Call for subsidy applications for proposals aimed at the generation of scientific knowledge applied to tourism

The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism launches a new grants programme aimed at fostering the generation of scientific knowledge applicable to the field of tourism, and in particular the search for solutions to the major environmental, economic and technological challenges facing tourist destinations in Spain, with a view to improving their long-term competitiveness and resilience.

“The tourism sector is undergoing a profound transformation, one that is developing very rapidly on a global scale, and is being shaped by two clear trends: digitalisation and the ecological transition. In order to continue offering a product that distinguishes us from our competitors, Spain needs top level research that will enable the development of new capabilities geared towards the big present and future challenges”, said the Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés.

As part of the plan to modernise the tourism sector and make it more competitive, which is part of the Spanish Government’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan, a programme of grants aimed at not-for-profit research and knowledge dissemination organisations that are registered in Spain for tax purposes, or that have a permanent presence here.

Subsidies of between €20,000 and €150,000

The Official State Gazette (BOE) today published the rules and regulations governing this call for proposals. Grants will be awarded to the centre of expertise for up to a maximum of 100% of the eligible budget. The grants will be for a minimum of €20,000 and a maximum of €150,000, provided that the projects fall within the field of R&D, and the purpose does not imply any form of direct economic activity.

The ultimate goal of the proposals submitted to the call must be the digitalisation of tourist destinations, and it must also address some of the following challenges:

  1. The recovery and resilience of the destination: crisis management, scenario simulation, early response strategies, regulation, standards, protocols, the labour market and working conditions, tourism businesses, competitiveness, etc.
  2. Sustainable, smart, connected and integrated mobility within the destination.
  3. Climate change, adaptation and mitigation strategies and measures in the destination; the carbon footprint, impact modelling, public and private strategies, etc.
  4. Sustainability, the ecological transition and the circular economy in the destination.
  5. Measurement, modelling and analysis of tourism activity at the destination: management of tourist flows, carrying capacity, overcrowding, economic impacts, development of indicators, predictive analysis, etc.
  6. Product or process innovation at the destination: tourism innovation, new differential tourism products and experiences, new market segments, new business processes, etc.
  7. Digitalisation: infrastructures and platforms, promotion and marketing, interaction with tourists at the destination, “frictionless” tourism, information management, tourism intelligence and big data, artificial intelligence, digital twinning, etc.

The deadline for submitting applications will be one month, starting from the date of the publication of the call for applications in the Official State Gazette (BOE). The Ministry has set up the following mailbox to answer queries from interested parties: consultas.ayudas@segittur.es.

The full terms and conditions for this call can be found via the following link: https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/01/10/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-383.pdf.

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