Support Program for the Entry of Private Investors into High-Growth Innovative Companies
Grants from the Development Institute of the Region of Murcia aimed at encouraging the entry of private investors into high-growth innovative companies.
Description
The Development Institute of the Region of Murcia has launched a new 2025 call for proposals aimed at funding business projects.
The program is designed to attract investors who can demonstrate the capacity to make private contributions and have experience in supporting the growth of newly established, innovative companies with high growth potential. The main objective of the program is to foster the development of SMEs in the region by promoting innovation, internationalization, and improved competitiveness among emerging businesses.
This call is open to companies from any sector, with the exception of those engaged in the primary production of fishery, aquaculture, and agricultural products. A total budget of €1 million is available to finance projects, which must be completed within one year from the date the grant is awarded.
Eligible projects may include:
- Product or process innovation projects: Development of new products, processes, or services, or improvement of existing ones. This includes prototypes, product or process design/redesign, packaging innovations, and other improvements with a significant impact on the company’s value chain.
- Productive investment projects: Support for investments in tangible and intangible assets related to the creation of new facilities, capacity expansion, production diversification, or fundamental transformation of processes in existing facilities.
- Digitalization projects: Technological initiatives aimed at enhancing competitiveness through the digital transformation of products, services, processes, or business models. This includes software development and acquisition of intellectual property.
- Promotion, launch, and market positioning projects: Activities to promote, inform, and raise awareness of a product or service in its target market.
- Internationalization projects: Initiatives focused on assessing a company’s competitiveness and international potential, developing and implementing international marketing plans, and actions to enter new markets or introduce new products.
- Other types of projects that support the growth and innovation of new companies, as defined in the specific call for proposals.
The aid is provided as a non-repayable grant, with a maximum amount of €180,800 per beneficiary. The maximum funding intensity can reach up to 100% of eligible expenses, depending on the investment round. The eligible rounds are pre-seed, seed, and Series A, with the following conditions:
- Pre-seed round: €10,000 grant for the first €10,000 invested, plus 10% of any additional amount contributed.
- Seed round: €25,000 grant for the first €160,000 invested, plus 7% of any additional amount contributed.
- Series A round: €73,300 grant for the first €850,000 invested, plus 5% of any additional amount contributed.
Private investor contributions may take the form of equity, share premium, or convertible notes.
Eligible costs include personnel expenses, external collaborations, travel for prospecting and event attendance, investments in tangible and intangible assets, and indirect costs, which may account for up to 7% of the total eligible project costs.
Finally, a company may submit multiple applications under the same call, provided that each application corresponds to a different type of business project and investment round.
Application deadline
Geographical scope
Types of assistance
Benefit
The maximum grant is €180,800 per beneficiary.
Calling entity
Topic
Requirements
- SMEs with a commercial corporate structure operating in any sector, except those engaged in the primary production of fishery, aquaculture, and agricultural products.
Companies must be innovative, with technological potential and/or scalability.
The activities of the subsidized project must be carried out within the geographical scope of the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia, through an operational business location in the region.
The project must align with the priority areas defined in the Region of Murcia’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (RIS4 Murcia), available at https://www.ris4regiondemurcia.es.
The implementation period for the subsidized project is one year from the date of notification of the grant award, extendable by up to six months. - Up to 50% of the total project expenses may have been incurred and paid prior to the grant application, provided they are not dated before January 1, 2024.
- The financial contribution from the private investor, whether through share capital and, where applicable, share premium, or via convertible notes, must be made after the grant application and within the project implementation period.
- Private investor equity contributions must be monetary. In-kind contributions and debt-to-equity conversions are excluded, except in cases where equity is acquired through convertible notes.
- Eligible equity investment operations must be carried out by one or more private investors, with at least one being a new shareholder.
- The minimum investment by one or more private investors must be €10,000.
- To qualify for the grant, the company must incorporate a new shareholder into its capital. The amounts contributed by the new shareholder will be added to those contributed by existing shareholders in the same investment round for the purpose of calculating the grant. Contributions from group companies or affiliated entities, or from individuals or legal entities with a family relationship (up to the fourth degree) with the shareholders or directors of the beneficiary company, will not be considered.