Melilla announces extraordinary investment grants with ERDF funds

The Autonomous City of Melilla has issued an extraordinary call for capital grants for investment projects, with a maximum amount of up to 50% of the eligible investment and a deadline of 20 business days to submit applications. The measure is signed by Counselor Miguel Marín Cobos, head of the Department of Economy, Trade, Technological Innovation, Tourism and Development, and is published in the Official Gazette of the Autonomous City of Melilla (BOME) No. 6422, of October 13, 2026, via Order No. 2377, of October 5, 2026 (reference BOME-A-2026-1136), whose summary appears as BOME-A-2026-1135.

The call is based on the regulatory bases approved by Decree of April 18, 2024 (BOME No. 6167, of 04/23/2024) and falls under the notification exemption of Regulation (EU) No. 651/2014, with aid number SA.113964. The processed file is 25163/2026 and the summary is identified in the National Grants Database with the code BDNS 934137.

This is a complementary call to the ordinary 2026 call (BOME No. 6361, of 03/13/2026), which required the generation of stable employment. The new call excludes this concept both as an obligation and as an eligible expense, and seeks to apply the remaining funds of the ERDF Program for Melilla 2021-2027, co-financed at 85%, to strengthen and modernize SMEs through productive investments.

Amount and Financing

• Budget: 600,000.00 euros, charged to budget application 06/43300/77001 (2025) and credit retention 12026000076679.
• Capital grant of up to 50% of the eligible investment; no project may obtain more than half of the call’s budget.
• Minimum financial contribution from the beneficiary: 25% of the eligible costs, exempt from any public aid.
• The acquisition of real estate and the generation of employment for the project are excluded.
• If the credit is exhausted, the amount may be prorated up to 80% among the beneficiaries.

Beneficiaries and Eligible Projects

SMEs carrying out an economic activity within the territorial scope of Melilla, including joint ventures and groupings without legal personality, as well as self-employed workers, may apply for the grants. The creation of new companies and the expansion or diversification of activity are subsidized; in the latter case, the company must have been registered in the IAE (Economic Activities Tax) at least one year prior to the application.

The following, among others, may not be beneficiaries:

• Companies from sectors excluded by Regulation (EU) No 651/2014.
• Companies in the construction sector, including development and building.
• Companies that obtain 75% or more of their income from public administrations or bodies.
• Companies in crisis or with previous subsidies pending justification.

Deadlines, processing, and evaluation

• Application period: 20 business days from the day following the publication of the summary in the BOME.
• Submission exclusively electronically through the electronic office of the Autonomous City of Melilla; the forms are also available on the Proyecto Melilla, S.A.U. website.
• Resolution: maximum of six months from the end of the application period, with negative administrative silence.
• Project execution: up to twelve months from the notification of the grant; justification, up to two months later.
• Management is the responsibility of Proyecto Melilla, S.A.U. and the resolution is issued by the Councilor for Economy, Trade, Technological Innovation, Tourism, and Development.

The Evaluation Commission scores projects up to a maximum of 80 points: up to 45 for innovation, digitalization, and sustainability; up to 20 for professional qualification and business motivation; up to 5 for location in priority areas; up to 5 for the capacity to generate economic activity; and up to 5 for the implementation of equality plans. The stable employment criterion does not apply in this call.

The call opens a relevant financing route for freelancers and small and medium-sized enterprises in Melilla that plan to invest in machinery, civil works, digitalization, or energy efficiency, by lowering the subsidy limit but expanding the potential number of beneficiaries. Interested parties must submit their application electronically within the deadline and prove that they have not started the investments before applying, an indispensable requirement to qualify for the aid.

Source: Official Gazette of the Autonomous City of Melilla (BOME), No. 6422, of October 13, 2026, section I, page 5033 (official reference: BOME-A-2026-1136).