSH), issued by an entity accredited by ENAC, within a maximum period of three months from the approval of the aid.

Yes. The beneficiary company may request the reasoned report once the loan contract with the CDTI has been formalised.

Support will be provided for applied research and business development projects focused on the creation or significant improvement of a production process, product or service.

Projects must demonstrate a differentiating technological aspect to existing technologies on the market.

These projects may comprise both industrial research and experimental development activities.

The essential characteristic of this type of project is that they must be developed within a limited number of technological areas (Cervera priority technologies) and contract certain project activities to Technology Centres.

The eligible costs include staff; instruments and equipment; contractual research, acquired knowledge and patents; consultancy and equivalent services (excluding those associated with the project application); additional overhead expenses; and other costs arising from the project. The following are also eligible:

• Expenditure derived from the auditor's report (up to €2000 per beneficiary, per milestone).
• Project management and coordination costs (up to €6000 per beneficiary, per milestone).
• The cost of obtaining the DNSH compliance assessment report (up to €2000 per project).

Generally speaking, external partnerships may not exceed 65% of the eligible budget, although this may rise up to 80% for the biopharmacology sector due to the high costs of testing this type of product.

Only expenditure which corresponds to the nature of the activity to be financed and which is strictly necessary may be considered eligible.

The general criteria for the technical evaluation of R&D projects are as follows:

• Commercial operational plan for the project.
• Project technology and innovation.
• Capacity of the company in relation to the project.
• Socio-economic impact, gender perspective and sustainability.

The financial evaluation shall cover the following aspects:

• Analysis of the status of a company in difficulty.
• Economic, financial and risk analysis.
• Economic and financial analysis of the project.
• Economic and financial suitability of the company for the activities involved in the project.

The aid will be considered to have an incentive effect if the beneficiary has submitted a written application for aid to the CDTI before starting work on the project.

• For projects financed with CDTI funds, the aid cannot be combined with any other public aid earmarked for the same project, except in the cases described in the instrument description sheet.
•  For projects co-financed by Community funds managed by the CDTI, the aid cannot be combined with any other public aid provided that its source of financing does not come from the EU budget.
• The aid cannot be combined with any private aid whose source of financing comes from EU budget funds.

The CDTI must be informed of all grants for the same project.

• EU Regulation No. 651/2014, of the Commission, of June 17, 2014, by which certain categories of aid are declared compatible with the internal market in application of articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty (General Regulation of exemption by categories. DOUE L 187, of 06.27.2014).
• Communication from the Commission of 2008 regarding the review of the method for setting the reference and discount rates.
• Applicable civil and commercial regulations.
• Specific regulations applicable, in the case of financing with European funds.