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Innovative SME / Seal of Young Innovative Enterprise

The Innovative SME Seal is a recognition by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MCIU), which serves as access to certain policies aimed at helping small and medium-sized innovative companies.

The following incentives are associated with it:

– Compatibility of tax incentives: deduction + rebate.

– Access to specific soft financing lines of the ICO.

– Added value to the brand.

It is regulated by RD 475/2014 and by Order ECC/1087/2015.

One of the ways to obtain the seal is the Certification in an Accredited Entity such as EQA. You have two certificate options that enable you to obtain the Innovative SME seal:

– Innovative SME Certification, for consolidated and R&D&I intensive companies.

– Young Innovative Enterprise Certification, for young companies with a business strategy clearly oriented to innovation.

 

SME Innovator and Young Innovative Enterprise Certification Process

The process of certification of companies as Innovative SME and Young Innovative Enterprise involves the following phases:

  1. Request for certification.
  2. Submission of report.
  3. Analysis of SME prerequisites.
  4. Evaluation of documentation.
  5. Request for additional information.
  6. Decision making – Certificate.
  7. Registration in MCIU and obtaining the Innovative SME Seal.

 

Innovative SME Registry

On the MCIU (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities) website you can find information about the seal, how to proceed to register and how to consult the companies that are already part of it.

Frequently asked questions

Royal Decree 475/2014.

Royal Decree 475/2014, of June 13, on rebates on Social Security contributions for research personnel, is the first reference to the Innovative SME Seal and establishes full compatibility between tax deductions and rebates for research personnel for these companies. It also establishes the circumstances that companies must comply with in order to obtain the Innovative SME seal.

We help you with the Royal Decree 475/2014.

Order ECC/1087/2015

Order ECC/1087/2015, of June 5, regulates the obtaining of the Small and Medium Innovative Company seal and creates and regulates the Registry of Small and Medium Innovative Companies. This Order does not introduce changes regarding the consideration of SMEs or the compatibility of incentives with respect to RD 475/2014. It regulates the registration and the registration procedure for the granting of the seal. In addition, it lists the effects derived from the registration and details the deregistration process.

We help you with the Order ECC/1087/2015.

What is the purpose of the Innovative SME certification?

The Innovative SME certificate entitles the company that receives it to apply for the Innovative SME seal granted by the Public Administration.

Once companies have this seal, they can benefit from the following incentives:

  • Compatibility of deductions and bonuses.
  • Access to soft financing lines.
  • Preference in direct aid, public procurement and issuance of IMV.
  • Added value to the brand
  • Learn more about the importance of the Innovative SME certification.

Find out more about the importance of the Innovative SME certificate.

What requirements must a company meet to be an Innovative SME?

The requirements that a company must comply with to be considered an Innovative SME are as follows:

  • It must be an SME in accordance with the European Commission Recommendation of May 6, 2003.
  • It must submit supporting documentation of its R&D&I activity to justify compliance with 28 indicators in 3 blocks (Resources applied, Innovation process and Results and their valorization). A numerical value is assigned to the fulfillment of each indicator, and a maximum score of 1000 points can be obtained. The certificate will be granted only if the limit of 400 points is exceeded.

Find out more about the requirements that a company must meet to become an Innovative SME.

What documentation should I submit for the evaluation as an Innovative SME?

EQA has a complete guide for the preparation of reports in which you can consult what information is necessary and what evidence must be provided to the Entity to develop the evaluation process, in order to obtain the Innovative SME certificate.

This guide will be provided together with your request for proposal. You can also request it by sending an email to info@eqa.es.

Get more information about the documentation required for the evaluation as an Innovative SME.

Do I have to score in all indicators or in all blocks to get the Innovative SME certificate?

It is not necessary to score in all blocks to get the Innovative SME certificate. If the company justifies that it is an SME and has achieved a total score of 400 or more points, it will receive the certificate, regardless of which indicators it has scored on or their distribution by blocks.

Find out more about the score required to obtain the Innovative SME certificate.

How can I request a quote to obtain the Innovative SME certificate?

To request a quote to obtain the Innovative SME certificate you must fill out the data questionnaire and our sales department will contact you to send you the offer.

If you have any doubts, you can contact us by writing to info@eqa.es, we will give you a quote to obtain the Innovative SME certificate.

Once I have the Innovative SME certificate, how can I get the Innovative SME Seal granted by the Public Administration?

You must apply for registration in the Registry of Innovative SMEs through the electronic office: https://aplicaciones.ciencia.gob.es/pyi/

The process is very simple. It only requires some general information about the company and attaching the Innovative SME certificate issued by EQA. Once the Ministry reviews the correctness of the information, it will inform you that you can now download the Innovative SME seal. Currently, the Ministry is finalizing the processing deadline in about a week.

Learn more about the Innovative SME seal with the Innovative SME certificate.

How can I find out if I have the Innovative SME seal or check its expiration date?

