COMPETE — Productive Innovation Incentive System (Sistema de Incentivos à Inovação Produtiva)

STEP — Productive Innovation — Digital & Biotech (Inovação Produtiva — Digital e Biotecnologia)

Supports small businesses in Portugal to build critical digital and biotechnology manufacturing operations.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

STEP Inovacao Produtiva Digital e Biotecnologia is a competitive grant call administered by IAPMEI — Agencia para a Competitividade e Inovacao — under the COMPETE 2030 programme and the European Union Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP). IAPMEI is Portugal's national SME competitiveness and innovation agency, responsible for co-managing EU structural funds for Portuguese enterprises. The 2026 aviso was published on 10 February 2026 with a submission deadline of 30 April 2026 at 17:00, and applications were submitted via the Balcao dos Fundos portal (balcaofundosue.pt) in Portuguese. The call funds innovative operations contributing to STEP objectives through two defined technology clusters: digital technologies, including those advancing the EU Digital Decade 2030 programme targets and deep-tech innovation; and biotechnologies, specifically including medicines on the EU list of critical medicines and their components. Compared to the parallel STEP Energia aviso, this call covers a broader territorial scope: eligible SMEs must have operations in Norte, Centro, Alentejo, or Algarve mainland NUTS II regions, with Lisboa and the autonomous islands remaining excluded. Only for-profit SMEs with operations in the eligible regions are eligible; nonprofits, universities, research organisations, and individuals are ineligible. Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed investment directly contributes to EU STEP objectives, with digital projects required to show alignment with Digital Decade 2030 targets and biotech projects required to address EU critical medicines listed by the European Commission. Co-financing rates follow COMPETE 2030 productive-innovation rules, with SMEs contributing a minimum 40 to 50 percent of total project cost depending on enterprise size and sub-region. Funding is delivered as reimbursement on milestone delivery. The 2026 aviso closed 30 April 2026; the next STEP Digital e Biotecnologia aviso is expected under the COMPETE 2030 Plano de Avisos for 2026 to 2027.