1. WHAT ARE THE INNOBAGES GRANTS?
The “InnoBages Grants for the Promotion of R&D&I in the Business Fabric of the Region within the Framework of Projects Developed in the Official Master’s Programs of EPSEM – UPC Manresa” are an initiative of the Bages County Council.
The main goal is to facilitate the initiation of collaborations between research projects from EPSEM – UPC Manresa and companies, preferably from Bages, to facilitate the transfer of technology and knowledge. Additionally, they aim to facilitate the incorporation of students from the same university into research projects through participation in the selected projects.
The main objective, therefore, is to foster collaboration between the academic sphere and the business sector and to contribute to reinforcing the economic and technological development of the region, strengthening the link between the university and the industrial environment.
2. WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM THE GRANTS?
The InnoBages grants are developed in two distinct phases:
FIRST PHASE:
- Intended for research projects linked to the official master’s programs currently running at EPSEM – UPC Manresa.
- Applications must be submitted by EPSEM – UPC Manresa's teaching and research staff (PDI) who lead these projects.
- The projects presented in this first phase must include formal collaboration with a company, preferably located in the Bages region.
- The financial aid for this first phase is designed to contribute to the correct and satisfactory development of the project.
SECOND PHASE:
- Students enrolled in the official master’s programs offered at EPSEM – UPC Manresa, associated with the projects selected in the first phase, can participate.
- Students must submit a letter of endorsement signed by the PDI responsible for the project.
- This letter must detail the student’s curriculum adequacy, knowledge, and prior experience.
Each person can submit only one application, either in the first or the second phase.
3. WHAT ARE THE GRANTS?
Both for the first and second phases, the grants are of an economic nature.
The grants for the first phase are €1,500 for each of the selected projects. This economic aid is intended to contribute to the proper and satisfactory development of the project. The financial aid will be transferred to EPSEM – UPC Manresa in the name of the selected project and the responsible PDI, with a specific destination for the budgetary application of the Master’s program and Department to which it belongs.
The grants for the second phase are €2,400 for each of the selected students. In this case, the aid is transferred directly to the beneficiary. It is important to note that aid in this second phase will be subject to the personal income tax withholding (Law 35/2006, of November 28).
In total, the Bages County Council allocates €23,400 to this call. Of these, a maximum of €9,000 is allocated to the first phase and a maximum of €14,000 to the second phase.
4. I AM A PDI AND WANT TO PRESENT A PROJECT. WHAT SHOULD THE APPLICATION CONTAIN?
The requirements to participate in the first phase are:
- Having a research project framed within one of the official master’s programs currently offered at EPSEM – UPC Manresa.
- Having the collaboration of a company, preferably located in the Bages region.
To formalize the application, the PDI responsible for the project must submit the following documents:
Application form.
Project report.
Commitment declaration from the collaborating company.
Responsible declaration of compliance with base 3.4 signed by the legal representative of the university.
The report should be submitted in PDF format and have a maximum of 3 pages. The participation form, the commitment declaration from the company, and the responsible declaration will not be counted within the maximum permitted length.
The report must contain at least the following content: project title, responsible PDI, background and justification of the presented project, motivation for the project's potential interest in the economic development of the territory, objectives and planned activities, indicative budget of the activities, contact details of the responsible person from the company, identification of the company's activity with which the project is developed, and motivation of the reasons and usefulness of the project for the company.
5. I AM A STUDENT AND WANT TO PARTICIPATE IN A PROJECT. WHAT SHOULD THE APPLICATION CONTAIN?
The requirements for participation in the second phase are:
- Being enrolled in the official master’s programs offered at EPSEM – UPC Manresa, associated with the projects selected in the first phase.
- Having a letter of endorsement signed by the PDI responsible for the project. This letter must detail the student's curriculum adequacy, knowledge, and prior experience.
To formalize the application, the student must submit the following documents:
Application form.
Enrollment in the corresponding official master’s program at EPSEM – UPC Manresa.
Academic transcript of the degree with which the master’s was accessed.
Report.
