The Center for Industrial Technological Development (CDTI) announced at one of its current conferences that the call for grants for technology-based startups will open soon.
La Neotec help It is usually published during the months of March-April, as did the call for last year 2020, but this year a lot of progress is expected because with the European Recovery Funds (EU Next Generation) they want to advance annual aid, in order to have time to offer new lines of funding for companies.
Who is Neotec 2021 aimed at?
To startups that are more than 6 months old and less than 3 years old, that are technology-based and that are based in Spain.The main objective of Neotec 2021 is to support the creation and consolidation of technology-based companies that have their own lines of R+D+i.
What requirements must beneficiary companies meet?
Companies applying for Neotec must be small companies that are considered innovative companies.In addition, they must comply with the following requirements:
- They should not be quoted.
- They must be constituted no more than three years prior to the closing date of the deadline for submitting requests for aid to this call, starting from the date of issuance of the company's deeds of incorporation and this being the case, at least six months before the closing date of the deadline for submitting requests for aid.
- They should not have distributed benefits.
- They must not have arisen from a corporate transaction such as those contemplated in Law 3/2009, of April 3, on structural modifications of commercial companies.
- They must have a minimum share capital, or share capital plus an issue premium of 20,000 euros, fully disbursed, and fully registered in the corresponding register before submitting the application.
- They must have the annual accounts corresponding to the last two financial years, if any, deposited in the corresponding Mercantile Registry or official register.
What kind of help is it?
Neotec is an aid in the form of a grant and competitive competition. It is published once a year and once it is published, there is a period of one month to request it. The first time Neotec grants were approved was in 2002. Initially, Neotec operated with refundable grants of up to 1 million euros, but the type of aid changed in 2014 to become non-refundable grants of up to 250,000 euros.
What is the maximum amount of the Neotec grant?
The maximum contribution is 70% of the total project budget. The remaining 30% must be provided by the partners of the requesting company in the form of monetary contributions before signing the contract with CDTI. The maximum amount of aid you can apply for is €250,000.
What characteristics should the project to be presented have?
Neotec offers funding for future projects, they cannot have started before making the request. Projects must last 1 or 2 years.New business projects are financed, which require the use of technologies or knowledge developed from research activity and on which the business strategy is based on the development of technology. Technology and innovation will be competitive factors that contribute to the company's differentiation and that serve as the basis for the long-term strategy and business plan, with the maintenance of their own R&D lines. There are no restrictions as to the sector or the technology to be developed. However, business models that are mainly based on services to third parties, without the development of their own technology, are not suitable for this call.
How is the disbursement of aid?
The aid is disbursed in two tranches. The first tranche is made by bank transfer 15 days after signing the contract for 40, 50 or 60% (depending on the result of the evaluation carried out by CDTI) of the total amount of the approved aid. The second tranche, for the remaining amount, is carried out once the final amount of the project's expenses and investments has been justified to the CDTI (therefore, the second disbursement is not received until the project is completed).
What conditions does it have?
Certification from an external auditor who certifies that the company's R&D expenses exceed 15% of its total operating expenses for at least one of the three years prior to the granting of the aid or, if it is a new company, according to the audit of the current fiscal year.
Under what criteria does the CDTI evaluate to grant this aid?
CDTI assesses the commercial operation plan of the project, placing special emphasis on the business model, the revenue generation forecast, the potential market, barriers to entry, competition and the advantages offered by the product/process or service of the applicant company. It also scores the technology and degree of innovation of the project. They focus on the technology proposed by the company, the technological need and its differential value, innovation and the technological challenge. Another important factor is how the company plans to manage the intellectual and industrial property of its developments. Thirdly, the capacity of the entrepreneurial team who is in charge of the business project is also very important. CDTI values the competence, training and previous professional experience of the entrepreneurial team, as well as the degree of commitment and dedication of the technical and project management team and their relationship with other entities or environments that support entrepreneurship. Finally, the socio-economic and environmental impact who has the submitted project and the company as a whole. The expected job creation according to the business plan, the private investments it has been able to mobilize and the measures being carried out by the company to ensure gender equality, social inclusion and sustainability will be positively evaluated.
We help you prepare your application for Neotec 2021
Do you think you are eligible for the call for Neotec 2021? Intelectium can help you prepare your Neotec application. We are a hyper-specialized consultancy firm for innovative startups and SMEs, with more than 15 years of experience. We operate under a completely success-oriented model, in which we don't charge initial set up fees to start working, but we are at risk and only get paid if we get funding for the company. You can contact us through our web forms.
