What grants exist in Portugal? How do you get them, where do you track them, and what should you definitely check before applying? Here’s a look at grants as one form of non-repayable funding.
Jun 29, 2026
Some of these programs aren’t limited to startups — they’re aimed at a broader range of applicants: the applicant could also be a long-established small or medium company launching a specific project, whether innovative, technological, green, digital, research-based, or international. Future pieces in this series will cover equity investment separately, followed by systemic support — incubators, accelerators, and tax/visa tools for startups.
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How grants work
Portuguese and European programs describe this kind of support as a non-repayable subsidy. A company submits a project with a budget, the program approves which expenses are eligible, and then the work performed and money spent are confirmed with documentation. In some cases funds arrive upfront; in others, as reimbursement after verification.
A grant rarely covers the entire project budget. Usually the program pays for only part of the costs, and the company covers the rest with its own money or other permitted co-financing.
Most grant programs evaluate applications against formal project criteria: where the company is registered, which region the work takes place in, whether it holds small or medium enterprise status, whether it has debts to the tax authority or social security (Segurança Social), and whether expenses can be documented. Founders’ citizenship generally isn’t a separate criterion.
Where to start: quick navigation
For an idea, an early prototype, or a compact digital product, founder-focused programs like StartUP Voucher Innovate are a fit.
An operating company with its own project should logically start with Portugal 2030 and COMPETE 2030. For a single small service — innovation consulting, R&D certification, intellectual property protection — the system includes simplified Vale vouchers; for a full investment project involving a new product, equipment, or international expansion, there are programs like SICE.
A project with a substantial research or technological component will need SIID, Eurostars, or European Innovation Council programs. These are more complex instruments for R&D, deep tech, consortia, and projects carrying technological risk.
For expansion into markets outside Europe, there’s Innowwide, a program offering a grant for a short study of the target country.
In competitions and prize programs, funding isn’t tied to an approved budget but to the outcome of the selection process: it could be a cash prize, a funded pilot, a business trip, program participation, or reimbursement of specific costs.
If your project is still at the idea stage
StartUP Voucher Innovate 2025-2026 is aimed at young founders with ideas for tech projects. Applications are open through August 25, 2026. The program is run by IAPMEI, Portugal’s competitiveness and innovation agency.
Eligibility is narrow: candidates must be under 29, hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, and not be studying, in training, employed, or have other income sources. Tax residency in the North Region, Central Region, or Alentejo is also required.
Financial support consists of a monthly stipend of €900 over the program’s nine months, available to up to two participants per project. On top of that come interim bonuses of €1,500 at the start of the second and third phases, and a final bonus of €2,000 upon creating your own job. Participants also get access to incubators, mentors, training programs, pitch events, and ecosystem meetups.
If the company is already registered
Portugal 2030 is the framework through which Portugal allocates European funds for the 2021–2027 period, totaling around €23 billion across 12 programs. For business and innovation, the main program is COMPETE 2030: many application rounds run through it for companies launching new products or investing in technology, research, digitalization, or foreign market expansion. COMPETE 2030’s total budget is about €3.9 billion.
The Portugal 2030 annual call plan lists 211 planned application rounds worth roughly €3.16 billion. You can filter programs by fund, region, applicant type, and objective; there’s a separate filter for private companies.
The share of costs a program covers depends on the region, company type, kind of work, and state aid rules. For Lisbon, as a more developed region, coverage is usually lower than elsewhere in the country: Lisbon-based projects often get around 40% of costs covered, versus up to 60–85% in other regions.
Support within the system scales up — from small single-service vouchers to large investment projects.
Vale — small single-service vouchers
The easiest entry point is the simplified voucher (vale): support for purchasing one specific service from an accredited provider. This is a projeto simplificado (simplified project) with a short budget and quick turnaround. The applicant is usually a micro, small, or medium enterprise, the service is delivered by an accredited organization, and the project must address a clear, predefined task.