For any of these questions you can access the electronic site of the Public Registry of Innovative SMEs: https://aplicaciones.ciencia.gob.es/pyiINFO/

There is a list with the CIF (VAT)  number and company name of the Innovative SMEs registered at any given time, the autonomous community to which they belong and the expiration date of the seal.

Get more information about the availability of the Innovative SME seal.

How can I download the Innovative SME Seal?

You must access the electronic site of the Registry of Innovative SMEs, specifically the functionality to download the seal:

https://aplicaciones.ciencia.gob.es/pyiINFO/findPyi.mec

You will be able to download any current seal if you have the CIF (VAT) of the beneficiary company.

Get more information on how to download the Innovative SME seal.

How long is the Innovative SME seal valid?

Companies that have obtained an Innovative SME certificate issued by an accredited Entity receive an Innovative SME seal valid for three years from the date of issue of the certificate.

Learn more about the validity of the Innovative SME seal.

What is the purpose of the Young Innovative Enterprise certification?

The Young Innovative Enterprise certification obeys a strategy of wanting to give the same recognition to those companies that, due to their youth, cannot meet the requirements defined for the Innovative SME, but comply with a clearly technological project. Thus, the Young Innovative Enterprise certification entitles the company that receives it to apply for the Innovative SME seal granted by the Public Administration, in the same way as the Innovative SME certificate.

Once companies have this seal, they can benefit from the following incentives:

  • Compatibility of deductions and bonuses.
  • Access to soft financing lines.
  • Preference in direct aid, public procurement and issuance of IMV.
  • Added value to the brand.

Get more information about the usefulness of the Young Innovative Enterprise certification.

What requirements must a company meet to be a Young Innovative Company?

The requirements that a company must fulfill to be considered a Young Innovative Enterprise are the following:

  • It must be an SME in accordance with the European Commission Recommendation of May 6, 2003.
  • It must have been in existence for less than 6 years from the date of commencement of activity.
  • It must have a minimum R&D&I expenditure of 15% of the company’s total expenditure in the two previous fiscal years.
  • It must demonstrate innovative character in its activity.
  • Must develop a training plan on strategy and innovation.
  • Must present a business plan.

Learn more about the requirements to become a Young Innovative Enterprise.

What documentation must I submit for the Young Innovative Enterprise assessment?

For the Young Innovative Enterprise assessment, supporting documentation must be submitted to justify that the company is an SME and that it complies with each of the prerequisites and requirements established in Specification 0043.

In order to facilitate the compilation and presentation of the documentation, EQA has prepared a guide for the preparation of reports. This guide will be provided to you together with your request for proposal. You can also request it by sending an email to info@eqa.es.

We give you all the information about the documentation to be provided for the Young Innovative Enterprise evaluation.

How is the age of a Young Innovative Enterprise candidate company measured?

To measure the seniority of the company that aspires to obtain the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate, the starting date of the company’s activity is taken into account. For this purpose, the date of granting of the CIF or the date of the start of the activity of the census declaration is checked.

Find out more about the age of the Young Innovative Enterprise applicant company.

Regarding the training plan, is it necessary for the company's personnel to have received training or is it sufficient that it is planned?

The training in the company that aspires to obtain the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate must have been given and completed in order for the requirement to be considered fulfilled. Certificates of achievement or attendance will be requested.

Ask us your questions about the training plan of a Young Innovative Enterprise.

What are the characteristics of the training required to obtain the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate?

EA 0043 establishes in detail the characteristics and duration of the training plan. It also establishes which centers can provide this training in order to be valid for certification.

You can consult the details in the Young Innovative Enterprise report preparation guide. This guide will be provided to you together with your offer application. You can also request it by sending an email to info@eqa.es, you will receive instructions on the training required to obtain the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate.

Does the Young Innovative Enterprise business plan have to adhere to a specific structure?

No specific structure is established in the EA 0043, although a content guide is included. You can also find indications on this content in the Young Innovative Enterprise report preparation guide. This guide will be provided together with your offer application. You can also request it by sending an email to info@eqa.es, you will receive the instructions to prepare the Young Innovative Enterprise business plan.

How can I request a Young Innovative Enterprise certification quote?

To request a quote to certify your company as a Young Innovative Enterprise, you must fill out the questionnaire and our sales department will contact you to send you the offer.

If you have any doubts, you can contact us by writing to info@eqa.es, we will provide you with a Young Innovative Enterprise certification quote.

Once I have the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate, how can I get the Innovative SME Seal granted by the Public Administration?

You must apply for registration in the Registry of Innovative SMEs through the electronic headquarters: https://aplicaciones.ciencia.gob.es/pyi/

The process is very simple. It only requires some general information about the company and attach the Young Innovative Enterprise certificate issued by EQA.

Once the Ministry reviews the correctness of the information, it will inform you that you can now download the Innovative SME seal. Currently, the Ministry is finalizing the processing deadline in about a week.

Find out more about how to obtain the Innovative SME seal awarded by the Public Administration.

Contact us for more information about Innovative SME/ Young Innovative Enterprise

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