04.05.2018

On April 17, 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) launched a call for proposals worth €6.9 million to support the creation of operational innovation groups , groups of farmers, ranchers, foresters, research entities, or third sector, united by the desire to develop an innovative idea in the agri-food and forestry sector and in rural areas.

The initial application period , which ended on Sunday, May 6, has been extended to provide greater security for applicants, until Thursday, May 10, at 2:00 p.m. EST.

The objective of this grant is to support agri-food and forestry innovation from its earliest stages, assisting in the creation of supra-regional Operational Groups , so that they can join forces and begin drafting a proposal for an innovative project of general interest to a sector.

Otherwise, nothing changes. The application must be submitted by the group's representative to the MAPAMA website, following a specific procedure for creating operational groups. The application must be attached to Annex I (a PDF file with several fields that does not require an electronic signature) as well as Annex II (the binding document establishing the identity of the members participating together in this call, with the electronic or manual signature of each of them) and signed with an electronic certificate.

All the information needed to complete the application is available at this link.

And the mailbox enabled for inquiries is: idiagri@mapama.es

The ultimate goal of this line of grants is to reward innovative character , those entrepreneurs who actively think of innovative solutions based on their own knowledge of reality, seeking a competitive agri-food and forestry sector that contributes to food security, the diversification of production and products, and the supply of raw materials for food and non-food uses, taking advantage of scientific knowledge and applying it according to their needs.