The Catalan Waste Agency has published the basis for the 2019 call for grants for projects promoting the circular economy to companies

Companies can receive up to €40,000 per project in lost funding

Beneficiaries can be companies, private companies, groups of companies and business or trade union organizations.

theWaste Agency of Catalonia has already published the bases for the 2019 call for grants to business projects promoting thecircular economy. The official call will open in the coming weeks.

Applicant companies may receive up to €40,000 per project in a lump sum grant, which will cover a maximum of 75% of expenses in the case of SMEs or 50% in the case of a large company.

The bases include aspects such as the type of subsidized projects, which are classified into three categories:

• Class A: Projects ofimplementation in the market of new products or services
• Class B: Studies for obtaining and testing prototypes or demonstration projects of new products or services
• Class C: Sector studies with communication actions for business associations or trade unions.

Class A or B projects must belong to one of the following categories:

1. Ecodesign of products or services that promotes greater efficiency of material resources
2. New business models that promote resource efficiency (servitization, collaborative economy, etc.)
3. Reuse and repair of products.
4. Return services of used products promoted by the distributor or manufacturer of these products, with the purpose of reusing them, remanufacturing them or recycling them (take-back schemes).
5. Remanufacturing
6. Industrial symbiosis that promotes the efficiency of material resources other than water.
7. New applications of recycled materials.
8. New processes or technologies that allow the recovery of waste that is not currently being recovered, or that increase the performance and/or quality of existing third-party waste recovery operations.
9. Landfill mining for material recovery.

This year's novelty, the Class C projects, will consist of the preparation of studies on the potential of the circular economy either at the sectoral or territorial level, as well as the resulting communication actions (campaigns , days, etc.).

Eligible activities must begin after the grant application. The subsidized expenses will be the following:

1. The labor cost of the own staff dedicated to the coordination and execution of the project.
2. The costs of consumables and materials, except the raw materials used for the mass production of products.
3. the analytical and the essays directly related to the environmental quality of the product or service or its suitability for use.
4. The rent of equipment and premises.
5. The purchase of equipment (only amortization cost in class A projects).

All those companies interested in applying for aid can contact the economic promotion center in your city

• Gavà Impulsa – Business Services Center (Gavà)
• Can Calderón Economic Promotion Center (Viladecans)
• Sant Boi Service Center
• Economic Promotion Center El Prat de Llobregat