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Email: linhadosfundos@linhadosfundos.pt

However, do not leave your application to the last minute, as it may not be possible to resolve your issue in a timely manner.

No. The Business R&D IS Notices clearly stipulate that only SMEs and Small Mid Caps (and non-business entities in the research and innovation system – ENESII – in co-promoted projects) are eligible beneficiaries.

All calls for applications include a section listing the documents required to submit an application. Where applicable, you must submit the documents referred to in the specific call. The following situations are highlighted:
1) If the company is not an SME, a statement must be submitted proving that it is a Small Mid Cap, as per the model attached to the Notice;

2) The rules for drawing up the Technical Annex must be strictly observed, using the draft provided, without making any changes to the points referenced in the document;

3) The beneficiary/consortium must ensure that the information necessary to validate its balanced economic and financial situation is submitted. See FAQ. “What elements should be presented to validate a balanced economic and financial situation?”

Companies:
IES for the pre-project year indicated in the notice. If the financial autonomy ratio of at least 15% is not met based on the IES data, the ratio may be validated based on the arithmetic mean of the last two balance sheets. Alternatively, an interim balance sheet reported on the date of application (or on an earlier date, but never more than 3 months prior to the date of application) may be submitted. Please note that if an interim balance sheet is submitted, it must be certified by a chartered accountant and cannot be a simplified audit.
In the case of companies that, at the time of application, no longer meet the conditions of being newly created, as they have been in operation for more than one year but do not yet have an IES for the pre-project year, an interim balance sheet must be submitted in accordance with the above terms.
Newly established companies (less than one year in operation at the time of application):
It is necessary to guarantee the financing of the operation with equity capital equal to or greater than 20% of eligible expenses. Therefore, minutes from the General Meeting or Management Meeting must be submitted, committing to the provision of the necessary amounts set out in the financing plan.
Private ENESII:
Supporting document (statement) of positive net worth and activity and accounts report, both referring to the pre-project year.
Public ENESII:
Statement from the entity’s financial officer ensuring the project’s budgetary allocation and the necessary financial conditions for its implementation. Please note that the statement must be issued specifically for the project and not in general for all projects in which the institution is a co-promoter.

If an interim balance sheet is submitted for the date of application (or an earlier date, but no more than three months prior to the date of application), certified by a chartered accountant in accordance with the terms set out in the FAQ “What documents must be submitted to validate a balanced economic and financial situation?”, which allows compliance with the ratio to be verified, the application is eligible. Otherwise, it is considered ineligible when the conditions for admissibility are analysed.

No. In these situations, an interim balance sheet must be submitted, reporting on the date of application (or an earlier date, but never more than three months prior to the date of application), certified by a chartered accountant in accordance with the terms set out in the FAQ. “What elements should be presented to validate a balanced economic and financial situation?”, which allows verification of compliance with the ratio. If the interim balance sheet data shows compliance with the financial autonomy ratio of over 15%, the application is eligible. Otherwise, it is considered ineligible when the conditions of admissibility are analysed.

At the moment there is no underlying legislation defining the concept of high technological intensity, so this point of the EITHR is not yet applicable.

This OCS does not apply to demonstration projects, intellectual and industrial property protection, R&D centres, and internationalisation of R&D.

Paragraphs y) and r) of no. 3 of Ordinance no. 328-B/2023, of 30 October (REITD), in its current wording, define the categories of R&D:

“‘industrial research’ means planned research or critical research aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills for the development of new products, processes or services or aimed at significantly improving existing products, processes or services, including digital products, processes or services, in any field, technology, industry or sector, taking into account, inter alia, digital industries and technologies, such as supercomputing, quantum technologies, blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, big data and cloud computing technologies. Industrial research includes the creation of complex system components, and can include the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment of simulated interfaces with existing systems, as well as pilot lines, when necessary for industrial research and, in particular, for the validation of generic technology. Industrial research generally corresponds to TRL 2 to 4”.

“Experimental development” means the acquisition, combination, configuration and use of relevant existing scientific, technological, commercial and other knowledge and skills for the purpose of developing new or improved products, processes or services, including digital products, processes or services, in any field, technology, industry or sector, taking into account, inter alia, digital industries and technologies, such as supercomputing, quantum technologies, blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, big data and cloud or edge computing technologies. This can also include, for example, activities aimed at conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes or services. Experimental development may include prototyping, demonstration, piloting, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of actual operating conditions, where the main purpose is to introduce new technical improvements to products, processes or services that are not largely established, and may include the development of a commercially usable prototype or pilot project that is necessarily the final commercial product and is too costly to produce to be used only for demonstration and validation purposes. Experimental development does not include routine or periodic changes to existing products, production lines, manufacturing processes and services or to other ongoing operations, even if such changes are likely to represent improvements and corresponds, as a rule, to Technology Maturity Levels (TRL) 5 to 8.” Thus, each technical activity must be classified according to one definition or another. In other words, each activity can only include tasks that correspond to one of the R&D categories (industrial research or experimental development).

