Aid for SMEs Industrial Digitization

Yes. When the size of the files to be sent to the Community of Madrid exceeds their capacity limit, as many files as necessary may be sent.

However, the documentation provided must refer to the registration of the aid application if the file number has not yet been generated. If you have a file number to which you want to make a contribution, you must refer to the latter.

The files generated under this line will begin with the following coding: 05-DEM1-00XXX.X/23

The period to submit applications is open from January 1 of each year, until the budget funds available to be able to meet more requests are exhausted, and in any case, until September 15 of each year.

The files will be processed in order of entry of complete fileThis means that if the aid application together with all the required documentation is not complete or there is an error or omission that requires its correction, the administration will request said documentation so that, until all the required documentation is provided, it will not be understood that the file is fully presented.

The credit will run out on the day it is complete the last file for which funds are still available.

Given that the processing of the files involves the action of several bodies, the approval of the last concession will necessarily take place after the date of completion.

The publication on the website of the exhaustion of the credit will be made once the last concession for which there was credit has been recorded and notified.

Yes. The minimum investment corresponding to the expenses that are considered eligible must reach, excluding all types of taxes, the amount of 60.000 €, projects that exclusively contain consultancy expenses are not eligible.

Small and medium-sized companies constituted as commercial companies, with their own legal personality, that have a work center in the Community of Madrid and whose economic activity is included in the first section of annex I of the Royal Legislative Decree may be eligible for aid. 1175/1990, of September 28, which approves the rates and instruction of the Tax on Economic Activities (hereinafter IAE) in the divisions indicated below:

• Division 2. Extraction and transformation of non-energy minerals and derived products. Chemical industry.

• Division 3. Metal processing industries. Precision mechanics.

• Division 4. Other manufacturing industries.

Only one application per company will be accepted.

Request. Press the ACCESS button to access the aid process where you can find the online form.

Documentation. The documents that you must provide and the data that the Community of Madrid can consult are indicated.

 • Documents provided with the application:

1. Notarial deed of the power of attorney of the representative of the company or certificate from the commercial register stating the power of attorney of the person who appears as signatory in the aid application. In the case of joint power of attorney, a document will be submitted proving that the attorneys consent to the filing of the application.
2. Three offers from different suppliers: provided that the amount of the good or service provision is equal to or greater than 15.000 euros, taxes excluded.
3. Explanatory report in the event of not being able to provide the three offers described above, the supporting documentation of such circumstance must be attached, (such as the requests made to the different suppliers and the responses to them), in which the impossibility is revealed. to serve the good, or provide the required service.
4. Explanatory report when the selected offer of the three provided does not fall into the most advantageous economic proposal according to criteria of efficiency and economy.
5. Explanatory report of the Project to be financed: a detailed description of the project that is the object of the aid must be provided. In its writing, the following questions must be detailed at least:

• Current status of the company in terms of work methodology and status of digitization of its processes, together with a description of the project, location, planned implementation dates, alternative offers or budgets considered together with the justification for the proposed choice for the subsidy. and a brief description of the expected positive effects (employment, training, ecological or digital transition, etc.)

• Details of the expected costs of the investment and other related costs, along with a cost/benefit analysis. The total eligible costs will include a quantified and detailed breakdown of each of the investments, both eligible and non-eligible expenses.

• Brief explanation of the need for the aid and its effect on the decision to invest or on the location decision. An explanation of the investment must be included, and the alternative location considered, in case the requested aid was not granted.

• Changes that you intend to face in your company with the new technology developed in the project.

• Description of the effects that the digitization project will have on the company's current production process.

• The project to be implemented must unequivocally correspond to the eligible actions reflected in the aid application.

• Once the project has been described, and following the aforementioned criteria, the report must be completed with an exhaustive and detailed list of the investments that are intended to be undertaken in order to implement said project, justifying the need for the equipment to be financed based on the objectives. of the project and the productive process of the company.

