One-liner: CDTI's flagship national grant for new technology-based companies (≤3 years old) — non-dilutive money to launch a deeptech startup whose business strategy is built on developing its own technology (from research-derived tech/knowledge). Régimen de concurrencia competitiva; not de minimis.
Status: 2026 window closed (14 Apr–14 May 2026). Annual program — a 2027 call is expected around Apr 2027. Terms below are the 2026 bases (Orden CNU/161/2025), retained as the reference.
What you get
- Up to 70% of the eligible budget, max €250,000 per beneficiary.
- Up to 85%, max €325,000 if the project includes the employment contract of at least one PhD (doctor/doctora).
- + up to €18,300 extra if you take the foreseen training (course at MIT or the Enterprise Innovation Institute, University of Georgia).
- "Sello NEOTEC" distinction for any proposal scoring ≥65 points — accredits the firm as an "empresa innovadora".
- Advance of up to 60% of the grant (max €150,000), no guarantee/aval required.
Who it's for (beneficiaries)
- Small companies (sociedades mercantiles) meeting the "innovative company" definition (Anexo, Orden CNU/161/2025), validly constituted with own legal personality and Spanish fiscal residence.
- Constituted at most 3 years before the submission-window close date.
- Minimum share capital (or capital + issue premium) of €20,000.
- Not suitable: business models based primarily on services to third parties without developing own technology, or plans that don't show continuity in technology development.
Budget & eligible costs
- Financeable project size: min €175,000, max €750,000 (excluding the Annex II training costs).
- Eligible costs: fixed assets (tangible & intangible); personnel (researchers/technicians/support, employee or
autónomo — max €45/hour); materials & consumables; external services & subcontracting; other (rent, supplies,
licences, patents/IP filing & maintenance, insurance, promotion/dissemination, training).
- Training (excl. Annex II): max €10,000 · Travel: max €8,000 · Auditor's report: max €2,000.
How to apply
- CDTI Sede Electrónica → sede.cdti.gob.es — mandatory electronic forms.
- Window (2026, closed): 14 Apr 2026 → 14 May 2026 at 12:00 (peninsular time).
- Individual participation (one company per application). Managed by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades / CDTI E.P.E.
Key facts
- Legal basis: Orden CNU/161/2025, de 7 de febrero (bases reguladoras); call approved by Resolución 6 Abril 2026.
- Confirmed (2026-07-05): €5,000,000 of the €20,383,300 budget is explicitly reserved for women-led projects — stated directly on the live CDTI ficha, no longer just historical/unverified.
- Info line (Extremadura Avante partner in source doc): 900 70 9000.
- (2026-07-05) Procedural note: CDTI published a "Requerimiento de subsanación de errores" on 5 Jun 2026 — applicants
already in the pipeline had 10 business days to fix deficiencies via the sede electrónica. Purely procedural, no
change to the call's already-closed status. No 2027 edition announced yet on the live page — still
#status/verifyfor timing.
Relations
- Run by: CDTI
- See also: CDTI Sello de Excelencia EIC 2026
- See also: IVACE Startup Innovadora
- See also: ENISA Prestamo Participativo
- See also: Startup Certification (regulation)