This Call for Applications aims to stimulate business investment of an innovative nature, promoting a change in the specialization profile of the Portuguese economy and strengthening its external competitiveness, through differentiation, diversification and innovation.

Operations that contribute to improving the productive capacities of SMEs and to the development of innovative, digital and sustainable solutions, particularly based on R&D results and the increase in qualified employment, corresponding to an initial investment, related to the following types of action, are eligible for support:

1. The creation of a new establishment;
2. Increasing the capacity of an existing establishment;
3. The diversification of an establishment's production to products not previously produced in the establishment;
4. The fundamental alteration of the overall production process of an existing establishment.

The operations to be supported must aim at the production of new goods and services, or significant improvements in current production, through the transfer and application of knowledge. The operations may, alternatively or complementarily, also aim at the adoption of new, or significantly improved, manufacturing, logistics and production processes or methods.

distribution, organizational or marketing.

The financing rate for eligible operations is obtained from the sum of several installments, up to a maximum limit of 40%, non-refundable.

Within the scope of this Call for Tenders, the following costs are eligible, provided they are directly related to the development of the operation:

1. Tangible assets, including the acquisition of machinery and equipment, costs directly attributable to placing them in the location and conditions necessary for their operation, as well as the acquisition of computer equipment, including the software necessary for their operation;
2. Intangible assets, including technology transfer through the acquisition of national and international patent rights, licenses, technical knowledge not protected by patent, and standard software or software developed specifically for a specific purpose;
3. Other investment expenses, including expenses for the intervention of certified accountants or statutory auditors, in the validation of the expenditure of payment requests; engineering services; studies, diagnostics, audits; studies or reports within the scope of the alignment of the operation with the Principle “Do No Significant Harm”, as defined in Article 8 of the REITD; marketing plans; architectural and engineering projects and services.

In the case of operations in the tourism and industry sectors (whose sectoral scope is covered by CAE), and in duly justified cases within the scope of the innovative activity incorporated in the operation, the construction of buildings, renovation works and other constructions may also be eligible, with the following limitations:

The costs of building construction, renovation work and other construction work may not exceed the following limits:

• For operations located in NUTS II North, Center, Lisbon and Alentejo:
  • 60% of the total eligible expenses of the operation, in the case of operations in the tourism sector
  • 35% of the total eligible expenses of the operation, in the case of operations in the industry sector

Operations eligible for support must present a minimum total eligible expenditure of 250,000 euros and a total eligible expenditure, measured on the basis of the data presented in the application, of less than 25 million euros.

The application period will run in a 1st phase until 29/09/2023 and in a 2nd phase until 15/12/2023.