​Following its publication today, in the Official State Gazette

Mitma gives the go-ahead to the 'Puertos 4.0' Fund and the timeframe begins to run for submitting projects

• This port system initiative, as part of Mitma's Innovation Plan for Transportation and Infrastructures, is endowed with 12 million euros for 2020.
• It is the most important breakthrough project for adapting Spain's logistics-port sector to a 4.0 economy.
• The aim is to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship for innovation to Spain's logistics-port sector, articulated through a public subsidy plan.

Madrid, 27 July 2020 (Mitma).

 The Ministry of Transportation, Mobility and Urban Agenda (Mitma) has given the go-ahead to the 'Puertos 4.0' Fund which, following its publication today in the Official State Gazette (BOE), has started up the timeframe in which to submit Ideas and Projects.

'Puertos 4.0' is an initiative of the 28 Port Authorities and of Puertos del Estado, as part of Mitma's Innovation Plan for Transportation and Infrastructures, and constitutes the most important breakthrough project for adapting Spain's logistics-port sector to a 4.0 economy.

In the current 2020 financial year, further to principles of publicity, transparency, objectivity, equality and non-discrimination, subsidies are being offered for a total of 12 million euros. This is the first time that Spain's port system has undertaken such an ambitious and innovating project with respect to methods and procedures already implemented in the logistics chain.

Given the ports' position as traction links in the Tradetech chain to transform the logistics chain into a 4.0 economy, the 'Puertos 4.0' Fund arose as an open corporate innovation model for Spain's general interest port system, in order to promote and facilitate an adaptation of Spain's logistics-port sector to a 4.0 economy.

The Tradetech concept covers any product, service or innovating process derived from the application of new technologies, allowing logistics-port community agents and, basically, any agents involved in trade and the logistics chain, to be more efficient, sustainable and competitive. The competitiveness of Spanish ports depends to a large extent on the competitiveness of the entire value chain associated with trade.

The objective of the Plan to Support Entrepreneurship for Innovation in the Port Sector 'Puertos 4.0' is to attract, support and facilitate the application of talent and entrepreneurship for innovation to Spain's public and private logistics-port sector, articulated through a public subsidy plan.

The idea is to encourage the creation or consolidation of a network of emerging enterprises, start-ups, spin-offs or new lines of business in existing companies, to develop and implement innovating products, services and processes for Spain's logistics-port sector, targeted at the market.

The 'Puertos 4.0' Fund has been created and financed through the Interport Compensation Fund, through an extra 1% contributed by the 28 Port Authorities.

• SUBSIDIES AND FILING TIMEFRAMES

The following subsidy amounts have been established:

• For Ideas, the aid will consist of a fixed and invariable amount of 15,000 euros and entitlement to access the incubator or advisory services in order to facilitate the idea's business development, established in the territorial offices of the incubator-accelerator associated to the Plan to Promote Entrepreneurship for Innovation in the port sector 'Puertos 4.0', located in A Coruña, Algeciras, Alicante, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cartagena, Las Palmas, Madrid, Málaga, Palma, Santander, Seville, Valencia and Vigo.
• For Projects at a pre-marketing stage, the aid will consist of a maximum of 60% of the costs associated in the project budget to the innovation component, capped at 1 million euros, and entitlement to access incubator-accelerator or advisory services to accelerate business development and guarantee the project's success. No projects will be considered that involve the allocation of aid that is less than 50,000 euros.
• For Projects at a marketing stage, the aid will consist of a maximum of 80% of the costs associated in the project budget to the innovation component, capped at 2 million euros, and entitlement to accelerator or advisory services in order to speed up marketing deployment and growth, and to ensure the project's business success. No projects will be considered that involve the allocation of aid that is less than 100,000 euros.

Projects may be submitted in the following timeframes:

• Subsidy applications for Ideas: a two-month term, as of the day following publication in the Official State Gazette.
• Subsidy applications for Projects: a three-month term, as of the day following publication in the Official State Gazette.

Details of the call are available on the BOE website, by following this link: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2020/07/27/pdfs/BOE-A-2020-8608.pdf.