Prime - Programa de Incentivos à Modernização da Economia

MEASURE FACT-SHEET

Supports research and technological development projects, aiming at the development of new products, processes or services and involving enterprises and entities from the National Technological and Scientific System (NTSS), associated by a consortium contract.

Goals

To develop new products, processes or services;
To enhance results and technology transfer from entities of the NTSS to the productive sector;
To integrate training activities associated to technological development, and technological consulting actions required by the project;
To support the participation of national consortia in combined international technological research and development activities, especially within the framework of Community or international programmes.

Beneficiaries

Consortia of enterprises and entities from the NTSS, developing projects that fall within the scope of IDEIA objectives.

Such consortia shall comprise at least one enterprise and one entity from the NTSS, and may include foreign partners, in order to strengthen the project. The enterprise will be the consortia leader.

Activity Sectors

Industry, energy, building industry, trade, tourism and services covered by PRIME.

Type of Support

"Industrial research" actions - development of new technologies, and acquisition of new competences;
"Pre-competition research" actions - development of prototypes and pre-series and of pilot actions, in order to validate technologies subject to lab demonstration within a business environment and promotion actions leading to the economic enhancement of the results achieved.

Elegibility Conditions

For the Promoter

To be legally established and registered, in compliance with the applicable legislation;
To fulfil the legal conditions required to carry out its activity, namely having been granted the necessary licenses;
To have an organised accounting system, in accordance with the National Accounting Plan (NAP);
To have fulfilled all obligations related to taxes and social security, and towards the paying agency responsible for the incentive;
To have a balanced economic and financial situation;
To prove having the technical, scientific and management capacities, necessary to guarantee an effective project development.

For the Project

To present a duly detailed, justified and adequate cost allocation structure;
To involve qualified human resources;
To be submitted before implementation start-up, except for advances for down-payments on equipment up to 20%, and for studies carried out less then a year before;
To have a maximum duration of three years.

Elegible Expenses

Staff expenditure;
Payments to scholarship holders;
Recruitment of consultants;
Purchasing of services to third parties;
Expenses related to the protection of intellectual and industrial property rights of project results;
Current expenses of research activities (consumables, reagents, contracting of maintenance services…);
Purchasing of scientific instruments and equipment;
Expenses related to pilot/demonstration facilities building and/or prototype assembling which are critical for project achievement;
Bibliography;
Travel expenses;
General expenses;
Dissemination of project results made by the leading promoter.

Note: The expenses incurred into between project co-promoters are excluded; the same applies to expenses between the co-promoters and third parties, when those have direct or indirect interests in the said third parties.

Non-Elegible Expenses

Costs and/or expenses made before application submission, as well as any other cost or expense not directly related to the project;
Bank loan interests;
VAT, except when disbursed by entities that cannot recover VAT paid for goods and services purchasing;
Studies carried out by the candidate entities;
Costs related to purchasing and maintenance of real estate and motor vehicles.

Incentive

Refundable and non-refundable incentive, up to the maximum of: 75% (in terms of GGE - Gross Grant Equivalent) of the eligible expenses, for "industrial development" projects; and 50%, for "pre-competition research" projects. For entities from the NTSS, the incentive to be granted is a non-refundable incentive up to the maximum of 75% of the eligible expenses; this percentage can nevertheless be reduced to 45%, in the case of expenses related to services acquisition from external organisations.

Selection Criteria

Project coherence and plausibility in its economic, financial, market, scientific, technological and organisational aspects, in view of achieving results in an effective way;
Impact of the participating enterprises, namely in: increasing the competitiveness and the capacity to break in into the international markets; establishing steady and long-term co-operation links with the Scientific and Technology System; and the internal reinforcement of technological innovation capacities;
Impact on the socio-economic system, namely by way of: product technology, consortia dissemination potential, proven dynamism in the optimisation of the results, and project internationalisation;
Duly confirmed innovative nature of the project;
Research team with a profile adequate to project development.

Applications Submission

Applications shall be submitted to the Innovation Agency, through a specific form provided by the Agency.

Applications to this Measure are now suspended (Ministerial Order No. 96/MEI/MCTES/2006).

Co-Ordinating Body

AdI - Innovation Agency.

Geografical Area

Mainland Portugal and the Autonomous Regions of the Azores and Madeira.

This information does not dispense with consulting the applicable legislation.

Updated on November 2006.