SIID – Qualified and Knowledge-Associated Entrepreneurship – Creation of New Companies and New Businesses (SI) – ALT2030-2026-57

About

The Alentejo 2030 call ALT2030-2026-57 offers a 75% non-repayable FEDER grant, capped at €1 million per project and doubled for innovative firms, to micro and small start-ups commercialising R&D or knowledge-intensive projects in the Alentejo region, with applications due by 18:00 on 26 February 2027.

Benefits

• 💶75% co-financing
  For approved projects, provides a non-repayable grant covering 75% of eligible expenses.
• 💰Up to €1,000,000 per project
  For approved projects, caps the incentive at €1,000,000 for companies established in NUTS II Alentejo.
• 💡Doubled cap for innovative companies
  Conditional on qualifying as an innovative company: raises the maximum incentive to €2,000,000.
• 🏦€2,000,000 total call budget
  Makes €2,000,000 of FEDER funding available across the call, not per applicant.
• 🧾Eligible investment costs
  Covers tangible assets such as machinery, equipment and IT/software, intangible assets such as patents, licences, know-how and software, and other investment expenses such as certified accountants, auditors, engineering services, studies, diagnostics, audits, marketing plans and architecture/engineering projects.
• 📈Payment against actual costs
  For approved projects, pays the grant as a subsidy based on real costs, with an initial advance of up to 10% and payment by advance against invoice, reimbursement and/or final balance.

Eligibility Criteria

• Mandatory: micro or small enterprise in start-up phase, with a maximum age of three years after the start of activity
• Mandatory: the project must create a new company or new business resulting from R&D projects or have a strong knowledge-valorisation component, including technology- and creativity-intensive projects
• Mandatory: the project must align with the priority domains of the Alentejo RIS3/EREI
• Mandatory: submit a self-assessment of alignment with the ‘Do No Significant Harm’ principle
• Mandatory: contribute to maintaining at least one qualified paid job (level VI or higher) in NUTS II Alentejo, evidenced by the worker’s tax residence in Alentejo
• Mandatory: demonstrate available financing sources for the operation
• Mandatory: each beneficiary may participate in only one application under this call
• Mandatory: have at least one person on the payroll, evidenced by the latest Social Security remuneration declaration
• Mandatory: meet a financial autonomy ratio of at least 0.15, or for new companies show equity financing capacity of at least 20% of eligible expenses
• Mandatory: submit IES 2025 with the pre-project balance, or the average of the last two balances or a later interim balance certified by a statutory auditor, reported by the application date
• Mandatory: present the licensing required for the activity
• Optional innovative status: if claimed, provide an external expert assessment confirming new or substantially improved products, services or processes with technological or industrial failure risk within 24 months, or show R&D costs of at least 10% of total operating costs in at least one of the previous three years, or for a start-up without financial history, an audit of the current fiscal year
• Mandatory: the operation must be individual and the project/investment must be located in NUTS II Alentejo

Participation Commitments

• The managing authority aims to decide within 60 working days after the call closes and notify within 5 working days of the decision
• If requested to supply missing elements or clarifications, respond within the deadline set by the managing authority, which cannot exceed 10 working days unless a justified exception is accepted

Target Region

The project/investment must be located in NUTS II Alentejo, Portugal; the beneficiary must maintain at least one qualified paid job held by a worker with tax residence in the Alentejo region. No separate applicant nationality or incorporation requirement is stated.

Target Sector

Not Specified