Overview
The Feder-Innterconecta Program is an initiative co-founded by the Technological Fund (supported by the European Regional Development Fund ERDF) and the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment.
The programme is managed by CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial - Center for Industrial Technological Development). Through this instrument, CDTI aims to foster cooperation at the regional level, carry out projects in line with the needs of the regions and generate innovative capabilities fostering greater territorial cohesion.
The Spanish regions who have benefited by the Programme are Andalucia, Extremadura and Galicia.
FEDER INNTERCONECTA's aim is to promote collaborative R&D projects of strategic nature and large dimension in areas with economic and commercial international projection in the three concerned regions.
Eligible projects - carried out through business consortia - should committ to the development of innovative technologies in areas with economic and commercial worldwide projection and, at the same time, they should represent a technological and industrial relevant advance and progress for Andalusia, Extremadura and Galicia.
The Programme is organised as described in the following:
- Beneficiaries: The formalisation is required of an Economic Interest Grouping (EIG) or a consortium governed by a private cooperation agreement, formed of, at least, 3 companies that are independent from each other, of which one has to be large or medium-sized and another has to be a SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise), according to the definition of the European Commission. In case of no small company to be part of group, at least one shall participate under the modality of subcontracting by any of the companies in such grouping. Maximum number of companies per group is 10. Furthermore, the relevant participation of at least one research body under the modality of subcontracting by one or several member companies is necessary. The participation of the research bodies as a whole shall be significant, with a minimum share which is set in the relevant call for applications.
- Project duration: The duration of the Project is three calendar years.
- Project budget: It has been set in each call for applications. The budget shall be distributed equally over the years the project lasts.
- Eligible expenditure: Equipment costs (amortisation), staff expenses, external services and subcontracting costs, general additional expenses and other running costs
- Modality, funding amount and compatibility: The project funding modality has been awarded under the subsidies modality and has been jointly financed on account of the Technology Fund - ERDF funds.
Funding
The calls for proposals of the FEDER Innterconecta are co-financed by the European Development Research Fund (EDRF, FEDER in Spanish), subdivided through different Operational Programmes. The CDTI plays the role of Intermediate Organization of the Programme.
The co-financing threshold are fixed as follows, about projects dealing with experimental development:
- Small company: 60%
- Medium company: 50%
- Big company: 40%
Exceptionally, and when the purpose of research projects is targeted to industrial research, the threshold can be increased as followed:
- Small company: 80%
- Medium company: 75%
- Big company: 65%