4.10.2016

These grants for the creation of supra-regional Operational Groups (GO), coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Environment of La Rioja, are part of the National Rural Development Program 2014-2020 (PNDR) of the MAGRAMA, through the European Partnership for Innovation in Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-agri), the instrument that promotes agri-food innovation.
The objective of the GOs is to find innovative solutions to problems in the agri-food sector. To this end, farmers, ranchers, foresters, representatives of agri-food industries, R&D centers, technology platforms, non-profit institutions, etc., may participate in a GO.
In other words, a GO will be able to create links between cutting-edge knowledge and technologies and farmers, ranchers, forest managers, rural communities, businesses, NGOs, and advisory services to address problems with innovative, viable, productive, competitive, sustainable, and environmentally friendly solutions.
In the first phase, the GOs will be created. In the second, grants will be issued to implement the approved innovative projects.
These activities can be subsidized by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), both for the creation of the GO and the drafting of its innovative project, as well as for its subsequent implementation.
Funding amounts to 100% of eligible expenses, with a maximum of €30,000 for the total start-up costs, which will be received in one lump sum. The grant also includes funding for the innovation agent, who will be allocated a maximum of 50% of the total grant requested for the creation of the GO.
The GOs will be selected by the Evaluation Committee according to the criteria set out in Annex I of the rules.
The GOs may be supported by an innovation agent, who will be evaluated by the Evaluation Committee based on the criteria set out in Annex II.
The deadline for submitting applications for the creation of a GO is October 27, 2016.
Information about this call for proposals on eligible expenses, documentation, applications, written documents, communications, deadlines and forms