StartUP Voucher Innovate

StartUP Voucher Innovate 2025-2026 sits under IAPMEI, Portugal's agency for competitiveness and innovation, and is built for young founders who want to create their own employment in technology-based areas. The programme is aimed at licensed graduates under 30 who are not studying, not in training, and not employed, with fiscal residence in Norte, Centro, or Alentejo. It is also explicitly tied to positive ODS impact and ESG practice, which makes the public mandate narrower than a general startup subsidy. Support runs over nine months in three phases. Financial backing includes a €900 monthly stipend, limited to two stipends per project, two interim prizes of €1,500 at the start of phases two and three, and a €2,000 completion prize after the founder creates their own job. The package is paired with access to the national incubator and mentor networks, bootcamps, skill labs, technical clinics, Demo Days, and an ESG and ODS advisory structure through the 2030 Council. The programme is co-financed by COMPETE 2030 and is currently on an annual cycle. This route is best suited to an individual founder rather than an incorporated company, because the applicant must be a natural person and the project begins at idea stage. The practical test is whether the founder can stay engaged through the full nine months and move from concept to a working venture with visible milestones. It rewards simple, technology-led projects with a credible path to self-employment and enough discipline to use the non-financial support as part of the build process.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.