These vouchers include:
Vale Inovação — consulting on implementing innovation;
Vale Spin-off — launching a company based on research results;
Vale Certificação em I&D — certification in research and development;
Vale Direitos de Propriedade Intelectual e Industrial — intellectual property protection.
These vouchers share similar terms: project budgets up to €20,000, coverage up to 75% of costs, and a term of up to 12 months.
SICE — business competitiveness
SICE (Sistema de Incentivos à Competitividade Empresarial) supports projects tied to competitiveness, productive innovation, skills development, and international growth. Applications are currently open for SICE — Inovação Produtiva — Territórios Baixa Densidade e Outros Territórios, with a deadline of September 30, 2026.
Applicants can be micro, small, and medium companies with organized bookkeeping. Support targets individual investment projects tied to innovative activity: setting up a new unit or facility, expanding an existing business’s capacity, diversifying production, or substantially changing a production process.
Geographic coverage spans the North Region, Central Region, Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve. The open call’s budget is €182.5 million. Maximum coverage depends on where the project is carried out: up to 60% in most regions, up to 50% in Algarve, and up to 40% in Lisbon.
If your project involves research and technological risk
For research and technologically risky projects, there are Portuguese and European tools: SIID within COMPETE 2030, European Innovation Council programs, and Eurostars. Beyond a business plan and budget, these require research components, demonstrated technical risk, partners, or a clear path from development to market.
SIID — research and development
SIID (Sistema de Incentivos à Investigação e Desenvolvimento) covers industrial research, experimental development, and commercialization of knowledge. One of its programs, SIID — Internacionalização de I&D — Operações de I&D industrial à escala europeia, is currently accepting applications.
Deadlines are September 30 and December 29, 2026. The total budget is €10 million: €7 million through COMPETE 2030, €1 million through the Lisbon regional program, and €2 million through Algarve. For companies in Lisbon, the program can cover up to 40% of eligible costs; through the main COMPETE 2030 line and in Algarve, up to 80%. For research and innovation organizations, coverage can reach 85%.
Applicants can be small and medium companies with organized bookkeeping. Joint projects can also include research and innovation organizations. Applications need a research component, international partners, and a clear link between technical risk, project work, and future commercialization.
EIC Accelerator — grant for risky innovation
EIC Accelerator is a European Innovation Council program for startups and small or medium companies with innovations that could create a new market or disrupt an existing one. It’s designed for projects already close to market entry and scaling, not early-stage ideas.
The grant component is under €2.5 million, meant for innovation work over 24 months. EIC Accelerator also has an investment component of up to €10 million through equity or a quasi-equity instrument.
Selection is multi-stage: a short application, a full application, an interview with the EIC jury, and then finalizing the grant agreement or investment due diligence. Short applications can be submitted year-round, while full-application deadlines in 2026 are July 8, September 2, and November 4.
EIC Transition and EIC Pathfinder — research and market transition
EIC Transition fits technology that has already passed experimental proof of concept and needs further development, validation, and market preparation. The program offers grants up to €2.5 million for projects building on results from already-funded European research and innovation, including EIC Pathfinder, ERC Proof of Concept, and other tracks. The 2026 EIC Transition deadline is September 16.
EIC Pathfinder targets an earlier stage: fundamental, breakthrough work with high scientific and technological risk. It’s geared more toward research teams and consortia than a typical young company. Grants can reach up to €4 million, and consortia must include at least three independent legal entities from different countries. Thematic calls have their own separate rules.
Eurostars — international research projects
Eurostars is an international program for joint research projects led by innovative small and medium companies. Projects need at least two independent partners from two Eurostars-participating countries, and companies from those countries must bear at least 50% of the project’s costs excluding subcontracting. Project duration is up to 36 months, with a focus on civilian technology applications.
Eurostars Call 11 accepts applications from July 9 to September 10, 2026. In Portugal, the program funds R&D costs for small and medium companies, research organizations, and universities; for small and medium companies, it covers up to 80% of project cost. Investments in the Lisbon region are capped at 40%. The project must align with national or regional "smart specialization" priorities.
