The two entities will sign an agreement for a pilot program that will provide financing under good conditions to young and innovative companies in Girona and its urban area. The innovation projects that will be able to have access to the resources are in the fields of health sciences, digital industry, the agri-food sector, the energy transition, the economics of ageing, trade and tourism and the educational, cultural and sports sectors.
The Catalan Institute of Finance (ICF) and Girona City Council will sign an agreement to launch a pilot financing programme aimed at the innovation of young companies in Girona and its area of influence. The line of financing for young and innovative companies will be endowed with 5 million euros, 76% of which come from resources of the ICF and 24% come from the budget of the Girona City Council.
The opening of this new source of financing for Girona businessmen and women will mean making resources available to them for new investments in innovation in the following areas: new technologies and digital industry; health sciences, biotechnology and agri-food sector; trade and tourism; education, cultural and sports sector and construction; energy transition, mobility and water cycle and the economy of ageing.
To be eligible for these loans, the company must have its registered office or operational headquarters in Girona or its urban area, or, in the case of having it in the region, that generates jobs for people registered in Girona and selected by the Municipal Employment Service.
The loans under this line will have better economic conditions than those obtained in the market by the recipient companies and will be operational soon.
This action is part of the Strategic Plan for the Economic Promotion of Girona 2022-2026, and for the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Economic Promotion of Girona City Council, Gemma Geis Carreras, "it is a decisive step towards the promotion of the city's productive fabric, within a strategy to diversify the local economy, in which we want research, innovation and technology transfer to have a fundamental weight, and doing so with the help of a reputable partner such as the ICF brings great solidity to the project."
For his part, Juli Fernández, Secretary General of the Department of Economy and President of the ICF Governing Board, states that "this funding aimed at innovative companies in Girona and its area of influence is an example of collaboration between administrations to grow the business fabric, and shows the ICF's commitment to promoting innovation in areas such as health, the green transition or the digital industry, among others".
This pilot test can serve as a model for new lines of business financing for large cities with a consolidated network of companies.