New economic aid for R+D+I to biotechnology SMEs

The Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation has published this last 21st January a plan to facilitate SME’s access to R+D+I. The plan has some changes which benefit the biotechnological sector.

The first action of this plan is an extraordinary call of the CENIT program (CENIT-E) with an additional help of 50 million euros which will serve to fund risky technological projects and of strategic significance carried out by entrepreneurial public and private consortiums. These 50 million euros are added to the initial Ministry budget of 188 million euros. In order to facilitate the access to the subsidies:

• the project minimum size is reduced to 15 million euros

• the outsourcing to companies and public organisations minimum limit is reduced to 20%

• the participants do not need to present a bank guarantee

A new program has also been announced, Interempreses, endowed with 46,5 million euros for R+D+I projects of companies groups, specially for SMEs in the health and energy sectors, in order to improve its competitiveness. The program introduces improvements as:

• the inferior limit of the total budget is reduced to 0.5 million euros

• the number of participants in the project is reduced, so that the consortium can be constituted at least by two companies (at least one has to be a SME)

The third aid, in the Program Neotec II, is referred to the nanotechnology field, among others. It is endowed with 10 million euros to help the consolidation of technological companies, from two to six years of life, which have appeared in emergent sectors and that are in danger in these moments:

• the amount for companies under two years of life increases the limit of the funding for project to 600,000 euros

• a new modality is established, allowing the back up of companies consolidating their projects to funding until 70% of the budget (with a limit accumulated of a million euros)

During 2009, most of CDTI subsidies (CENIT-E, Plan Interempresas and Neotec II) will not be announced by public calls, but will be open all year round to make them compatible with the entrepreneurial dynamism. On the other hand, all projects receiving CDTI funding will receive a report to facilitate fiscal deductions for R+D+I.

More information: ASEBIO • Tel. +34 91 210 93 74 • www.asebio.com