The objective of the Programme will be to fund technical visits and short training programmes, lasting up to nine (9) months, so that professionals and technicians employed by national companies, who develop tasks related to scientific and technological innovation, can acquire specific or practical knowledge on technological tools overseas, in fields related to technological innovation, production and processes, in order to meet the needs of both SMEs and Large Goods and Services Companies.
As an essential requirement, the Programme expects something in return from the applicant company according to its size.
The fields related to management, marketing and finance, proposals for commercial visits and participation in trade fairs and events are expressly excluded.
 
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

In order to be eligible for the Call, the applicant companies shall meet the following criteria:
a)   Be a national company located in the country;
b)   Relevance in relation to the Strategic Socio-Productive Cores (Núcleos Socio-Productivos Estratégicos, NSPE) (Annex I) and overall consistency with the guidelines and areas identified as priorities in the 2012-2015 National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation (Plan Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación, PNCTI) [1];
c)   Attach a Certificate of Registration at the Federal Administration of Public Revenue (Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos, AFIP);
d)   Submit ONE (1) PROPOSAL FOR THEORETICAL AND/OR PRACTICAL TRAINING TO PARTICIPATE IN SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNOLOGICAL RESEARCH of its professionals or specialized employees in the knowledge areas detailed in Appendix I, which are of priority development for the country. The proposal shall fit the provisions set out in Annex III;
e)  The destination countries should be mentioned on the list included in Annex II of these Terms and Conditions;
f)    The proposed employees must be duly registered at the company, be Argentine citizens residing in Argentina, and must have been part of the company for at least six (6) months;
g)   The proposed human resources (HR) must be the company's employees and university or technical courses undergraduates from courses lasting not less than two (2) years, or have an equivalent professional experience;
h)     The training destination should not be a subsidiary company or a company linked to the applicant company.
i)     SMEs must also:
1. Be considered a Small and Medium-Sized Enterprise under the provisions set out in Resolution 24/2001, as amended, by the Secretariat of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Regional Development;
2. Submit the forms set out in Annex IV.

Note: The annexes mentioned are available in the Terms and Conditions of this Call.


SELECTION

a)   The proposals submitted by the applicant Institutions will be evaluated by an Advisory Committee and an Evaluation Committee, consisting of the BEC.AR PROGRAMME, the MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND PRODUCTIVE INNOVATION OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC and the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY  AND THE SECRETARIAT of SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED ENTERPRISES AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT with the following selection criteria
1. Feasibility to achieve the proposed objectives that give rise to the need for training.
2. Socio-economic impact of the technological and productive problem to be solved, considering the company and the market of the product or service and its geographical scope.
3. Fit of the activities proposed in the training with their objective.
4. Relevance of the identified strategic socio-productive cores and overall consistency with the guidelines set in the National Plan for Science, Technology and Innovation 2020.
5. Justification for the reason why the training is feasible abroad and not in Argentina.
6. Professional profile of the HR proposed for the training.
7. The Evaluation Committee will base its selection on an equal geographic and gender distribution.
b)    The pre-selected PROPOSALS will be announced on the BEC.AR website (http://bec.ar) and an interview will be held with the applicants and their legal representatives or with a relevant person related to the subject-matter of the company.
c)     The dates set for interviews may be subject to change by the Advisory Committee, which will previously notify the applicants or pre-selected candidates via email.
d)     Candidates from the provinces will be interviewed in Buenos Aires, or if they are unable to travel, they will be interviewed via video-conferencing or over the telephone. The interview is mandatory for those who wish to continue moving forward in the selection process. During the interview, among other requirements, the candidate's ability to communicate in the language spoken at the destination will be assessed.
e)      Based on the analysis of the PROPOSALS that were put forward and of the interviews, the Advisory Committee will submit a preliminary list to the Evaluation Committee, which will make the final decision.
f)       The Evaluation Committee shall base its selection of the finalist PROPOSALS on an equal geographic and gender distribution.