Endorsement letter signed by the PDI responsible for the project in accordance with base 3.2.
Responsible declaration signed by the applicant.
The report should be submitted in PDF format and have a maximum of 2 pages. The form, enrollment, academic transcript, endorsement letter, and responsible declaration will not be counted within the maximum permitted length.
The report must contain at least: the identification of the candidate, identification of the project for which the application is made, and personal motivation.
6. HOW CAN APPLICATIONS BE SUBMITTED?
Applications must be submitted to the Register either in person or electronically at the Bages County Council within the scheduled dates.
They can also be submitted at any of the locations provided by Article 16 of Law 39/2015, of October 1, on the Common Administrative Procedure of Public Administrations. Submitting an application for the grants implies knowledge and acceptance of the regulations governing them.
Download the application form for participation in phase 1.
Download the application form for participation in phase 2.
7. UNTIL WHEN CAN APPLICATIONS BE SUBMITTED? WHAT ARE THE DEADLINES?
The following deadlines set the key periods for the submission and resolution of applications and grants:
FIRST PHASE:
The start date for submitting projects is October 21, 2024, and ends on November 3, 2024. The list of selected projects will be made public on November 8, 2024.
SECOND PHASE:
The start date for submitting applications for the second phase will be from November 8, 2024, and will end on November 16, 2024. The final resolution will be on November 22, 2024. The beneficiaries of the grants must submit the project’s justification report before December 20, 2024.
8. WHAT ARE THE EVALUATION CRITERIA?
The evaluation criteria for the proposals submitted in the first phase will be:
Quality of the submitted report (75 points):
- Description of the project's purpose and objectives: 20 points.
- Coherence between the described objectives and the proposed activities: 15 points.
- Degree of solidity and basis of the project within the framework of other projects supported by competitive calls from higher institutions: 15 points.
- Impact on the economic development of the Bages region based on the company's location and productive sector: 15 points based on the following parameters:
If the participating company is based in the Bages region: 10 points.
If the participating company is based in the area of influence of the region, Central Catalonia: 2 points.
If the participating company is a micro, small, or medium enterprise according to the definition of Article 2 of Annex 1 of Regulation 651/2014 of the European Commission: 3 points.
Based on the importance of the value chain to which it belongs (turnover, number of jobs in the sector, among others): 2 points.
- Alignment with the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals): 10 points.
Impact and transferability of the project (25 points):
- Degree of adequacy and incorporation of the project into the company's activity: 10 points.
- Transferability. Potential for project incorporation into the company, scaling elements, continuity of collaboration: 10 points.
- Planned coordination between the PDI responsible for the project, the company, and the selected student: 5 points.
The evaluation criteria for the proposals submitted in the second phase will be:
Degree of suitability of the student for the project (60 points):
- Personal motivation: 40 points.
- Fit with the project: 20 points.
Academic transcript (40 points).
9. WHO EVALUATES THE PROPOSALS?
The evaluation committee is composed of a group of professionals selected to ensure balanced representation from various fields. The jury for this call consists of:
- Montse Ficapal Soler, Territorial Secretary of PIMEC Catalunya Central.
- Josep Maria Macià Roldan, Manager and Secretary of the College of Technical Industrial Engineers of Manresa.
- Albert Marañón Ledesma, Technical Head of the Economic Promotion and Rural Development Service of the Bages County Council.
- Laura Martín Díaz, University Technician at the Manresa City Council.
- Carme Vega Noheda, Economic Promotion Technician of the Economic Promotion and Rural Development Service of the Bages County Council, who will also act as the secretary of the jury.
- Sebastià Vila Marta, Deputy Director of Strategic Projects at EPSEM – UPC Manresa.
Once the proposals are received, the Bages County Council will forward them to the jury members for evaluation.
10. IF I HAVE QUESTIONS, WHERE CAN I TURN?
For more information and inquiries regarding the InnoBages Grants, you can visit the website formabages.cat/ca/ajutsinnobages. You can also send us an email at [email protected] or a WhatsApp message to 610.207.986.
