Vouchers for Startups – New digital/technological products

Projects from companies dedicated to developing scalable digital business models, products, or services with a strong digital or technological component and scalability potential. Special priority will be given to projects that contribute to the climate transition or that promote innovative solutions for implementation in the Agrotech sector (agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, and forestry):

i) in sectors with higher technology and knowledge intensity, and

ii) that value the application of R&D results in the production of new goods and services.

In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria for final beneficiaries defined in Article 7 of the Regulation of the “Companies 4.0” Incentive System, approved by Ministerial Order No. 135-A/2022, as amended, both at the time of submission and throughout the project execution, the beneficiaries to be supported under this AAC must also meet the following criteria:

1. To be an SME, of any nature or under any legal form. For the purposes of proving SME status, companies must obtain or update the corresponding Electronic Certification provided for in Decree-Law No. 372/2007, of November 6, amended by Decree-Law No. 143/2009, of June 16, through the IAPMEI website.
2. To submit an application, it is essential that the Beneficiary has registered and authenticated themselves at the Funds Desk.
3. Having a registered CAE (Economic Activity Code) in the technology and knowledge sectors foreseen in point 5, at the time of application submission;
4. Being under 10 years old;
5. Not to carry out any activity nor have a registered CAE code, at the time of submission and throughout the execution of the project, in the economic sectors covered by the exclusion provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 1 of Commission Regulation (EU) No 2023/2831 of 13 December 2013 on the application of Articles 107 and 108 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to de minimis aid.

For the purposes of proving compliance with the criterion set out in point a), companies must obtain or update the corresponding Electronic Certification provided for in Decree-Law No. 372/2007 of 6 November, as amended by Decree-Law No. 143/2009 of 16 June, through the IAPMEI website.

1. Costs related to technical personnel directly involved in the implementation of the project, demonstrating skills/competencies aligned with the spirit of the call for proposals and corresponding to a minimum qualification level VI (NQF), up to 75% of the total eligible costs;
2. Expenses related to technological accreditation or certification of human resources;
3. Acquisition of specialized external services, such as services to support the digitization of business processes, marketing services, product and service development, consulting, and other specialized services to achieve the project objectives;
4. Acquisition or operational rental of equipment, as well as licensing or subscription costs for software, intended for the activities to be developed within the scope of the project;
5. Costs associated with protecting/enhancing intellectual property rights;
6. Indirect costs.

Note 1: Eligible expenses include those related to developing a marketing plan, creating a brand/logo, conducting market research, analyzing the competition, defining the target audience and personas, analyzing the product mix, and creating strategies.

Note 2: Indirect costs are a set of expenses related to the operation of a company that are not directly linked to the project.

Note 3: The projected indirect costs are calculated based on simplified costs, using a flat rate of 15% of human resources costs.

• Relevance of the project in relation to the objectives of the measure;
• Implementation capacity of beneficiaries;
• Impact of the project on the competitiveness of the beneficiaries.

Regarding Notice No. 21/C16-i02/2025, the methodology to be observed is as follows:

1. Initial advance payment of 5,000 euros upon signing the Acceptance Agreement, as pre-financing;
2. One advance payment of 20,000 euros, one month after the initial advance payment;
3. Final payment of 5,000 euros, with the submission of a final payment request detailing eligible expenses incurred, to be submitted within 90 days of the physical and financial completion of the project.

The admission and selection process for applications is carried out in a single phase, in which the following elements will be considered:

• Verification of the eligibility and compliance by the beneficiary entity and the submitted project with the provisions of points 4, 5 and 6 of the Notice;
• The merit assessment, based on the criteria defined in point 15.2 and their respective valuation, by the monitoring group referred to in point 15.1 of the Notice.

Applications can be submitted from March 17, 2025, at the Funds Desk. To submit an application, the Beneficiary must have registered and authenticated themselves at the Funds Desk.

In this designated area, the Beneficiary must confirm and complete their profile details, which will be used in applications for this Notice.

The deadline for submitting applications remains open until April 14, 2025, or until the number of applications received reaches the limit determined according to the budget allocation defined in Point 18 of the Notice, whichever comes first.

