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Following months of waiting, the Government has published the new call for tenders for SME Productive Innovation. The tender, part of the Business Competitiveness Incentive System (SICE), has a total budget of 182.5 million euros, distributed across the various regions of the mainland.
The notice MPR-2026-6, published on 15 June, marks a new phase for Productive Innovation within Portugal 2030. Contrary to previous tenders, the Government has now chosen to combine projects located in low-density territories and investments in the remaining territories of the mainland into the same notice.
The change is not merely formal. After a 2025 tender restricted to low-density areas and a notice for other territories that was expected but never materialised, SMEs once again have a national window to invest in capacity expansion, productive modernisation, diversification, and new industrial processes.
More than a year later, in 2026, the new Productive Innovation notice under the Business Competitiveness Incentive System of Portugal 2030 centralises applications into a single notice. Out of the 182.5 million euros available, 71 million are allocated to projects in low-density territories, and 111.5 million are destined for other territories.
It is worth recalling that in 2024, Productive Innovation made 500 million euros available, allocating 340 million to "Other Territories" and 160 million to "Low-Density Territories". In 2025, a new tender opened exclusively for Low-Density Territories with a budget of 117 million euros.
In previous notices, projects could benefit from bonuses and scoring linked to alignment with priorities such as the Climate Transition and Industry 4.0. In practice, this latter dimension became relatively easy to fulfil in many industrial investments: new equipment, control systems, management software, automation, and data collection became part of the standard productive modernisation package.
The new notice shifts the focus. The digital transition is no longer a standalone flag and is now more integrated into the concept of innovative investment itself. The bonus is now focused on the Climate Transition, whilst the creation of qualified employment continues to hold weight in the composition of the incentive rate.
The message is subtle but important. Digitalisation is no longer seen as an extra. It is the starting point. What now distinguishes projects more clearly is the ability to reduce consumption, improve efficiency, gain productive scale, and create measurable economic value.
Companies wishing to submit projects for capacity expansion will also have to meet a higher threshold.
In the 2024 and 2025 notices, the minimum required increase was 20% compared to the installed capacity in the pre-project year. In the 2026 notice, this threshold rises to 25%.
The difference seems small, but it could have a real effect on the eligibility of many investments. More restrained modernisation projects, equipment replacement, or incremental improvements to production lines may find it harder to demonstrate sufficient impact.
Productive Innovation thus begins to demand projects with a more visible effect on productive capacity. It is not enough to swap machines. It is necessary to prove that the investment changes the scale, improves the process, or significantly alters the company's response to the market.
The notice mentions that applications falling within the investment areas of the Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) may be referred to a specific notice to be launched in this context. In other words, a company can submit an application to Productive Innovation and, if the project fits into the universe of STEP Critical Technologies, it may be integrated into the notices scheduled to open at the end of July. However, the conditions under which this re-framing will be carried out are not yet known.
The most plausible interpretation is that the Government wishes to reserve a dedicated track for projects with higher technological intensity, without consuming a budget that is already limited in this tender.
The new notice maintains a clear differentiation between low-density territories and the remaining areas. The political priority remains focused on the interior, but the final design has become more restrictive for companies in Other Territories.
In low-density territories, the funding rate can generally reach up to 50% for micro and small enterprises and 40% for medium-sized enterprises. In specific sub-regions, such as Alto Alentejo and Beiras e Serra da Estrela, the maximum limits can rise to 60% for micro and small enterprises and 50% for medium-sized enterprises.
In other territories, the baseline is less generous: up to 30% for micro and small enterprises and up to 25% for medium-sized enterprises. In territories covered by the Just Transition Fund, such as Médio Tejo and Alentejo Litoral, limits can also reach 60% for micro and small enterprises and 50% for medium-sized enterprises.
During the preparation of the tender, a hybrid solution for projects located outside low-density territories was anticipated. The idea was to combine a lower non-repayable incentive rate with an additional component of interest-free repayable financing through the Banco Português de Fomento. However, this solution did not come into effect, which, for SMEs located in "Other Territories", has a direct impact on the financial effort and even on the economic viability of the project.
But before giving up, SMEs can now turn to the "Fomento IFIC Mais" line. The line, initially associated with the Financial Instruments for Competitiveness and Innovation (IFIC), has been extended to cover PT2030 and PRR projects, thus becoming a relevant alternative for companies with approved projects under Productive Innovation.
In practice, it can help companies finance the debt component required to execute the investment. For PT2030 projects with a signed acceptance term, the line can finance up to 50% of the contracted eligible investment, provided that a minimum of 20% in equity is maintained.However, there is an essential difference: IFIC Mais does not replace the hybrid scheme that failed to move forward. It does not increase the non-repayable incentive rate, it does not alter the notice's rules, and it does not transform Productive Innovation into a mixed model.
The tender opened on 15 June and closes on 30 September 2026, at 5 pm.
Although the application window may seem broad, preparing a Productive Innovation project requires time. Defining the investment, gathering proposals, building the financial plan, demonstrating the expected impacts, and organising the necessary documentation are stages that can take several weeks.
With a smaller budget than the first Portugal 2030 tenders and stricter criteria for certain types of investment, competitive pressure is expected to be high. Therefore, companies with investment projects planned for the coming years will benefit from starting their application preparation immediately, ensuring enough time to structure the project, validate assumptions, and maximise their score on the merit criteria.
With stricter criteria and a reduced budget, application preparation becomes even more crucial. Speak with Yunit Consulting.
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