FINEP Economic Subsidy (Subvenção Econômica; Mais Inovação Brasil)

FINEP Mais Inovação Brasil — Defense Industrial Base (Base Industrial de Defesa)

Funds strategic defense technology development in aerospace and advanced manufacturing.

FINEP Mais Inovação Brasil — Base Industrial de Defesa is a thematic edital under Mais Inovação Brasil Rodada 2, allocating R$ 300 million exclusively to innovation in Brazil's defense industrial base. The programme targets high-technical-uncertainty projects aligned with national defense strategic priorities: advancing production autonomy, generating applied knowledge, and reducing foreign technology dependence in defense-relevant sectors including aerospace, defense electronics, and advanced manufacturing. Funding is non-reimbursable subvenção econômica via FNDCT, administered by FINEP under MCTI.

Eligibility carries a strict pre-condition: the applicant company must already hold the Empresa Estratégica de Defesa (EED) classification issued by the Brazilian Ministry of Defense — there is no path to acquire it during the application process. Additionally, at least one ICT (research institution) must participate as a mandatory co-executor, distinguishing this edital from most other Rodada 2 calls where ICT co-execution is optional. Additional national co-executors are permitted. Projects may run up to 36 months from contracting. Eligible costs include research team, specialist services, essential equipment, and prototyping materials; marketing and administrative costs are excluded.

The submission deadline is 30 September 2026. Applications are submitted through the FINEP platform at cadastro.finep.gov.br and must include a PDF project presentation of up to 25 pages plus a video of up to 10 minutes. FINEP's evaluation assesses innovation degree, technical feasibility, strategic alignment with defense priorities, and the capability of the company-ICT consortium. The full edital specifies contrapartida proportions, per-project award ranges, and scoring rubrics.