• What does the PRR’s support for startups consist of? The PRR (Resilience and Resilience Plan) defines a broad spectrum of measures and reforms that focus on the dimensions of Resilience, Climate Transition, and Digital Transformation. In this context, Component 16 – Companies 4.0, integrated into the Digital Transition dimension and within which this Notice falls, seeks to create conditions for smart, inclusive, and sustainable growth, fostering a new profile of specialization and internationalization of our economy, thus presupposing efficient support for entrepreneurship.
• What is the budget allocation for this measure? This notice implements the “Voucher for Startups” investment measure, with a total allocation of €30 million, and will support the development of business models, products, or digital or technological services with scalability potential, establishing a priority allocation for:

1. €23,000,000 (twenty-three million euros) allocated preferentially to support startups with business model projects, products or services with a strong digital or technological component, as well as scalability potential;
2. €3,000,000 (three million euros) allocated preferentially to projects that promote innovative solutions for implementation in the Agrotech sector (agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries and forestry);
3. €4,000,000 (four million euros) allocated preferentially to projects that contribute positively to the climate transition.

• Do end beneficiaries need to apply to ignition or acceleration programs before submitting their project? No. The development of projects included in ignition programs may be initiated by the entity, and may include projects that are underway or to be developed using this support. Note that the projects cannot have already started at the time the application is submitted.
• Are startups that are not involved in the Agrotech sector or that do not contribute positively to the climate transition excluded from the project? No. This measure aims to support projects that have as their objectives the development of business models, products or services with a strong digital or technological component and with scalability potential, giving priority, as set out in point 18 of the Notice, to projects that promote innovation solutions intended for implementation in the Agrotech sector or that contribute positively to the climate transition.
  Positive contribution to the climate transition is understood to mean components or systems of advanced technologies or alternative sources, composed of business models, products or digital services, that are primarily responsible for, or necessary for, enabling increased energy efficiency, the generation of alternative sources or pollution reduction.
  This measure includes the following types of operations:

1. Support for start-up or growth – Funding for startups in the start-up or expansion phase;
2. Support for participation in ignition or acceleration programs – Funding for startups that apply to ignition or acceleration programs;
3. Support for the development of pilot projects – Funding intended for the demonstration of technology embedded in the business model, product or service developed by startups, allowing the startup to demonstrate its technology and prove its effectiveness.

Regarding eligible expenses related to human resources:

• Can they present a payroll value exceeding 75% of eligible costs, which are then allocated for the purposes of complying with the expenditure limit? Yes. The maximum amount of support granted for Human Resources expenses is 75% of the total voucher amount (30,000 euros). However, the project may involve investments exceeding this amount, with eligible expenses always limited to the maximum value of 30,000 euros.
• Is there any impediment to the costs of technical personnel assigned to the project being allocated to human resources who are partners and/or managers of the beneficiary entity? The partners and/or managers of the beneficiary entities are not eligible as HR costs.Bearing in mind the existing guidelines for managing partners: “Technical staff to be hired or assigned, being partners of the company to be created or existing, may not perform any executive function in the company as holders of the company’s capital.”It is therefore also considered that a technical staff member may not perform executive functions cumulatively with the functions to be performed within the scope of the project, and must perform functions exclusively and dedicated to the functions of the project (regardless of whether they are 100% assigned to the project or not), so a staff member who performs the functions of manager, sales technician, etc., cannot be considered eligible.”
• Is there any obligation to maintain jobs after the project is completed? If so, what is the time period? Within the scope of this measure, there is no obligation to maintain jobs after the project is completed.
• Does the payroll include holiday and Christmas bonuses, plus social security contributions, when considering an 18-month period? Yes. Eligible expenses are defined as the cost of the monthly base salary plus social security contributions to be borne by the promoting entity, including holiday and Christmas bonuses, during the project execution period, relating to new hiring of technical staff and/or the total or partial allocation of technical staff from the beneficiary entity. The maximum amount of support to be granted for Human Resources Structure expenses is 75% of the total Voucher amount (30,000 Euros).