It is essential that all the investments contained in the projects seek the digitization of work and the connectivity of production processes. That the investments are equipped with sensors or have connection capacity will not be considered a sufficient condition to be considered eligible, such connectivity and digitization must be detailed in the report and be verifiable in the implementation of the project.

• Considerations that have been taken into account or, where appropriate, advice that has been required, when choosing the investments selected in the aid application. External reports prepared on the project by entities independent of the applicant may be attached to the report, where their nature and adequacy to the purpose of the subsidy are revealed.

• Likewise, compliance with the incentive effect of the project must be justified. The incentive effect of the aid is understood to be that included in article 6 of Regulation (EU) 651/2014 of the Commission, of June 17, 2014, not being considered eligible investments and projects started prior to the application for aid. This consideration should be kept in mind when proposing projects on an annual basis that involve, or may involve, the continuation of the same project that has already started.

6. For the purposes of determining the SME status of the company:

• Supporting documentation of the complete declaration of the Corporation Tax of the last financial year closed on the date of submission of the application. These data will be used to determine the financial amounts of the company, in order to guarantee the status of small or medium-sized company, according to what is indicated in the aid application.

In the case of newly created companies: the forecast balance sheet and income statement for the first year of operation will be provided, as well as supporting documentation of the number of workers in the company.

• Supporting documentation for the purposes of verifying the number of employees of the applicant, which may be: the report of registered workers (ITA), working life of the company, or equivalent document issued by Social Security, for the last fiscal year closed to date. submission of application(corresponding to the same year of the Corporation Tax contributed).

7. In the case of SMEs associated or linked in the capital or in the voting rights by another or others, the following documentation of the company / s that participate in the applicant must be attached:

• Up-to-date certificates from the commercial registry that must state: date of incorporation, corporate purpose, CNAE, capital and registered office, Board of Directors or Board of Directors, and attorneys-in-fact and partners who have more than 10% shares.

• Documentation accrediting the last paid Corporation Tax.

• Certification issued by the Social Security Administration, accrediting the number of employees dependent on the company for the last closed financial year. 

Associated or related companies are understood, for the purposes of calculating cash and financial amounts to determine the size of the beneficiary company, any company (participating company) that owns, alone or jointly with one or more related companies, 25% or more of the capital or voting rights of another company (investee company). For these purposes, not only the relationship or existing association as a shareholder in the capital must be considered, but also the participation by corporate body.

  •     The Community of Madrid will consult, by electronic means, the data of the following documents, unless the applicant opposes the consultation and justifies said opposition:

• DNI of the applicant who holds the power of representation of the entity.

• Fiscal Identification Card of the entity.

• Certificates accrediting that they are up to date in the fulfillment of their obligations towards Social Security.

The opposition to said consultation must be sufficiently motivated and will require its contribution to the file updated to the date of presentation of the application, otherwise, the administration will request the correction of the referred documentation, affecting said requirement to the order of initiation of said file.

• The Community of Madrid will consult, by electronic means, the data of the following documents, unless the applicant does not authorize the consultation:

• Registration of the Economic Activities Tax (IAE)

• Certificate of being up to date with the State Tax Administration Agency (AEAT)

The non-authorization of said consultations will require their contribution to the file, updated to the date of presentation of the application, otherwise, the administration will request the correction of the referred documentation, affecting said requirement to the order of initiation of said file.

•      The Community of Madrid will consult, ex officio:

• Certificate of being up to date with the payment with the Community of Madrid.

Remember that you are responsible for the veracity of the documents you present.

No We have a regulated model for the drafting of the report, since each project must be designed according to the particularities of each company and the ultimate objective that is intended to be achieved with each project, adapting it to the needs of each business model.

However, in order to establish the minimum content that said report must include, the Regulatory Agreement establishes in article 10, point 4, the minimum information that said report must contain, being able to provide, if available, all the documentation and external reports prepared that can endorse the project that is the object of a subsidy.

In the same way, a guide for completing the form is available on the website in the section of the Procedure "Documentation of interest", which includes the data to be taken into account when writing the project report in more detail.

