SICE Internationalization 2025: Reinforced Fund to €57M Opens Doors to New Exporting Companies

Portugal 2030 has announced a significant reinforcement in support for the internationalisation of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) with the launch of the new SICE SME Internationalisation call for 2025. With a global budget of 57 million euros, the tender represents a substantial increase compared to the 32 million euros made available in the 2024 call. The main novelty, however, lies in the strategic change of eligibility criteria, which now include companies with less export experience, a group previously excluded. Applications for this new opportunity open on 30 September 2025.

The most impactful change compared to the previous year is the segmentation of companies by export volume. While the 2024 call was exclusively intended for SMEs with an international turnover exceeding 200,000 euros, the new competition creates two distinct phases. Phase 1 maintains the focus on companies with international turnover equal to or greater than 200,000 euros. Phase 2 is the major novelty, being specifically designed for SMEs with an international turnover of less than 200,000 euros, aiming to widen the national export base.

Financial conditions were also adjusted to encourage the participation of new exporters. The 2025 call introduces an increased co-financing rate of 50% for Phase 2 applications under the COMPETE 2030 programme, a value higher than the single rate of 40% offered in 2024. Incentive caps were also adapted to the companies' maturity: the maximum limit is 300,000 euros for Phase 1 projects and 150,000 euros for Phase 2, in contrast to the single limit of 315,000 euros of the previous call.

Despite the changes, the nature of supported investments remains consistent, continuing to cover expenses in areas such as participation in international fairs, market prospecting, digital marketing and e-commerce, brand creation and promotion, and obtaining certifications. The minimum eligible investment per project remains at 200,000 euros, with a duration of 24 months. Interested companies must prepare their applications for the first phase, which runs until 30 December 2025, or for the second phase, which closes on 31 March 2026.

Learn more about SICE SME Internationalisation