The Center for Technological Development and Innovation (CDTI) opened on April 14 the application period for the 2026 NEOTEC Program call, with a total budget of €20.38 million in grant funding, of which €5 million is reserved exclusively for the Neotec Mujeres line. This call will fund projects from small, technology-based companies across any technological and sectoral field and maintains the aid intensity premium for beneficiaries who hire at least one PhD to strengthen their absorptive capacity and knowledge generation, increasing the maximum funding from 70% to 85% of the eligible budget, with grant caps of €250,000 and €325,000, respectively.
The subsidies will be used to finance innovative small business projects (tech-based SMEs) with growth potential that require the use of technologies or knowledge developed from the research activity and in which the business strategy is based on the development of own technology and the intensive use of scientific and technological knowledge, thereby contributing to entrepreneurship and accelerating the transfer of knowledge from public research bodies and universities.
In line with previous calls, Neotec 2026 continues the action started in 2022 and maintains the possibility of providing access to specialized training delivered by the Enterprise Innovation Institute at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA) or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), to strengthen company training and their chances of success in the market, facilitate knowledge of Spanish tech-based companies within the U.S. entrepreneurial ecosystem, and provide specialized knowledge in areas such as sustainability innovation — environmental and business — new business strategies or internationalization processes, among others. The 20 best projects requesting access to this training may see the grant amount increased by up to €10,000.
NEOTEC Program Profile and Call 2026
Small technology-based companies established for less than three years with a minimum share capital of €20,000 may apply for subsidies, which require that they have not distributed profits or be listed on a stock exchange, except for alternative trading platforms.
Applications will be open until May 14. The subsidies may cover up to 70% of the business plan submitted, and projects must begin on January 1, 2027 and end on December 31, 2027 if annual, or December 31, 2028 if multiannual, and must have a minimum budget of €175,000 and a cap of €250,000 per beneficiary.
However, projects that hire doctors under the terms set by the call may receive up to 85% funding of their business plan, with a limit of €250,000 and €325,000 per entity. Additionally, the grant amount will be increased by up to €10,000 if access to the specialized training offered by the call is requested.
Furthermore, after the final grant decision is issued, an advance payment of up to 60% of the grant may be provided, up to €150,000, with no collateral required.
The objective is to fund initiatives whose business model is based on intensive knowledge in scientific and technological fields, thereby contributing to entrepreneurship and the transfer of R&D from public bodies and universities.