It is necessary to take into account that the memory must be written in a personalized way for each company, and taking into account its peculiarities, delve into the description of the changes that it will achieve with the digitalization of its processes, it is necessary to avoid using generic templates for business sectors, which do not provide any relevant information for the evaluation of the project, avoiding talking about possibilities and describing realities that will materialize with the implementation of the project.

Therefore, it is essential that all the investments contained in the projects seek the digitization of the work and the connectivity of all the production processes involved in it.

that investments are equipped with sensors or have the connection capacity will not be considered a sufficient condition to be eligibleSaid connectivity and digitization must be detailed in the report specifying how the connection of the selected investments will be made with the rest of the production process, what will be the flow of information obtained after their integration, and how the data will be handled. obtained in said production process.

This information must be verifiable after the implementation of the project.

Keep in mind, that the report is the fundamental basis for determining whether the project can be considered eligible and, therefore, it must be ensured that its purpose is digitization and not process automation, that is, there must be a flow of information between the assets acquired from each other and those already available to the company, so that this integration, allows obtaining concrete data and explaining the exact way of how and for what said data is going to be used.  

In short, this line of aid is intended for the implementation of a global digitization project and not the mere acquisition of assets, therefore, the acquisition of machines that have integrated features and options that make their connection possible, will not be eligible if it is not explained in the report how said properties and systems are going to be used within their business model.

Investments and consulting services should be about the following actions:

a. Implementation of business solutions using technologies linked to communication, analysis and data processing.

b. Collaborative platforms.

c. Digitization of manufacturing processes using technologies such as augmented reality, collaborative robotics, additive manufacturing, sensors; embedded systems and process control.

d. Implementation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in the value chain of the industrial company.

and. Design and development of web pages, social networks and cybersecurity as a vehicle to enhance business development.

Yes. However, in the event of accumulation of aid for the same project, la maximum amount of all as a whole should be less than 75% of the costs eligible, in order to comply with the obligation that the beneficiary provide a minimum financial contribution of 25% of the eligible costs through own resources or external financing exempt from any type of public aid.

The applicant must declare all the Community aid that has been requested or obtained for the same investment, both at the beginning of the file and at any time during the procedure in which it occurs.

a. Acquisition of tangible fixed assets directly linked to production and the objectives of the project, as well as equipment that, not being directly linked to production, are undoubtedly necessary for the proposed project.

b. Acquisition of intangible assets such as software, as well as patents, licenses, technical knowledge or other property rights that contribute to the execution of the project.

c. Consulting expenses provided by external companies for the effective implementation of the digitization project that is requested, in accordance with article 18 of Regulation (EU) 651/2014 of the Commission, of June 17, 2014.

  They will not be eligible:

a. Investments acquired by financial lease, "renting", "leasing" or any other formula that does not imply the firm acquisition by the beneficiary of the asset element in question.

b. The elements and the cost of transport, the acquisition or preparation of land, as well as the expenses in works, conditioning and installations of buildings.

c. Projects that exclusively contain consultancy expenses.

d. Consulting activities, permanent or periodic, related to the normal operating expenses of the company, such as, for example, routine tax advisory services, legal services or advertising services, expressly excluding any form of consulting associated with the management and processing of the aid requested.

YES. As a beneficiary of the aid, you are obliged to comply with everything required in article 13 of the Agreement governing the aid, in particular in relation to the durability of operations, may not, within the period of three years following the payment of the subsidy incur in the following circumstance:

1. The cessation or transfer of productive activity outside the NUTS 2 level region in which you received aid.
2. Change in ownership of an item of infrastructure that provides a business or public body with an improper advantage.
3. Substantial change that affects the nature, objectives or conditions of execution of the subsidized project, in such a way that its original objectives are undermined.

You are bound to give publicity of the aid received, expressly mentioning the co-financing received from FEDER.

You must bring a separate accounting so that there is an accounting identification and express reference to financing with FEDER funds, both in the coding and name of the accounting accounts and specific subaccounts, as well as in the information regarding the subsidy recorded in the annual accounts report.

