Vouchers for Incubators and Accelerators
The Vouchers for Incubators and Accelerators are financial support programs, ranging from €30,000 to €150,000, that aim to create conditions for incubators and accelerators to invest in developing their talent and technological capacity in order to better support the startups they incubate.
About the program
The implementation of the “Vouchers for Incubators and Accelerators” measure includes a total allocation of 20 million euros. This second call for proposals has a budget of 10 million euros. Read the notice here.
News
UPDATE: These Notices are now closed.
UPDATE 15.07.2025: The deadline for meeting targets and submitting evidence, as well as the date for submitting the final payment request, may be extended, provided that it is duly justified.
The new dates are as follows:
- New deadline for meeting targets: June 30, 2026 (previously: September 30, 2025)
- New deadline for submitting evidence: June 30, 2026 (previously: September 30, 2025)
- Deadline for submitting the final payment request: 90 days after the physical completion of the project.
UPDATE 04.03.2024: Since the end of February, payments for the first advance to approved projects have been underway, within the scope of the first Call for Incubator and Accelerator Vouchers (11/C16-i02/2023), and whose Acceptance Terms have been validated.
Within the scope of the first call for proposals for Incubator and Accelerator Vouchers (11/C16-i02/2022), 63 applications were awarded funding with an approved incentive volume of 9,100,000 Euros.
UPDATE 01.02.2024: We inform you that applications for Notice No. 17/C16-i02/2023 of the “Vouchers for Incubators and Accelerators” measure are now closed.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To submit your application, follow these steps:
– Pre-register your incubator/accelerator on the Funds Desk and submit the information in all fields;
– Register on the Simplified Access Platform (PAS), where the incubator/accelerator information will be pre-filled (with information from the Funds Desk);
– Start a new application on the Simplified Access Platform (PAS) and choose the “Incubator and Accelerator Vouchers” competition.
FAQ’s
- Existing or future projects aimed at developing and enabling incubation and/or acceleration services in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation.
- In addition to the project eligibility criteria defined in the Regulation of the “Companies 4.0” Incentive System, approved by paragraph 7 of Ministerial Order No. 135-A/2022 of April 1, existing or newly created entities that aim to develop incubation and/or acceleration services in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation, essential for the start-up and acceleration of startups, are also eligible.
- Eligible entities or beneficiaries of this measure are organizational structures of any legal nature, included in the Regulation of the “Companies 4.0” Incentive System, approved by Ministerial Order No. 135-A/2022 of April 1, with a physical presence and corresponding to the designation of “Incubators, Accelerators or Support Structures for startups”.
Support for beneficiaries should focus on investment projects such as: support for ignition or acceleration programs; support for capacity building; and support for strengthening human resources.
Like this:
- Costs related to technical personnel directly involved in the implementation of the project;
- Expenses related to technological accreditation or certification of human resources;
- Acquisition of specialized external services to achieve the project objectives;
- Aquisição ou aluguer operacional de equipamentos, bem como custos de licenciamento ou de subscrição de software, destinado às atividades a desenvolver no âmbito do projeto;
- Costs associated with protecting/enhancing intellectual property rights;
- Indirect costs.
Expenses incurred from the date of application submission are eligible, provided the project has not yet started on the date of application submission.
- Relevance of the project in relation to the objectives of the measure;
- Implementation capacity of the beneficiaries;
- Impact of the project on the competitiveness of the beneficiaries.
The selection process is carried out quarterly by Startup Portugal, taking into account the date of application submission (quarterly cut-offs). Following the publication of Decree No. 43/2023 (of February 10th) and due to the high number of applications received in NOTICE No. 11/C16-i02/2023 – INCUBATORS AND ACCELERATORS VOUCHERS, the deadline for deciding on project funding has been extended to up to 90 working days. IAPMEI notifies applicants of the final decision within a maximum of 5 working days from the date of the decision.
The projects have a maximum duration of eighteen months from the date of signing the Acceptance Agreement. Project execution must begin within a maximum of three months after notification of the decision to grant support, and must be completed no later than September 30, 2025.
Results Communication
FAQ’s
Do the entities that submitted their application on December 15th need to resubmit it?
Will the funding for the competition be increased for the purpose of reopening the call for proposals (on December 21st)?
Do you still have questions?
Send your questions to vales.incubadoras.prr@startupportugal.com, or download the frequently asked questions here to clarify your doubts.