Grants, loans and tax credits

Business grants in Portugal: the full list for 2026

Portugal supports companies through four channels: EU-funded grants under Portugal 2030, tax credits for investment and R&D, cash incentives for hiring, and sector programmes for agriculture and tourism, plus state-backed credit lines. They are run by different bodies, under different rules, and only some of them are grants in the strict sense of money you do not pay back.

The table below lists them all and says what each one is. Ownership is never the filter: what decides is where the company is established, what it does, how big it is and whether a call is open. Some of these are closed to small companies, and one no longer opens calls at all.

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Figures checked against the official sources between 10 and 19 September 2026. We never promise approvals.

The list

ProgrammeNatureFor whomWhat it supportsRun by
Portugal 2030: Productive InnovationGrantSMEs, and larger companies in some callsInnovative productive investment: new establishments, new capacity, new products. Up to 60% of eligible costs for SMEsCOMPETE 2030 and the regional programmes, with IAPMEI, AICEP and Turismo de Portugal
Portugal 2030: Territorial BaseGrantMicro and small companiesCreating, expanding and modernising small businessesRegional programmes
Portugal 2030: SME Qualification and InternationalisationGrantSMEsDigitalisation, certification, brands, entering foreign marketsCOMPETE 2030 and the regional programmes
Portugal 2030: Business R&DGrantCompanies of any size, alone or with research bodiesIndustrial research and experimental development. Up to 80% of eligible costsCOMPETE 2030 and the regional programmes, with ANI
RFAITax creditCompanies in eligible sectors that pay corporate tax30% of qualifying investment in most regions, 10% in the eligible parts of the Lisbon area and the AlgarveClaimed on the tax return
SIFIDE IITax creditCompanies that do R&D32.5% of R&D costs, plus 50% of the increaseANI certifies, the company claims on the tax return
IEFP hiring incentivesGrant per hirePrivate employers, including non-profits and sole tradersEUR 6,445.56 or EUR 9,668.34 for each eligible permanent hire, plus upliftsIEFP
PEPAC (agriculture)Mostly grantsFarmers, farm companies, agri-food processorsSetting up as a young farmer, farm investment, processing, irrigation, forestryThe PEPAC managing authority and IFAP
Tourism credit linesLoan, with a part that may not have to be repaidTourism companiesUpgrading and building tourism businessesTurismo de Portugal, with banks
Banco Português de Fomento linesLoan or guaranteeSMEs and mid capsInvestment and working capital, through commercial banksBanco Português de Fomento
Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR)GrantNo longer a source of new callsThe plan had to meet its milestones by 31 August 2026 and is in its final phase. We list it because it is still widely advertisedRecuperar Portugal

Whether a given call is open today is a different question from whether the programme exists. Calls open and close during the year. The ones open now are on the open calls page, in English, with deadlines.

By sector: farms and agriculture, tourism and hospitality, startups, manufacturing, and what changes in the interior.

How the grants work: calls, deadlines and ranking

Portugal 2030 and PEPAC grants are awarded through calls for applications (avisos). Each call has a budget, a deadline, a list of who can apply and what costs count, and a scoring grid. Applications are ranked, and the money goes to the best ones until the budget runs out. Meeting the conditions is necessary and not sufficient: an eligible project can still be left unfunded.

Tax credits and hiring incentives work differently. Nobody scores them against other applications: a company that meets the conditions claims the tax credit on its return. Hiring incentives have a window and a budget, and applications stop when the budget runs out.

What the rates depend on

  • The region. EU rules allow more aid where the economy is weaker. Norte, Centro, Alentejo, the Azores and Madeira get higher rates than the Lisbon area and the Algarve, and low-density territories in the interior often get a bonus.
  • The size of the company. Small companies get more than medium-sized ones, and both get more than large ones. Size is measured for the whole group, not only for the Portuguese company.
  • The kind of project. R&D is funded at higher rates than productive investment, and productive investment at higher rates than marketing abroad.
  • Other public support. Small amounts granted under the de minimis rule are capped at EUR 300,000 per company over three years, adding up every public body that granted them.

What fundo perdido means

You will see the expression a fundo perdido on every Portuguese page about incentives. It means non-repayable: money you keep, as long as you carry out the project and meet the conditions. Its opposite is reembolsável, repayable, which is a loan, sometimes interest free and sometimes with a part that converts into a grant if targets are met. See grant, loan or tax credit.

In English, both tend to be sold as grants. Ask which one it is, and get the answer in writing.

How to choose

  • Investing in equipment, works or new capacity? Look at Portugal 2030 first and RFAI alongside it.
  • Hiring? The IEFP incentives, and check them before you sign the contract.
  • Developing a product or a technology? SIFIDE II every year, and a Portugal 2030 R&D call for a larger project.
  • Farming or processing food? PEPAC.
  • A hotel, a guesthouse or rural tourism? The tourism lines are loans. Grants come through Portugal 2030 when the project is innovative, and RFAI covers accommodation and restaurants.
  • Need working capital? Grants almost never cover it, and the few that do cap it tightly. Look at the Banco Português de Fomento lines through your bank.

Frequently asked questions

Are there government grants for small businesses in Portugal?

Yes. The territorial base calls of the regional programmes are designed for micro and small companies, the IEFP hiring incentives are open to private employers of any size, and the reduced corporate tax rate for SMEs needs no application, although it counts as de minimis aid. What does not exist is a general grant for opening or running a small business.

Are grants paid upfront?

As a rule, no. You pay the suppliers, file a payment claim and receive the refund. Some programmes allow advances, often against a bank guarantee. Hiring incentives are paid by IEFP after the contract is in place.

Can I combine a grant with a tax credit?

Often, yes. RFAI can apply to an investment that also received a Portugal 2030 grant, within the maximum aid allowed for the region and the size of the company. SIFIDE II only counts R&D costs that a grant did not already cover.

Where are the calls published?

On the Portugal 2030 website and on the sites of each programme, in Portuguese, with a yearly plan of the calls to come. IEFP publishes its measures on iefponline, and PEPAC on its own site.

Can foreigners apply?

The applicant is always a company or sole trader established in Portugal, and the nationality of its owners does not matter. See Can foreigners get grants in Portugal?

Official sources

The official texts are in Portuguese. The figures on this page were checked against them.

Which of these applies to you?

Tell us about the company and the project. We tell you which programmes fit and which calls are open.

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