As of today, the financing fund in good conditions for young and innovative companies in Girona and its urban area is already active and can receive applications. The innovation projects that will be able to access the resources are in the fields of health sciences, digital industry, the agri-food sector, energy transition, the economics of ageing, trade and tourism and the educational, cultural and sports sectors.
The ICF and Girona City Council have already launched the pilot funding programme aimed at innovation for young companies in Girona and its area of influence. The funding line, which is called ICF Girona Fons d’Innovació, is active from today on the ICF website and can receive applications. This programme is endowed with 5 million euros, 76% of which come from ICF resources and 24% from the Girona City Council budget.
The CEO of the ICF, Vanessa Servera, stated that "innovation and sustainable economic growth are among the vectors on which the ICF, as a public promotional bank, focuses to offer financing options. With this new €5M fund for young companies, we want to grow these projects and the Girona ecosystem to boost its economy."
For her part, the Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Economic Promotion and Legal Services of the City Council, Gemma Geis i Carreras, explained that "Girona companies can count, as of today, on the public support of the Institut Català de Finances and Girona City Council to grow their innovative projects with conditions that are more beneficial. The new ICF Girona Fons d’Innovació aims to be an instrument that boosts the city's economy and encourages companies in all sectors to transform and innovate."
The opening of this new source of funding for Girona entrepreneurs 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 the agri-food sector; trade and tourism; the educational, cultural and sports sector and construction; energy transition, mobility and the water cycle and the ageing economy.
To be eligible for these loans, the company must have its registered or operational headquarters in Girona or its urban area, or, in the case of having it in the region, that generate jobs for people registered in Girona and selected by the Municipal Employment Service.
The loans of this line will have better economic conditions than those they would obtain in the private financial market. The amount of the loans will range from 100,000 to 300,000 euros. As for the term, applicants will be able to apply for the loan for a maximum of 6 years with the possibility of a grace period of 1 year included, and the interest rate will be the 12-month Euribor plus a differential of 1.5%.