Catalan companies secure over €636 million in Next Generation funds for industrial projects

Catalan companies have received €636.2 million from the European Commission's Next Generation funds for industrial sustainability and digitalization projects, according to ACCIÓ -Catalonia Trade & Investment, the agency for business competitiveness attached to the Ministry for Business and Labour. This figure, recorded over three years of funding calls, represents 20% of the total grants allocated to industrial projects across Spain.

Specifically, 549 industrial projects from Catalan companies have benefited from these competitive calls launched by various government ministries. Notably, 66% of these projects were spearheaded by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

From a territorial perspective, the main beneficiaries of these funds are the Barcelonès region, which accounts for 21% of the total secured funding, followed by Vallès Occidental (16%), Baix Llobregat (13%), Vallès Oriental (9%), and Bages (7%).

Overall, Catalan companies have obtained close to €1.54 billion from the Next Generation funds since 2021. Sector-wise, sustainable mobility projects dominate, representing 30% of the funds secured, followed by research and development (29%) and telecommunications (16%).

Support for accessing Next Generation funds

Since the opening of ACCIÓ 's Next Generation EU Office in November 2021, over 2,300 companies have received advisory services through the agency. Notably, nearly one in four Catalan companies (22%) that accessed these funds used the office's services. Furthermore, nine out of ten businesses that engaged with the office went on to apply for more funding opportunities than initially planned.

Currently, 7,000 subscribers receive personalized alerts about Next Generation funding calls best suited to their business projects. Additionally, more than 14,300 participants have attended sessions organized by ACCIÓ to learn how to access Next Generation EU funds.