Intercooperation grants: 267,000 euros for the social economy

The Department of Economy, Labor and Employment has approved a call for applications for 267,000 euros for 2026 to finance inter-cooperation actions between social economy enterprises and entities. The order was signed by MIGUEL TORRES LORENZO, Second Vice-President of the Government and Minister of Economy, Labor and Employment on August 31, 2026, and was published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV) number 171 on September 8, 2026, with official reference 2026/3830.

The order approves the bases for grants for business inter-cooperation in the social economy and opens the call for 2026. This is a subsidy line included in the Department’s Strategic Grant Plan for the 2025-2028 period and the 2026 Budget Memorandum, and it is financed under Law 7/2025, of December 23, which approves the General Budgets of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country for 2026.

Financing and budget

The call has a maximum global budget of 267,000 euros, divided into two credits:

• 2026 payment credit: 200,250 euros, of which 62,625 are de minimis and 137,625 are non-de minimis.
• 2027 commitment credit: 66,750 euros, of which 20,875 are de minimis and 45,875 are non-de minimis.

Grants will be awarded through a competitive bidding procedure, and if all applications meet the objective and subjective conditions, they will be granted the corresponding equivalent amounts; otherwise, a proportional reduction will be applied.

Beneficiaries and eligible actions

Entities that carry out their main activity in the Basque Country may be beneficiaries: social economy enterprises in the form of cooperatives or labor societies, associations of social economy enterprises and entities, and inter-cooperation structures. Eligible actions include:

• Implementing and establishing an inter-cooperation project (purchase-sale, innovation, cost reduction, joint technology acquisition, financing mechanisms).
• Designing joint strategies between associations for innovation or diversification.
• Formalizing inter-cooperation agreements and creating new companies or structures.
• Preparing and formalizing mergers of social economy enterprises.
• New social capital contributions by partners of the absorbed company resulting from a merger.
• Inter-cooperation activities carried out by the main representative organizations of the social economy for their associations.

Amounts and deadlines

The grant amounts vary according to the type of action:

• Actions 2.1.a), b), f) and h): 50% of the activity cost, with a limit of 12,000 euros per entity; this increases to 75% in case f) and 85% in case h).
• Actions 2.1.c) and d) (agreements and mergers): 50% of the cost, with a limit of 30,000 euros.
• Action 2.1.e) (capital contributions): 100% of the subscribed capital, with a maximum of 3,000 euros per partner.
• Action 2.1.g): 100% of the activity cost, with a limit of 80,000 euros.

Activities must start in 2026 and end before June 30, 2027; the capital subscription of the merger, however, must be completed before December 31, 2026. Applications must be submitted within a period of one month, counting from the day following its publication in the BOPV, exclusively through the Electronic Office. Payment will be made in two installments: 75% at the time of granting and the remaining 25% upon completion of the activity.

This call promotes cooperation and unification within the social economy sector as a means to strengthen the competitiveness of small enterprises and economic democracy, representing an important step in consolidating the organizational network of the social economy in the Basque Country.

Fuente: Official Gazette of the Basque Country, number 171, September 8, 2026, Other provisions section, pp. 1-15 (official reference: 2026/3830).