Must keep all supporting documents related to the aid received from the Funds, during a period of five years as of December 31 of the year in which you received the aid payment.

La acceptance of the FEDER co-financing, implies its accordance provided that the data related to the aid received (name, address, execution period, project cost, percentage of co-financing, geolocation, among others) are collected in a list of operations, which will be made public through the web page of the General Directorate of Community Funds of the Ministry of Finance and Public Function.

In all the information and communication measures that it carries out, must acknowledge the support of the Funds to the operation showing the emblem of the Union and express reference to the European Union, as well as a reference to the ERDF.

You must inform the public of the support obtained from FEDER by making a brief description in your website, in the event that it has one, of the operation, in proportion to the level of support provided, with its objectives and results, and highlighting the financial support of the Union.

You must place a poster with information about the project (in DINA3 size) or an equivalent electronic screen with information about the operation where the help of the Funds is highlighted, both in the facilities of the beneficiary company and in the investments. In both cases, the financial aid received from the Union will be mentioned, and it must be placed in a place that is clearly visible to the public, such as, for example, the entrance to the building.

Any document related to the execution of the project that is intended for the public or for the participants of events, including certificates of attendance or of another type, will contain a statement informing about the support of the ERDF.

Once the granting of the aid has been notified, and prior to its payment, the beneficiary must comply with all the requirements contained in the granting order, as well as in the communications made by the granting administration.

The beneficiaries must corroborate, prior to justifying the aid granted, that the bank account number indicated in the application is registered in the Third Party Database of the Community of Madrid.

If the current account is not registered, in order to receive the payment of the aid, the company must follow the actions detailed in the document called "Consultation procedure - bank account modification" which is available in the section "Documentation of interest", which can be accessed from the following link:

https://sede.comunidad.madrid/ayudas-becas-subvenciones/ayudas-digitalizacion-pymes-industriales

The incentive effect that these aids have, prevent projects from starting before the application submission date, for these purposes, there must be no invoices, payments or acceptance of budgets formalized prior to the date of submission of the application, that is, specifically, the following cannot be made:

• Payments as an advance on account to ensure that the supplier serves the order on time.
• Formalized acceptance of budgets (signed by the supplier and the company), since this will mean the start of the project and therefore, non-compliance with the incentive effect.
• Invoices, delivery notes, orders or payments issued prior to the request date, whatever their purpose.

The existence of any of the facts described above will make it impossible to receive the aid requested. If any of these facts are verified during the justification of the expense, it will entail the loss of the right to payment of the aid granted. If said non-compliance is identified in the verifications subsequent to the payment of the aid, it will motivate the refund of aid received plus interest of delay.

Therefore, If you submit the application and make any payment or order formalization at a later date, the incentive effect is not being breachedHowever, you must take into account that the order of processing your file is not governed by the date of submission of the application, but by the date on which you submit all the documentation required to consider your file complete.

To find out if your workplace is located within the selected regions in the municipalities of Corredor del Henares and Sur Metropolitano, you must bear in mind that these regions are located within certain industrial areas of the selected municipalities, whose selection has been carried out in accordance with the EU Guidelines for the period 2021-2027. Therefore, the numbering that appears next to the municipalities selected to receive greater intensity of aid, refers to the numbering of the road code, within the district in which they are located.

To facilitate your search, in the section "Documentation of interest", within the following link: https://sede.comunidad.madrid/ayudas-becas-subvenciones/ayudas-digitalizacion-pymes-industriales, you will find an Excel with the different municipalities where you can check if your workplace is located in any of the streets that make up the selected regions. In said list, only the municipalities where there are differentiated regions have been included; in those municipalities where no indicated regions appear, the aid intensity will be the same for all their territory.

Likewise, we inform you that the construction of the form discriminates between the selected regions when calculating the intensity of aid applied, therefore, when formalizing the form, you must access the link that appears on the form itself, to verify that the location of the work center, where the implementation of the project will be carried out, is or is not located on the roads included in the lists.