• What expenses are eligible for this support? Point 7.1, “Eligible Expenses,” identifies the expenses that may be considered, which consist of the following:

1. Costs related to technical personnel directly involved in the implementation of the project, demonstrating skills/competencies aligned with the spirit of the call for proposals and corresponding to a minimum qualification level VI (NQF), up to 75% of the total eligible costs;
2. Expenses related to technological accreditation or certification of human resources;
3. Acquisition of specialized external services, such as services to support the digitization of business processes, marketing services, product and service development, consulting, and other specialized services to achieve the project objectives;
4. Acquisition or operational rental of equipment, as well as licensing or subscription costs for software, intended for the activities to be developed within the scope of the project;
5. Costs associated with protecting/enhancing intellectual property rights;
6. Indirect costs.

The projected indirect costs are calculated based on simplified costing, using a flat rate of 15% of human resources costs.

Note 1: Eligible expenses include those related to developing a marketing plan, creating a brand/logo, conducting market research, analyzing the competition, defining the target audience and personas, analyzing the product mix, and creating strategies.
Note 2: Indirect costs are a set of expenses related to the operation of a company that are not directly linked to the project.

• What expenses are excluded from this support? The following expenses are ineligible:

1. Normal operating costs of the beneficiary, not foreseen in the contracted investment, as well as maintenance and replacement costs, and costs related to periodic or continuous activities;
2. Investments resulting from obligations arising from agreements or concession contracts with the State or from compliance with legal obligations applicable to the proposed activities;
3. Cash payments are accepted, except in situations where this proves to be the most frequent means of payment, depending on the nature of the expenses, and provided that the unit amount is less than 250 euros;
4. Expenses paid under contracts made through intermediaries or consultants, where the amount to be paid is expressed as a percentage of the amount financed by the PRR or of the eligible project expenses;
5. Acquisition of used goods;
6. Value Added Tax (VAT), whether recoverable by the beneficiary or not;
7. Acquisition of motor vehicles, aircraft and other transport equipment;
8. Interest and finance charges;
9. Working capital fund;
10. Purchase of real estate, including land;
11. Transfer of ownership and rights to use spaces;
12. Current advertising;
13. Preparation of applications.

Expenditure declared that is not considered adequate, based on its reasonableness, in light of market conditions and alternatives, and the evidence of costs presented and described in the investments approved under the PRR, is also not considered eligible.

Note 1: Current advertising refers to the use of blogs, podcasts, videos, e-books, newsletters, white papers, SEO, and other forms of content dissemination/promotion with the aim of promoting the entity.

• What are the minimum and maximum amounts of the total costs that can be submitted under this call for proposals? Is the support always €30,000, regardless of the total eligible cost? The funding amount to be granted under this Notice corresponds to a fixed amount of €30,000 per beneficiary.
  The funding to be granted to the selected applications must be confirmed through the incurring of eligible expenses of the same amount, corresponding to a funding rate of 100%, and beneficiaries must comply with the legal provisions applicable to public procurement when this is necessary for the pursuit of the project objectives.
  The funding amount will be allocated under the “De Minimis Aid” framework, as provided for in Commission Regulation (EU) No 2023/2831 of 13 December, with a maximum limit of €300,000 over 3 years per single company.

In addition to the obligations set out in Article 18 of the Regulation of the “Companies 4.0” incentive system, approved by Decree No. 135-A/2022 of April 1, as amended, the following are obligations of the beneficiaries:

• To report a change of bank account;
• Complete the Central Register of Beneficial Owners (RCBE) and provide the code in the application, when applicable;
• Keep your SME Electronic Certification up-to-date, as stipulated in Decree-Law No. 372/2007 of November 6, amended by Decree-Law No. 143/2009 of June 16, through the IAPMEI website.

• Within the scope of the “Vouchers for Startups” notice, can a self-employed individual, with or without organized accounting, apply for the program, and must they obtain SME certification? Within the scope of the “Vouchers for Startups” Notice, sole proprietors are eligible entities provided they have organized accounting before the application submission date, and must also complete and submit the SME Online Certification.
• Within the scope of the “Vouchers for Startups” Notice, can an entity with ongoing conflicting claims apply? To be eligible for this Call for Proposals, entities cannot have any ongoing applications under previous Calls for Proposals. In other words, they must withdraw from the previous application process in order to apply for this current one.