IPEX announces 21,840 euros in grants to attend Biofach 2027

The Castilla-La Mancha Foreign Promotion Institute (IPEX) has announced 21,840 euros in grants for a maximum of twelve organic food and beverage companies from the region to participate in a visit to the Biofach 2027 trade fair, which will be held from February 16 to 19, 2027, in Nuremberg (Germany). The call is approved by the IPEX Resolution of 10/20/2026, published in the Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha (DOCM) number 205, of October 26, 2026, with the official reference 2026/7662. The deadline for submitting applications is November 20, 2026.

The call is supported by Order 152/2022, of July 29, of the Regional Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment, which establishes the regulatory bases for aid for grouped participation in IPEX internationalization actions, published in DOCM number 150, of August 5, 2022. The abstract is disseminated with the identifier BDNS 936534 and the full text can be consulted in the National Grants Database.

This is an early processing call, financed from the 2027 IPEX budget, program 751B, item 47573, PEP OOAA/1000000496, therefore the aid is subject to the existence of adequate and sufficient credit in that fiscal year. The grants are de minimis in nature according to Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 of December 13, 2023, with a limit of 300,000 euros per company in any three-year period.

Up to 1,820 euros per company and twelve beneficiaries

The aid is calculated based on two expenditure concepts, with a coverage percentage of 65% in both cases:

Travel for one person: maximum eligible cost of 2,000 euros and aid of 1,300 euros.
Transport of samples: maximum eligible cost of 800 euros and aid of 520 euros.
Total per company: maximum cost of 2,800 euros and a grant of 1,820 euros.

The total credit of 21,840 euros may be increased by an additional amount of up to 40% of the initial amount if credit remains available from previous calls, without the need for a new call or reopening the deadline. Furthermore, 30% of the credit is reserved for applicants who carry out their activity in sparsely populated areas or areas at risk of depopulation, in accordance with the Agreement of October 19, 2021, of the Governing Council and Law 2/2021, of May 7.

Requirements, deadline and electronic processing

Eligible beneficiaries may include companies, natural persons registered with the RETA, clusters, cooperatives, community of assets, groupings and associations of for-profit companies, and any other economic unit with separate assets, excluding foundations, public companies and bodies, and public administrations. Management and representation bodies of protected geographical indications and protected designations of origin, as well as their associations and foundations, may also apply.

Applications shall be submitted electronically and with an electronic signature via the Annex I form, available on the electronic office of the Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha (jccm.es), within procedure 037084, code SIACI KMMN. The call is addressed both to exhibiting companies and to those who only wish to visit the fair and conduct market prospecting.

The deadline extends from the day following publication until November 20, 2026, and may be extended with the corresponding publicity. If the application is incomplete, the interested party will have ten non-extendable days to rectify it; notifications will be made by electronic means through the notifica.jccm.es platform.

Evaluation Criteria and Resolution

The grant is processed under a competitive bidding regime, with a maximum of 100 points distributed as follows:

Export department: 15 points if external and 30 if internal.
Website in several languages: 15 points for Spanish and English and 30 for other additional languages.
Previous editions of the action: 30 points for those who have never participated, 20 for one to three, and 10 for more than three.
Activity in priority areas of Law 5/2017, of November 30, delimited by Decree 52/2018, of July 31: 10 points.

The processing is the responsibility of the IPEX administration department and the evaluation is conducted by a technical commission of two technicians from the promotion department, which will resolve ties by order of submission. The maximum period to resolve and notify is three months from the day following publication, after which the application is understood to be rejected by administrative silence. An administrative appeal (recurso de alzada) may be filed against the resolution before the Regional Ministry of Economy, Business and Employment within one month. Justification must be submitted in the month following the completion of the action using Annex II.

Travel Conditions and Organic Market Dimension

Each company will manage its own travel and the shipment of samples at its own expense, without grouped shipping by IPEX, and must have valid travel insurance. The admitted dates of stay are from February 15 to 20, 2027, and cancellation after acceptance requires assuming 100% of the expenses. IPEX does not provide free access passes to the fair.

The organization justifies the call based on the weight of the organic market: 145 billion euros in global retail sales in 2024, of which Europe exceeded 58.7 billion and the European Union 49.5 billion, with Germany, France, and Italy as the main markets. In its most recent editions, Biofach has brought together more than 2,300 exhibitors from nearly 100 countries and approximately 35,000 professional visitors from 140 countries.

The call arrives with a tight schedule: SMEs and cooperatives in the region’s organic sector have less than a month to prepare the application and apply for aid that covers 65% of the trip and the transport of samples. The fair is the sector’s main global event and one of the most direct ways to open foreign markets in a high-value-added segment.

Source: Official Gazette of Castilla-La Mancha, no. 205, October 26, 2026, section III, pp. 37561-37570 (official reference: 2026/7662).