Empresa i Treball allocates 20 million euros to aid for reindustrialization

• This line will subsidize reindustrialization projects and new productive investments, outplacement of jobs affected by closure situations, relocation of production to Catalonia and acquisitions of companies in difficulty
• Applications can be submitted until next May 23

The Department of Business and Labor has opened the call for a line of subsidies, endowed with 20 million euros, aimed at supporting reindustrialization actions, outplacement, relocation, new investments and the acquisition of companies in difficulty.

According to the councilor of the department, Roger Torrent i Ramió, this initiative “aims to help the industry regain weight in Catalonia through the reindustrialization of the productive activities that are closing, the search for new investments and the promotion of new industrial projects”. Likewise, he remarked that the industrial sector is key to the transformations of the productive system that the Government is promoting, since “it has a dragging effect on the economy as a whole, it plays a decisive role in the climate emergency and generates employment of quality”.

Applications can be submitted until May 23 and they can opt for a maximum amount of up to 2.3 million euros per project if the aid can fit into the time frame of the Covid. These aids are by non-competitive competition.

The evaluation criteria are, among others, the volume of investments, the number of jobs, the impact on local suppliers, unemployment in the region, the territorial impact, the optimization of waste or the use of renewable energies.

The subsidized expenses are: the investment in productive fixed assets for the development of the project and the recruitment of associated jobs. The investment eligibility period runs from January 2022 to June 2024, in order to meet the uniqueness of this type of project.

The aid line is structured as follows:

• Subsidies for reindustrialization projects that contribute to restarting or continuing the activity of production centers where there has been a closure or relocation that affects at least 100 direct or indirect jobs. Among the requirements will be that there must be a reindustrialization agreement signed during the period of the employment regulation file and that there must be a reindustrialization table with the participation of the parties involved.
• Subsidies for outplacement projects that incorporate, in new or existing production centers, workers affected by situations of closure, reduction of activity or relocation. Agreement will be required during the consultation period of the employment regulation file between the company and the social representatives.
• Subsidies for industrial activity relocation projects in Catalonia that invest in new production centers and that lead to a net increase in jobs.• Subsidies for large investment projects that are attractive and that lead to a net increase in jobs.
• Subsidies for acquisition projects of industrial companies or production services in a situation of difficulty, which have communicated this situation to the Department of Business and Work.

Currently, industry in Catalonia represents nearly 20% of GDP and 18% of employment, and more than 50% of GDP if we consider the different activities associated with it. It is a sector that must face, in an accelerated manner, the challenge of the green transition and move towards more environmentally friendly forms of production, which is why linked valuation criteria have been incorporated into this line of aid to the circular economy and environmental sustainability.

To apply for these grants, you must complete the form that can be found in the following link:

https://empresa.gencat.cat/ca/tramits/tramits-temes/Subvencions-a-projectes-de-reindustrialitzacio-relocalitzacio-i-inversio-del-sector-industrial