However, it will be during the investigation of the file, when the managing body will carry out all the appropriate checks, to ensure that the intensity of aid applied has been correctly accredited.

Yes, the acquisition of second-hand goods will be eligible for subsidies as long as there is no relationship between the supplier and the beneficiary company, and the supplier of the asset is able to prove:

to. The origin of the goods and that they have not been the subject of any national or community subsidy.

b. That the price of the purchased good is not higher than the reference market value or the cost of similar new goods, these extremes being accredited by certification from an independent appraiser.

The Definition of SME is included in Annex I of the Commission Regulation (EU) No 651/2014. 

The text defines the types of company and establishes the method for calculating financial limits and the number of employees. To belong to a category, the limit on the number of employees must be met and not exceed the turnover or balance sheet figure.

Data that must be taken into account to calculate the cash, financial amounts and the reference period are:

• The data selected for the calculation of personnel and financial amounts will be those corresponding to the last closed accounting year and will be calculated on an annual basis. They will be taken into account from the date on which the accounts are closed. The total turnover will be calculated without value added tax (VAT) or indirect taxes.

• When a company, on the date of closing the accounts, confirms that have exceeded in one sense or another, and on an annual basis, the cash or financial limits, This circumstance will only make it acquire or lose the status of a medium or small business, or a microbusiness, if this excess occurs. in two consecutive years.

• In newly created companies that have not yet closed their accounts, data based on reliable estimates made during the financial year will be used.

To correctly calculate the cash and financial amounts of a company, when determining its SME size, data must be taken into account not only from companies in which there is direct or indirect participation in the capital, but also, the data of those companies in which there is a relationship by corporate body.

Depending on the situation, a company may need to take into account only its own data (company autonomous); a part of the data, in the case of a company associated; or, all the data of any company considered linked to her.

1) A company is considered to be autonomous if:

• It is totally independent, that is, it does not have participations in other companies; and
• No company has a stake in it.

 O well:

• if you own less than 25% of the capital or voting rights (whichever is greater) in one or more companies; I
• any external party owns a stake of no more than 25% of the capital or voting rights (whichever is greater) in the company.

O well:

• if it is not linked to another company through one or more natural persons (social body) that can exercise direct or indirect control of the majority of the voting rights of one company through another or the ability to exercise dominant influence over a company.

If a company is autonomous, it should only use the number of employees and the financial data included in its annual accounts to verify whether it meets the thresholds mentioned above.

2) A company is considered to be associated if:

• owns an interest equal to or greater than 25% of the capital or voting rights of another company, or if another company owns an interest equal to or greater than 25% in it; and
• The company is not linked to another company. This means, among other things, that the company's voting rights in the other company (and vice versa) do not exceed 50%.

The company in question, you must add to your own data a proportion of the assets and financial data of its associate(s) when determining whether it meets the criteria required to have SME status. This proportion will reflect the percentage of shares or voting rights (whichever is greater) that it holds.

3) Two or more companies are considered linked when they present any of the following relationships:

• one company owns the majority of the voting rights of the shareholders or partners of another;
• a company has the right to appoint or remove the majority of the members of the administrative, management or control body of another;
• one company exercises a dominant influence over another by virtue of a contract between them or a statutory clause of the second company;
• one company may exercise, by virtue of an agreement, exclusive control over the majority of the voting rights of the shareholders or partners of another.

In the event that a relationship of this type takes place through of the property of a or more natural persons (acting jointly), The companies involved are considered related if they operate in the same market or in adjacent markets.

In these cases, you must add all the data of the related company to those of the company in question, in order to determine whether it meets the thresholds established by the definition in terms of the number of employees and financial data.

This information has been extracted from the User Guide on the definition of the concept of SME and what is established in current regulatory regulations.

In the following link you can have the complete guide, in which you will find practical cases that will help you understand how to calculate cash and financial amounts to determine the SME size of your company:

https://ipyme.org/es-es/queespyme/Documents/Guia-usuario-Definicion-PYME.pdf