IAPMEI — Agency for Competitiveness & Innovation (Agência para a Competitividade e Inovação)

Supports Portuguese small and medium-sized companies through productive investment and innovation grants.

IAPMEI — Agência para a Competitividade e Inovação is Portugal's national agency for SME competitiveness and innovation, operating under the Ministry of Economy and Territorial Cohesion. It is the delivery body behind Portugal 2030 and the PRR's business-innovation lines, and by the end of 2024 it had processed more than 17,000 applications, contracted about €4.6 billion in incentives, and paid out about €1.9 billion.

Its grant portfolio spans productive investment, entrepreneurship, and SME qualification. The record includes COMPETE 2030, the PRR C5 Agendas for Business Innovation, StartUP Voucher Innovate 2025-2026, which reaches €11,600 for young graduates building tech-based ideas, and the Portugal Tech Startup Visa programmes, which go as high as €2.14 million. The broader remit also reaches tax incentive routes such as RFAI, SIFIDE II, ICE, IFR, and IFICI.

IAPMEI works as an implementing and intermediate body rather than as a standalone grantmaker, which makes process discipline more important than branding. Applicants usually need an eligible Portuguese business base, a clear investment case, and a call-specific submission through the national funding portals. The agency is most relevant for founders and SMEs that need state-backed support across innovation, productive investment, and entrepreneurship, especially where EU and national funds are layered into one route.