Portugal news - Portugal launches a new Startup law on February 20, 2025, that provides for a number of new incentives for startups in Portugal under Government decree n.º 49/2025/1.
Portugal just enacted a new law for the Specific Regulation of the System of Incentives for the Competitiveness of Startups. Here are Portugal’s new startup incentives in 2025 and how to obtain Portugal’s Government support for startups:
Here are the 3 Startup Vouchers supported by Portugal’s new startup law and the eligibility criteria in 2025:
1) Voucher Deep Tech – for startups in Portugal
The amount of support to be allocated under Portugal’s Deep Tech Voucher is 60,000 € (sixty thousand euros) and the conditions to obtain Portugal’s Deep Tech Voucher are:
a) Have obtained the «Go» result in phase 1 - Step 1 - Short Application - of the application process to the European Innovation Council Accelerator instrument - of the Horizon Europe Programme in the 12 months preceding the date of submission of the application, including applications that have been approved through the Plug in and Fast Track mechanisms to the EIC Accelerator;
b) Have not received funding through the following programmes:
i) Pilot of the European Innovation Council Accelerator for the Horizon 2020 programme;
ii) European Innovation Council Accelerator of the Horizon Europe programme;
iii) Portugal 2020 and 2030, in the typology of projects Seals of Excellence of Horizon 2020 or Horizon Europe;
iv) Portugal 2030 in the typology of projects Internationalization of R&D, specifically, projects that aim to support the preparation and submission of applications for R&I programs funded by the European Union;
c) Have not received, through risk capital instruments, investment exceeding € 500,000.00 (five hundred thousand euros).
2) Voucher Go to EIC Accelerator – for startups in Portugal
The amount of support to be allocated under Portugal’s Go to EIC Accelerator Voucher is € 10,000 (ten thousand euros) and the conditions to obtain Portugal’s Go to EIC Accelerator Voucher are:
· The criterion of eligibility for beneficiaries is to have applications approved, from 1 January 2023, in phase 1 - Short Proposal - of the application process to the European Innovation Council Accelerator, including applications that have been approved through the Plug in and Fast Track mechanisms to the EIC Accelerator, and are eligible for submission of an application to phase 2 - Step 2 - of said instrument.
3) Start from Knowledge program – for startups in Portugal
The amount of support to be allocated under Portugal’s Start from Knowledge program Voucher is 30 000 € (thirty thousand euros) and the conditions to obtain Portugal’s Start from Knowledge program Voucher are:
The criterion of eligibility is that beneficiaries are to hold majority and management control, and the individual persons should, at the time of submission of the application, prove to be, or to have been, in the previous two calendar years, enrolled in a course of studies conferring an academic degree in any national higher education institution, or has been in the previous two calendar years, researcher or lecturer.
How to obtain Portugal’s Government support for startups in 2025:
In order to obtain Portugal’s Government support and incentives for startups under Portugal’s new Startup Law dated February 20, 2025, the beneficiaries are to be micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, including startups that comply with the requirements set out in Law 21/2023.
The applications to obtain Portugal’s grants and incentives for startups under the new law dated February 2025 are to be submitted through notices for submission of applications that are published on the websites of ANI - Agência Nacional de Inovação.