Case Study

Accreditation facilitates tax incentives for innovative SMEs in Spain

The Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism developed and implemented an initiative to promote research, development and innovation (R&D&I) among small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent a sizable number of Spanish companies, considering accreditation as an evaluation and control tool for granting tax benefits. To that end, the Ministry published an Order regulating the requirements of the ‘Innovative SME’ mark, which allows R&D&I small and medium companies to benefit from tax incentives.

The governmental initiative is seen as a great advantage for SMEs, as the tax incentive can represent a direct saving in business expenses and facilitate the recruitment of research staff.

To obtain the ‘Innovative SME’ mark, companies can provide the competent authority with a certificate issued by a certification body accredited by ENAC, the Spanish national accreditation body. Thus, accreditation becomes a key tool for delivering confidence in the technical competence of certification bodies and, in consequence, about the tax incentives granting process, ultimately benefiting the direct users of this initiative: SMEs.