Circular Economy PERTE: grants financed with “Next Generation” funds
The MITECO has published the call of the PERTE de Economía Circular (Circular Economy PERTE) corresponding to its axis 2 to promote the circular economy in the company, endowed with 192 million euros. The deadline for submitting proposals will remain open until 21 January 2023.
The grants, which will be financed by Next Generation funds, will be awarded as competitive grants for initiatives between €150,000 and €10 million.
On 8 March 2022, the Council of Ministers approved, at the proposal of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge (MITECO), the Strategic Project for Economic Recovery and Transformation (PERTE) of Circular Economy, an initiative that seeks to accelerate and promote the transition towards a more efficient and sustainable production system.
To this end, the PERTE Circular Economy is committed to three fundamental objectives which, in turn, are in line with those set out in the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy for the year 2030: the promotion of the eco-design of products to make them more durable and repairable, the improvement of waste management and the promotion of digitalisation.
To achieve these objectives, the PERTE for the Circular Economy has established a 492 million euro aid plan, to be implemented until 2026, which is divided into two lines of action: actions in key sectors, with a budget of 300 million euros, and transversal actions to promote the circular economy in companies, with a budget of 192 million euros.
This PERTE shares synergies with others already presented, such as the Agri-Food, Renewable Energies, Renewable Hydrogen and Storage (ERHA) and the one dedicated to the development of the Electric and Connected Vehicle (VEC).
The first call of the PERTE of Circular Economy is now open
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has already launched the first call for aid worth 192 million euros corresponding to the aforementioned line 2 of the PERTE Circular Economy to promote the implementation of circular economy projects in the business sector.
With this call, the MITECO seeks to promote the sustainability and circularity of industrial processes through the implementation of strategic R&D&I projects. The deadline for submitting applications has been open since 8 December and will be available until 21 January 2023.
The aid, which will be financed with “Next Generation” funds in accordance with the provisions of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, will be granted in the form of subsidies on a competitive basis and includes four categories of eligible actions:
- Reduction of the consumption of virgin raw materials, endowed with €48,065,000.
- Ecodesign and placing on the market of products made under ecodesign schemes, endowed with €70,730,000.
- Improvement of waste management, with a budget of €43,205,000.
- Digital transformation of processes through infrastructures and systems, with €30,000,000.
The amount granted for the total of each investment will range from a minimum of €150,000 to a maximum of €10 million per project and entity, except in the case of feasibility studies and digitalisation projects, which will have a maximum amount of €5 million.
The deadlines for the implementation of the projects submitted will vary according to the amount of aid allocated:
- Deadline of 31 December 2023 for projects with aid between €150,000 and €400,000.
- Deadline of 31 December 2024 at the latest for projects with support between €400,000 and €2,500,000.
- Deadline of 31 December 2025 at the latest for projects with support between €2,500,000 and €10,000,000.
More information about the rules of the call for proposals can be found in the publication published in the BOE on 7 December 2022.
Key Sectors of the Circular Economy PTEP
Among the evaluation criteria, those related to environmental care will have special relevance (valued with up to 12 points). In this sense, among the priority subsectors of this call, which will be evaluated with up to 7 points, the following stand out: food industry, beverage manufacturing, chemical industry, specialised construction activities and technical services of architectural and engineering technicians (technical testing and analysis).
Submit your proposal to the PERTE Circular Economy Programme
These grants, which are now a reality, have been highly demanded by the business sector which, after the opening of the deadline for the submission of expressions of interest in January 2021, mobilised to submit more than 1,200 project proposals.
This is undoubtedly the clearest manifestation of how the business and industry sector perceives the importance of the circular economy. Within this framework, we put our experience in innovation consultancy and R&D&I project management at the service of our clients to make the most of European funds, as in the case of the PERTE Circular Economy.
We provide support throughout the entire process, not only in the identification of funds and sources of financing, but also in the development and presentation of specific proposals or the identification of partners and agents for public-private collaborations.
The importance of the Circular Economy
The circular economy is a model of production and consumption that involves reusing, repairing, renewing and recycling materials and products to maximise their life cycle. Among other consequences, this practice implies a reduction of waste to a minimum and therefore a direct contribution to a sustainable, decarbonised and more efficient economy.
It is estimated that the application of the principles of circularity to the entire EU economy could increase EU GDP by an additional 0.5% by 2030 and create some 700,000 new jobs, of which at least 10% could be Spanish, according to sources from the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge.
Given the importance of this model, the European Union has included the promotion of the circular economy as one of the cornerstones of its economic and environmental policy. Moreover, following the guidelines of the European Commission, Spain adopted in June 2020 the Spanish Circular Economy Strategy – Spain Circular 2030, as a key element of the ecological transition.