Portuguese companies need to demonstrate financial stability — equity making up at least 15% of the balance sheet. For companies under one year old at the time of application, the bar is higher: they must show they can fund at least 20% of project costs from their own equity. After a positive Eurostars evaluation, the Portuguese participant still needs to complete national funding formalities.
If the company is expanding outside Europe
Innowwide helps innovative small and medium companies and startups prepare to enter markets outside Europe. The program provides a €60,000 grant for a six-month study of a target country in Africa, the Americas, Asia, or Oceania. The application requires an independent contractor registered in that country. The study itself, which the funding covers, can look at regulation, local partners, technical feasibility, business model viability, and key market risks.
Competitions, pilots, and cash prizes
For early-stage tech teams, there’s EIT Jumpstarter. Participants compete for €2,500, €5,000, or €10,000 to launch their project, with a separate travel budget available. The 2026 cohort is already closed, but it’s a recurring European program worth tracking for the next cycle.
For health and biotech companies, there’s EIT Health Catapult, a competition and training program for startups and spin-offs from the EU and Horizon Europe-associated countries. Finalists get European-level expert review and compete for a cash prize of up to €30,000. The program targets more mature teams: rules require company registration, revenue, or raised private investment.
The European Prize for Women Innovators, from the European Innovation Council and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, targets women founders of companies from EU and Horizon Europe countries. Main categories offer €100,000, €70,000, and €50,000, while a category for young founders offers €50,000, €30,000, and €20,000. The application is submitted by an individual, so terms differ from a company grant.
What expenses go into an application
Grant applications typically include several expense categories:
technical specialists and staff working on research and development, if their work is directly tied to the project;
specialized external services: development, engineering, design, product validation, consulting, certification, market research;
equipment, tools, prototypes, equipment rental, licenses, and software subscriptions;
protecting and commercially using intellectual property;
accreditation or technological certification;
testing, lab work, proof of concept, demonstrators, and pilots;
international expansion: trade fairs, partner and client outreach, business meetings, market research, promotion, and digital tools;
indirect costs, if the program applies a flat rate or simplified calculation.
Not all business expenses can go into a grant budget. VAT, working capital, real estate, vehicles, cash payments, ongoing advertising, application preparation itself, and expenses incurred before the approved project start date usually can’t be claimed.
What to prepare before applying
A grant application takes more time than the portal form suggests. For Portuguese programs, companies will need:
access to Balcão dos Fundos, the single portal for European funds in Portugal, and clarity on who will be the official representative;
confirmation of no outstanding debts to the tax authority and social security;
a project description: problem, solution, innovation, market, expected results, milestones;
a budget broken down by expense category, with quotes, contracts, or market justification;
a co-financing plan;
a project timeline with the expense start date, execution period, and reporting milestones.
Technology and research programs may also require proof of small or medium enterprise status (Certificação PME) via IAPMEI, organized bookkeeping, registration of the ultimate beneficial owner in the RCBE, and documentation on intellectual property, technology development stage, prior R&D results, or international partners. European programs require a similar set of materials, but submission goes through European portals.
Common mistakes
The first mistake is judging a program by its maximum co-financing percentage. The maximum listed in a program’s description isn’t the guaranteed payout — the final percentage is calculated based on project parameters and state aid rules.
The second is starting to spend before the eligible date. In many programs, the project can’t start before the application is submitted or approved, and expenses outside the eligible period won’t be accepted. This trips up companies that already hired a contractor, signed a contract, or bought software before applying.
The third is mixing project expenses with general operating costs. A grant budget needs to show a clear link between each expense and the project’s goal: who’s doing the work, why it’s needed, which milestone it closes, and how the result is documented.
The fourth is underestimating the reporting burden. After approval comes project management: invoices, payment confirmations, technical reports, deliverables, communication rules, audits, and payment requests. If the company doesn’t have someone responsible for this, the grant can turn into a management burden.
