CDTI Direct Innovation Line (Línea Directa de Innovación, LIC)
Supports Spanish companies with direct interest-bearing loans for applied innovation work and later commercialization.
The CDTI Línea Directa de Innovación (LIC) is a direct interest-bearing loan instrument administered by CDTI E.P.E. (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación), Spain's public agency for industrial R&D and innovation financing under the Ministry of Science and Innovation. LIC is designed for Spanish SMEs and mid-caps that are undertaking applied research or experimental development projects with clear commercial application, covering both the R&D phase and the subsequent commercialization ramp-up. Unlike CDTI's soft-loan product, LIC carries a standard interest rate and is intended for companies with sufficient revenue and credit history to service conventional debt.
Loan amounts range from EUR 175,000 to EUR 3 million per application, with a rolling intake calendar — applicants may submit year-round rather than competing against a fixed annual deadline. Priority sectors include advanced manufacturing, materials, semiconductors, hardware, energy, biotechnology, and AI infrastructure, though the program is not formally restricted to these verticals. Eligible borrowers must be registered and operating in Spain; the primary target is the for-profit SME, though nonprofits and research organizations are listed as potentially eligible. No specific TRL thresholds are published, but projects must demonstrate a defined path from R&D to market.
For applicants, the rolling intake is a practical advantage: project teams can time submissions around internal milestones rather than annual windows. The instrument's interest-bearing structure distinguishes it from CDTI's partially repayable soft loans, making it more suitable for companies with predictable revenue streams that can absorb scheduled repayment. Given the EUR 3 million ceiling, LIC is best matched to mid-scale R&D and commercialization programs rather than flagship industrial transformation projects, which would be directed toward CDTI's larger instruments or Horizon Europe co-financing lines.
Provides direct interest-bearing loans of EUR 175,000–3 million to Spanish SMEs for applied R&D projects and their commercialization, with rolling intake across priority technology sectors.
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