CDTI — Centre for Technological Development & Innovation (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación) logo
CDTI — Centre for Technological Development & Innovation (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación)

SME Aid for Seal of Excellence 2026 (Ayudas PYMES Sello de Excelencia 2026)

Funds Spanish SMEs holding a 2024 or 2025 EIC Accelerator Seal of Excellence to scale their R&D.

CDTI grants this aid directly from its own funds plus FEDER co-financing, without running a fresh competitive evaluation of merit -- the evaluation that counts is the one Horizon Europe's EIC Accelerator already carried out to award the Seal of Excellence. CDTI covers 70% of the eligible cost, capped at EUR 2.5 million per beneficiary per project, and the total amount it can finance can't exceed w…

The call backs R&D projects (TRL 5-8) run by SMEs that already won a Seal of Excellence in the second 2024 or second 2025 EIC Accelerator call. It funds work to validate the technology in a relevant environment, refine the business model, and prepare the company for scale-up; deployment-stage work (TRL 9) is excluded.

CycleiHow often this grant runs - e.g. annually, on a rolling basis, or a one-off call.No fixed schedule
Next deadlineiThe next date applications are due. Rolling means you can apply any time.-
Decision timeiTypical time from the deadline to the funder's decision.-
Project durationiHow long the funded work is expected to run.12–36 months
Award typeiThe form of funding - grant, equity, loan, tax credit, etc.Grant
Match fundingiThe share of project costs you must cover yourself. 0% = fully funded.30%
Funding pooliThe total budget available across all awards in this round.€7.5M

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