Girona approves subsidies for digital culture and video games with the promotion of Catalan

The Diputació de Girona has definitively approved the regulatory bases for subsidies for the organization of digital culture, video games, technology, fan culture (fandom), and geek culture events that promote Catalan in the region. The agreement becomes final after no allegations were presented during the public information process and is published in the Official Gazette of the Province of Girona (BOPG) no. 194, of October 8, 2026, with the reference BOP-2026_0_194_8596 (pp. 1-12).

The bases were initially approved by the Plenary of the Diputació de Girona in the session of July 21, 2026, and submitted for public information for 20 business days, via an announcement in the BOPG no. 148, of August 4, 2026, and, by reference, in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9733, of August 19, 2026. The procedure is framed within article 178 of the revised text of the Municipal and Local Regime Law of Catalonia, approved by Legislative Decree 2/2003, of April 28.

The text is promoted by the corporation’s New Technologies service and aims to finance events, meetings, and workshops linked to electronic leisure and training in this field, with Catalan as the normal and primary language. The bases align with the Sustainable Development Goals SDG 9 (innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 10 (reduced inequalities).

Up to 15,000 euros per entity and non-competitive bidding

The maximum individualized amount is 15,000 euros per year per beneficiary entity, and the subsidy can cover up to 100% of the correctly justified expenditure. The assigned credit will be distributed in equal parts among all applications that meet the requirements.

The granting procedure is that of non-competitive bidding and public call, which must be approved by the Governing Board of the Diputació, acting by delegation of the Presidency. The subsidies are purpose-specific and do not generate any right to obtain others in subsequent years.

The following may apply:

• Foundations, associations, cooperatives, and other validly constituted non-profit entities.
• Entities that have carried out or plan to carry out actions in the Girona region within the execution period of the call.
• Applicants who meet the requirements of article 13 of the General Subsidies Law 38/2003, of November 17.

Catalan, the primary language of the activities

The subsidizable events must take place in the Girona counties and must include activities such as video game competitions and tournaments, electronic sports, online gaming meetings, round tables, conferences, programming workshops, video game development, robotics, artificial intelligence, or cybersecurity, as well as manifestations of Japanese culture, manga, anime, and maker culture.

Catalan must be the normal language of the meeting: the website, advertising, venue signage, public address system messages, and the presentation of proceedings must be in Catalan at a minimum, and this language must occupy the primary position. In presentations, round tables, and activities, Catalan must have a presence of more than 50%.

Eligible expenses, advances, and control

Eligible expenses include, among others, remuneration for speakers (up to 600 euros plus VAT), accommodation, subsistence, and transport for speakers (up to 250 euros per speaker), rental of rooms and equipment, simultaneous translation, dissemination and advertising, security and public assistance, Internet connections, and legal advice linked to the activity.

The following are excluded:

• Subsistence expenses, except for those of speakers and lecturers.
• Prizes and promotional products, such as merchandising.
• Inventoriable material, furniture, and office equipment.
• Operating expenses inherent to the entity.

Processing is carried out exclusively online, through the Diputació Grants Portal (https://seu.ddgi.cat/subvencions), using a digital certificate. The maximum term to resolve and notify is six months from the end of the application submission period; once this period has elapsed, applications are understood to be rejected by administrative silence. An advance of up to 70% of the grant may be requested, and justification requires a report, photographic coverage, a list of presentations with the language used, and recordings of the public address system and presentations.

The rules are in effect from the day after their full publication in the BOPG, and specific calls will be published shortly. The agreement, signed by president Miquel Noguer Planas on October 1, 2026, exhausts the administrative route and may be appealed before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within a period of two months.

For cultural and technological entities in the Girona regions, the measure opens a stable line of financing for an emerging sector, that of video games and digital culture, and links public aid to an explicit linguistic requirement: that Catalan be the main language of the events.

Source: Official Gazette of the Province of Girona (BOPG), no. 194, October 8, 2026, pp. 1-12 (official reference: BOP-2026_0_194_8596).