AIDS TO GUARANTEE GENERATIONAL REPLACEMENT AND QUALIFY PEOPLE IN POSITIONS OF RESPONSIBILITY IN THE FOOD CHAIN IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY

AIMED AT SMES OR MICRO-SMES THAT HAVE A CENTER OF ACTIVITY IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY.

The Basque Government, with the collaboration of HAZI and Basque Food Cluster, has launched a program to support training, which is part of the need that has been identified to promote generational change in key positions within the companies of the Basque food chain, in order to ensure its continuity.

This initiative aims to support the higher qualification of active professionals who are going to occupy management positions in conditions of generational replacement in companies of the Basque food chain, providing financial support to companies with this need.

The higher training programs financed must be used so that active professionals working in food and beverage companies can be effectively incorporated into positions of responsibility within a maximum period of 2 years after the end of the program.

Entities and beneficiaries
The beneficiaries of the grants may be companies that meet and prove the following requirements:

To be an SME or Micro-SME.
To have a center of activity in the Basque Autonomous Community.
Prove that the main activity of the company corresponds to an activity of the food and beverage chain listed in the following table:
CNAE Activity
01 Agriculture, livestock and hunting
02 Forestry and forestry exploitation (mushrooms, mushrooms…)
03 Fishing and aquaculture
10 Agri-food industry
11 Beverage industry
46 Wholesale trade
47 Retail trade
5629 Other food services (collectivities)
Submit a responsible statement declaring:
The company complies with the requirements demanded in terms of size, having a center of activity in the Basque Autonomous Community and carrying out its main activity in one of the following CNAES: 01-02-03-10-11-46-47-5629.
The company is up to date with its tax and Social Security obligations.
The company has not filed for bankruptcy, has not been declared insolvent, has not been declared bankrupt, is not subject to judicial intervention and has not been disqualified in accordance with Law 22/2003 of July 9.
The company is not in difficulty according to the definition set out in the Guidelines on State aid for rescuing and restructuring non-financial firms in difficulty (2014/C 249/01).
The company has not been sanctioned, by final decision, with the loss of eligibility for subsidies.
The company supports an active professional in the development of his or her career towards positions of responsibility for reasons of generational replacement.
The company undertakes to use the financial support for the payment of tuition and/or credits for a higher education program that is in line with the characteristics set out in these rules.
The maximum budget earmarked for this program amounts to 85,400 euros, financed entirely by the Basque Government. The economic support will amount to 45% of the cost of the higher training plan (tuition and credits) up to a maximum of 6,300 euros per application.

In the case that the application is in favor of a woman, the economic support will amount to 50% of the total cost and a maximum of 7,000 euros.

This aid program is compatible with other aid for the same purpose as long as it does not exceed the total cost of the program. The deadline for submitting the application will open on the day of publication of these rules on the websites of HAZI, ONEKIN and Basque Food Cluster.

The deadline for submitting applications will be open until December 31, 2023, inclusive, or until the funds are exhausted in successive concurrence.

The grants may be requested for any higher training program that starts in 2023 (1-1-2023 and until 31-12- 2023), regardless of the date on which it ends. They will be submitted through the form provided for this purpose on the BASQUE FOOD CLUSTER website.