Thus, each technical activity must be classified according to one definition or the other, i.e. each activity may only include tasks that correspond to one of the R&D categories (industrial research or experimental development).

It should be noted that fundamental research activities do not fall within the scope of the type of projects analyzed and managed by ANI, and that paragraph 3 of the REITD also contains other important definitions such as the Technological Maturity Level (TRL).

Please refer to the FAQ “How to classify management and promotion and dissemination activities?” for activities related to technical management and promotion and dissemination.

– Tasks related to the promotion and dissemination of project results should be grouped under an activity classified as ‘Dissemination and promotion’;

– Tasks related to the technical management of the project must be grouped under an activity classified as ‘Project Management’. It should be noted that only tasks strictly related to the technical management of the project are considered eligible for management activities. Unless otherwise specified in the Notice, financial tasks do not fall within the scope of this activity, as they are not considered R&D activities, but rather activities supporting R&D.

The notices for the types of funding managed by ANI focus on expenditure directly related to R&D activities. As indicated in Article 50(1)(a) of the Specific Regulation for the Thematic Area of Innovation and Digital Transition (Ordinance No. 328-B/2023 of 30 October, in its current wording), the following are eligible under this type: ‘Costs of the beneficiary’s technical staff dedicated to R&D activities…’

Thus, tasks, profiles, and functional content of a financial nature or any other nature that go beyond the technical-scientific scope but that in some way contribute to the development of the project are considered indirect costs of the project.

Sim. Conforme indicado na área referente aos termos de aceitação, há a possibilidade de, na fase de assinatura do termo de aceitação, o(s) beneficiário(s) proceder(em) à alteração do calendário inicialmente proposto na candidatura.

However, the deadline indicated in the field relating to the change in schedule only takes into account the deadlines stipulated in the legislation. Therefore, the beneficiary(ies) must ensure that there are no specific factors relating to the project that would make it impossible to change the initial schedule.

Yes, but only in exceptional circumstances and within a reasonable time frame, upon presentation of the respective justification in the field provided for this purpose in the respective section.

Please note that this element may only be submitted after the deadline if the notification of the final decision has been previously accepted, in accordance with the initial procedure indicated in the section on terms of acceptance.

Payment requests can be accessed directly in the SGO 2030 Information System (e) via the link https://pas.compete2020.gov.pt/pas3/acesso/Login.php.

In SGO 2030, payment requests are available in the ‘Execution’ module:

In its current wording, published on 19 August 2025, the Payment Standard applicable to the Research and Development Incentive System stipulates in Article 6(6) that “PTRI and PTRF forms shall be accompanied by an Investment Expenditure Statement issued by the Statutory Auditor (ROC), which may be issued by a Certified Accountant (CC) when the approved eligible investment is less than EUR 200,000 or when the beneficiary is not subject to mandatory legal certification of accounts regardless of the approved eligible investment amount.“
Therefore, for payment requests for projects approved under actual costs:

• If the payment request is less than €200,000: the beneficiary may choose between ROC or CC;
• If the payment request exceeds €200,000, with no obligation for legal certification of accounts: the beneficiary may choose between a statutory auditor or a chartered accountant;
• If the payment request exceeds €200,000, with mandatory legal certification of accounts: mandatory certification by a chartered accountant.

For payment requests for projects approved under actual costs submitted prior to the publication of this amendment, certification by both ROC and CC is accepted, regardless of the value of the request, considering the omission in this matter.

Payment requests for projects approved under simplified costs do not require certification by either a chartered accountant or a certified accountant.

No. This requirement has been removed from the payment request form. In the case of projects approved under actual costs, the condition remains in place, as per the previous FAQ.

Com vista à certificação do pedido de pagamento, deve ser identificado o responsável estipulado para esse efeito, clicando no botão “CC/ROC/SROC” (bastará identificar o NIF ou o n.º do Cartão de Cidadão (CC) e validar/gravar, sendo preenchidos automaticamente os restantes dados do CC).

In order for the certified accountant or statutory auditor to certify the payment request, they must access the SGO 2030 platform and log in with their tax identification number on the Finance Portal (select the Tax Authority option):

Once authenticated, you will be able to access SGO 2030, where all payment requests from beneficiary entities that have designated you as responsible for certifying expenses will be identified.

After uploading the documents and closing the ETI Report (see point 6.4 of the guide to completing payment requests), each technician must access the SGO 2030 platform and log in with their tax identification number on the Finance Portal (select the Tax Authority option):

Once authenticated, the technician accesses SGO 2030, where the project will be identified with information associated with their tax identification number for confirmation/verification of the data.

No. As indicated in point 3.2 of the Portugal 2030 Communication Rules Guide, available in the section on the dissemination of support, “To facilitate the requirement to provide a brief description of the operation, including its objectives and results, and to highlight the Union’s financial support on the website and on the respective social networks, an operation form template has been created, which must be completed with all the requested information.”

Therefore, the operation form must be made available both on the institution’s website and on its social media pages. If there is no website, this information must still be made available on social media.