La Junta activará antes del verano las ayudas por 59 millones para hacer de Andalucía un referente en innovación.
The Minister of University, Research, and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, along with the Secretary General of Research and Innovation, Antonio Posadas, presented in Almería the initiative ‘InnovAndalucía’, which was activated last February with the approval and publication in BOJA of its regulatory framework, bringing together six incentive programs endowed with 59 million euros to promote business and technological innovation in strategic sectors for Andalusia. The calls for proposals for these subsidy lines will be published simultaneously before the summer, opening the application period in July 2025 for three of them and, after the summer period, for the remaining three, a schedule that, according to the Minister, «demonstrates that this proposal has a clear direction and a strong commitment to Andalusia.»
These grants, funded by the Andalusia FEDER Program 2021-2027, will provide resources to promote innovation and technological development in companies, innovation clusters, and technology centers in Andalusia, as well as to implement innovative technological solutions in the aeronautical sector in favor of sustainable aviation. Thus, the incentives will be aimed at companies, innovation clusters, technology centers, and other knowledge-generating entities, including universities, which can apply individually or collaboratively.
These subsidies range from 50% to 80% of the eligible budget for companies, depending, among other factors, on the size of the entities. They can also reach up to 100% in the case of knowledge-generating entities that do not engage in economic activity. The programs, which will be launched in a competitive bidding process, have been designed to promote collaboration between companies and the different entities in the Andalusian knowledge system, including universities, technology centers, and innovation clusters.
Additionally, aside from that allocation, the Ministry of University will allocate another 15 million directed towards research support technicians in non-university structures.
«We want Andalusia to establish itself as a benchmark in innovation, creating opportunities, attracting talent, and contributing to economic and environmental sustainability,» emphasized Gómez Villamandos, highlighting that «the community faces a fundamental challenge, which is to improve its position in the European innovation landscape», for which «we have enormous potential.» Therefore, the regional government’s objective is to make «Andalusia a conducive environment for ideas to grow, develop, and become engines of employment and growth in our own land,» because innovation «is the pillar upon which we must build a more competitive, sustainable, and inclusive economy.»
In this regard, he emphasized that this order aligns with key strategies such as the Smart Specialization Strategy for the Sustainability of Andalusia (S4 Andalusia), the R&D&I Strategy of Andalusia (EIDIA), and the Aerospace Strategy of Andalusia, while also highlighting that for the first time, the community has a policy and roadmap for innovation clusters registered in the Andalusian Knowledge System, designs incentives exclusively aimed at the aeronautical sector to boost sustainable aviation in line with the European initiative Clean Aviation, and supports the consolidation of technology centers by incentivizing actions identified in their strategic plans.
Six subsidy lines
Two of these six programs, totaling ten million euros, will aim to finance the actions of innovation clusters, funding both growth and consolidation initiatives (two million) and industrial research projects or experimental development (eight million), ultimately promoting the competitiveness of SMEs and the regional economy. These specific incentives for these strategic business groupings are part of the Andalusian cluster policy being implemented by the regional government to provide them with an appropriate framework for action that promotes their ability to generate innovation. This deployment also includes the consideration of innovation clusters as entities in the Andalusian knowledge system.
The ‘InnovAndalucía’ initiative also includes an allocation of 22.68 million to boost the activity of technology centers by supporting industrial research projects or experimental development (16.18 million) and the acquisition of equipment to improve their infrastructure (6.5 million). Technology centers are entities that seek to contribute to improving the competitiveness of companies, especially SMEs, by participating in the generation and development of technology, its dissemination and transfer, and the implementation of innovative actions. Additionally, these entities maintain close ties with universities, the main generators of knowledge.
Likewise, the Ministry of University has allocated 26.4 million to announce two lines of incentives aimed at companies. Of that amount, 11.4 million will finance the implementation of industrial research projects or experimental development aimed at offering innovative technological solutions to administrations, companies, and the general public through technology transfer and cooperation between these entities and Andalusian knowledge agents. Companies can participate in this call individually or in cooperation. In any case, the participation of a knowledge-generating entity and the presence of SMEs will be required.
15 million in support of sustainable aviation
On the other hand, the second line in this chapter of business incentives includes 15 million to support industrial research and experimental development projects that promote the implementation of more sustainable aviation with fewer emissions and noise, in line with the principles advocated by the European program ‘Clean Aviation’. This grant line is aimed at companies, which can apply individually or in cooperation with other firms and Andalusian knowledge agents.
Therefore, Gómez Villamandos emphasized the direct impact that this order will have on the Andalusian economy, «contributing to increasing business competitiveness, promoting quality employment, attracting talent and investment, contributing to sustainability, and gaining technological sovereignty.» «We want this initiative to be a lever that drives our companies, universities, technology centers, and clusters towards a more innovative, competitive, and sustainable economic model,» he emphasized.
