• They will allow the launch of innovative supra-regional projects in the agri-food and forestry sectors and in rural areas with grants of up to €600,000 per project.
• The budget allocated for this aid amounts to 12.16 million euros, entirely from the European Union's Recovery Instrument, the Next Generation EU Funds.
• It will finance initiatives from the agri-food and forestry sector itself in the areas of food security, diversification of production and products, and the supply of raw materials for food and non-food uses, which contribute to promoting the economic and social development of rural areas and to a resilient, sustainable, and digital economic recovery following the COVID-19 crisis and in line with the European Union's agri-environmental and climate objectives.
• An information session on these grants will be held on March 29, 2022, via the National Rural Network's YouTube channel.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, through the Spanish Agricultural Guarantee Fund (OA) (FEGA), has published today in the Official State Gazette the resolution calling for advance aid for the execution of innovation projects of general interest by operational groups of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-Agri), within the framework of the National Rural Development Programme 2014-2022 (EAFRD), with funds from the European Recovery Instrument (EU Next Generation).

The European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability seeks to accelerate innovation in the agricultural sector tailored to its needs, in order to achieve competitive agriculture that produces more with fewer resources and a lower environmental impact.

APPLICATIONS

These grants may be applied for by groups of at least two independent members, with a supra-regional character, i.e., with members from more than one autonomous community or at a national level, and with different profiles, such as farmers, ranchers, foresters, agri-food or forest products industries, interprofessional organizations, entities in the knowledge and research sector, such as technology centers and universities, as well as environmental NGOs and local action groups.

As a new feature of this call, the group's representative must be a private, non-profit entity, and universities and other entities in the regional public sector may participate in the operational groups as subcontracted members, but not as direct beneficiaries of the grant.

In short, a very broad range of entities that join together to jointly address a specific problem or opportunity from a multi-stakeholder, bottom-up approach, based on an innovative idea. The beneficiary groups will be known as the "Supra-regional Operational Group."

The maximum aid limit per beneficiary group has been set at €600,000, and projects may be implemented until March 1, 2025. The intensity of the aid varies depending on the product targeted by the innovation and the type of eligible expenditure.

This innovation funding line aims to create added value through a closer relationship between research and agricultural and forestry practices, encouraging greater use of available knowledge and faster practical application of innovative solutions.

Applications for assistance must be submitted within 20 business days of the publication of the announcement in the Official State Gazette, i.e., by April 26.

NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

Support for innovation through supra-regional operational groups is part of the 2014-2022 National Rural Development Program under the philosophy of the European Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-Agri), with the aim of contributing to a resilient, sustainable, and digital economic recovery for the agricultural sector and rural areas following the COVID-19 crisis.

The total budget for these grants amounts to 12,156,368.45 euros, which are fully financed with funds from the European Union Recovery Instrument, NEXT GENERATION EU Funds.

This is an early-stage call for applications, and while maintaining the traditional bottom-up approach, it also seeks to concentrate financial resources in three areas that are particularly relevant to achieving the objectives of the Next Generation funds:

• Short distribution chains and local markets: €1,701,891.58.
• Resource efficiency, particularly precision and smart agriculture, innovation, digitalization, and the modernization of machinery and production equipment: €6,807,566.32.
• Renewable energy, the circular economy, and the bioeconomy: €3,646,910.55.

INFORMATION DAY

To inform prospective applicants for these grants about general aspects of the call and the recent changes to the regulatory bases, an online workshop will be held on Tuesday, March 29. It will be accessible from the National Rural Network channel: https://youtu.be/WdQTyeanex0