homepage / calls /

MAR 2030 (MAR 2030-2023-5)

Submission of applications for Sustainable Aquaculture Development in the Domain of Productive Investments

               Application deadline: 30/11/2023

               Indicative funding available in this notice: €11,750,000

               Application submission mode: Individually or in co-promotion

               Maximum number of applications: One per economic operator

               Duration of operations: 2 years

The call for proposals is open under the MAR 2030 program, aiming to promote sustainable development of aquaculture, improving the economic and environmental performance of aquaculture companies, ensuring sustainability and food security in mainland Portugal.

The eligible actions for this call include:

  • Innovation promoted by companies or in co-promotion with universities or research centers, information, and communication;
  • Establishment of start-ups and spin-offs aimed at initiating aquaculture production;
  • Construction or modernization of aquaculture production units, hatcheries or related establishments, handling units, packaging and packaging facilities when integrated into aquaculture establishments, and installation of live bivalve mollusk transposition areas;
  • Diversification of aquaculture production and cultivated species;
  • Modernization of aquaculture production units or related establishments;
  • Decarbonization, which involves the construction or modernization of support vessels for aquaculture activities that encourage the use of renewable energies, or the use of marketing and transportation vehicles with low carbon emissions;
  • Support for the promotion of animal health and welfare;
  • Requalification of natural or artificial tanks used for aquaculture;
  • Investments in closed recirculation systems;
  • Investments in certification and registration processes for brands or patents;
  • Organization of companies, particularly for management capacity building.

Projects in co-promotion innovation are understood as:

  • Projects developed between two or more independent entities that cooperate strategically and effectively in a medium and long-term logic, sharing infrastructure, skills, and resources, including human resources;
  • The company assumes the role of the leading entity, being responsible for ensuring the overall coordination of the project and the interaction with the various co-promoters and between them and the management authority, regarding the technical, administrative, and financial management of the project.

Eligible entities:

  • Companies whose activity falls within the subclasses of CAE 03210 “Aquaculture in saltwater and brackish waters” or 03220 “Aquaculture in freshwater”;
  • Companies that carry out their activity through depuration centers in related establishments – depuration and/or dispatch centers with CAE 46381 “Wholesale trade of fish, crustaceans, and mollusks”.
  • In the case of innovation operations led by a company and carried out in co-promotion, higher education institutions, their institutes and R&D units; State or international laboratories with headquarters or permanent representation in Portugal; Non-profit private institutions whose main object is R&D activities; Other public and private non-profit institutions that develop or participate in scientific research activities can also be beneficiaries.

Applications:

Applications are submitted online at the “Balcão dos Fundos” on balcaofundosue.pt, with the submission of the following documents:

  • Strategic analysis of the company identifying critical areas of competitiveness for the business, diagnosing the company’s situation in these critical areas, and justifying the investment options considered in the application;
  • Company contract, statutes, and updated permanent certificate, in the case of a legal entity;
  • Descriptive and justifying memorandum of the operation to be developed;
  • Aquaculture Activity Title;
  • Document authorizing interventions in the space (property certificate or lease agreement or authorization from the competent public entity), if it includes land facilities;
  • Authorization for the proposed changes issued by the Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety, and Maritime Services, in the case of modernization of land facilities;
  • In the case of new companies or aquaculture companies less than one year old, an independent marketing report demonstrating sustainable market prospects for the product; for other companies, present a historical analysis of the company’s customers and their projection after the project is completed;
  • Budgets and catalogs for all goods and services included in the proposal, with a minimum of three, to assess the reasonableness of the costs presented;
  • Business plan that allows assessing the economic and financial viability of the project, and when the investment exceeds 50 thousand euros, a feasibility study;
  • Elements demonstrating that the sources of financing are secured, including financing through bank loans, when necessary;
  • Simplified Economic Information relating to the last completed financial year at the date of application submission, demonstrating a balanced economic and financial situation;
  • In the case of a co-promotion application that includes eligibility of personnel costs in the partner entity: a list of employees of the beneficiary entity organized by professional category/functional profile.

Timeline:

Application submission deadline: 30-11-2023

Analysis of applications: 04-12-2023 to 29-02-2024

Deadline for communication of the Decision to beneficiaries: 07-03-2024

This document does not replace the detailed reading of the program here, as well as the Portaria nº186/2023.