05.10.2016

In August, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Development published a call for applications for grants aimed at creating and operating Operational Groups (OGs) of the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (AEI-agri). These initiatives are part of the Andalusian Rural Development Program (RDP) for the period 2014-2020.

The grant is co-funded 90% by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), while the Regional Ministry will contribute the remaining 10%. The deadline for applying for grants for the creation of a GO is late October, and late November for grants for existing GO projects.

Through this new measure, endowed with more than €7.4 million in 2016 and more than €19 million for the entire framework, the Andalusian Regional Government aims to boost innovation in the Andalusian agri-food sector. To this end, collaboration will be encouraged between farmers, ranchers, or industries facing specific problems and those researchers and companies that provide solutions. This line of aid will finance, on the one hand, the creation of these operational groups, and, on the other, their operation.

For the creation of Operational Groups, a budget of €481,957 is allocated to finance the preliminary phase of innovative projects, such as partner searches, coordination meetings, drafting, etc. This phase includes a grant of up to €5,000 per application.

If a project has already begun and a GO has been created, a grant may be requested for its operation and development. The grant must be related to an activity within the agri-food sector. In this case, the grant ranges from €25,000 to €300,000 per project and, among other things, covers the acquisition of machinery, rental of equipment and facilities, and personnel costs, among others.

For applications for incentives for the operation of these GOs, there are two lines: one specifically for the olive grove sector and another for the rest. In the case of olive groves, the planned aid amount is €2.1 million; and €4.8 million for other activities.

Representatives of the agri-food sector, such as agricultural and forestry producers, companies or industries in the sector, agricultural cooperatives, irrigation communities, food artisans, as well as their groups, associations, and federations, may participate in these innovation GOs. Regarding the research and technology sector, representatives of universities, research centers, technology and innovation centers, campuses of excellence, as well as companies related to the field may also participate. Governments, Rural Development Groups, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders that may play a relevant role in the development of the GOs may also participate.

Likewise, the figure of an innovation agent is considered, a natural or legal person responsible for finding and connecting suitable actors to carry out the project without necessarily having to be part of the group, acting as a mediator in the innovation process.

For more information, see the call at this link