Brazil FINEP Inovacred

Brazil FINEP Inovacred

Supports Brazilian startups and technology companies with credit-backed financing for innovation activities and product development.

FINEP Inovacred is a concessional credit line operated by FINEP (Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos), Brazil's federal agency for the financing of studies and projects, subordinate to the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation. Inovacred provides below-market loans to Brazilian small and medium-sized enterprises with annual gross revenue below R$90 million that are pursuing innovation projects across a broad range of sectors and technology domains. The program is cross-sector and technology-neutral, covering product development, process improvement, and technology adoption activities. Loan amounts typically range from R$200,000 to R$5,000,000 per beneficiary.

Eligibility requires Brazilian incorporation and active operations, with applicants demonstrating an innovation-focused project plan as defined by FINEP's operational criteria. Companies at TRL 3–7 — with a defined concept and early development work underway — are the primary target. Universities and research organizations may participate as co-applicants or technical partners alongside SME lead applicants. Non-profit organizations are not eligible as primary recipients. Inovacred operates through a network of accredited financial institutions (Agentes Financeiros) that handle application intake, credit analysis, and disbursement on FINEP's behalf.

Because Inovacred is delivered via partner financial institutions rather than directly by FINEP, applicants must identify and engage an accredited partner bank or development finance institution in their region. The program operates on a rolling basis without fixed national deadlines, though individual partner institutions may set their own windows. Inovacred is one of FINEP's most accessible instruments for innovative SMEs and represents a primary non-dilutive financing option for Brazilian startups and growth-stage companies that have not yet qualified for FINEP's larger direct-financing lines.