Under the terms of the Notice published, the support applies to mainland Portugal and to economic sectors in general, with the exception of those sectors subject to the restrictions of the de minimis aid scheme.
In addition to the general criteria, the Notice requires that the company be majority-owned and controlled by one or more natural persons, and that at least one of those persons hold a minimum of 25 per cent of the share capital at the time of application.
That person must be, or must have been in the previous two calendar years, enrolled on a degree programme at a national higher education institution, or must have carried out research or teaching at one of these institutions.
The company must also have been in business for less than three years at the time of submitting the application, must not have received more than 100,000 euros in venture capital funding, and must not operate in sectors excluded under the de minimis scheme.
Each beneficiary may submit only one application under this Call for Applications.
Applications must be submitted via the online form published by Startup Portugal and AI², and must include the completed form, a pitch deck of up to 10 slides in PDF format, a pitch video of up to 2 minutes’ duration, and the documents listed in Annex A.
The beneficiary must also be registered with the Balcão dos Fundos; this registration is essential for the funding to be awarded. The application period remains open until 30 September 2026, or until the number of applications received reaches the limit determined on the basis of the budgetary allocation, whichever comes first.
If the application includes activities relating to the development of proof-of-concepts or pilot projects, or the development of a business plan and business model, only two activities may be selected. Eligible activities include ignition, incubation and acceleration programmes; business feasibility studies and start-ups; participation in events; marketing strategy; proof-of-concepts; business plans; intellectual property; and regulatory mapping.
Expenditure must be relevant to the selected activities, incurred on market terms and supported by appropriate documentation. Expenditure on, amongst other things, day-to-day operating costs, VAT, property, vehicles, interest, working capital, routine advertising and expenditure already funded by other public support is not eligible.
The two key selection criteria are the project’s impact on strengthening the applicant’s growth potential and the project’s impact on their technological innovation. To be approved, the application must be assessed as ‘Meets’ for all criteria.
Where the available funding is insufficient to cover all eligible and approvable applications, applications are ranked according to the date of submission, with those submitted earlier taking precedence.
Projects have a maximum duration of 12 months from the date of signing the acceptance agreement. Upon completion of the project, the beneficiary must submit a final report and deliverables within a maximum of 60 working days, apply for legal recognition as a start-up within the same timeframe, and keep on file the documentation proving the project’s implementation.
Partial non-compliance with the contracted activities may result in a proportional reduction in funding, in accordance with the scale set out in the Notice.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is Start From Knowledge?
2. Who is eligible for support?
3. Does the company need to have links to higher education?
3.1. Does the ‘management control’ requirement mean that the person with links to higher education must be a director of the company?
No. The Notice requires that the company be majority-owned and under management control by a natural person or persons (Point 5 of the Notice; Article 31 of the Regulation), but does not require them to exercise management functions. ‘Management control’ is deemed to be met by the shareholder holding the majority of the share capital, as they have the power, individually and independently, to appoint and dismiss the management and to determine corporate resolutions, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Code, unless the articles of association or a shareholders’ agreement provide otherwise. To assess this requirement, in addition to the permanent certificate and the RCBE, the articles of association and any shareholders’ agreements may be requested.
3.2. How is the link to higher education demonstrated, and how are the ‘two preceding calendar years’ counted?
Proof of affiliation must be provided by a document from the higher education institution — a registration or enrolment certificate or a statement from the institution — which specifies the nature of the collaboration, the period during which it took place (start and end dates) and the host department, duly signed by the
institution. There is no minimum duration required for the research or teaching activity; proof that it took place during the specified period is sufficient.
The ‘calendar year’ is the period from 1 January to 31 December. For an application submitted in 2026, the two preceding calendar years are 2024 and 2025; it is sufficient for the enrolment, research or teaching to have taken place during that period, and there is no requirement for it to have continued for the whole year.
4. Is there an age limit for the company?
4.1. Does a company have to keep proper accounts?
5. Is there a limit on previous investment in venture capital?
6. How many applications can each company submit?
7. How much is the grant?
8. Is the grant repayable?
9. How is payment made?
10. Is the aid subject to the de minimis rule?
10.1 What is de minimis aid and how does it work?
The calculation of the de minimis threshold takes into account the single undertaking within the regulatory meaning, including any associated or affiliated undertakings.
11. What activities can be included in the application?
12. How many activities should be chosen?
13. Is it compulsory to identify deliverables?
14. What expenses are eligible?
Eligible expenditure comprises costs relevant to the approved activities, incurred on market terms, duly substantiated and, where applicable, relating to intangible assets acquired from unrelated third parties. Expenditure on the beneficiary’s in-house human resources is not eligible, as it constitutes the company’s operating costs. Subcontracting and the provision of services are eligible when carried out by third parties independent of the beneficiary (and its partners and managers) and on market terms.
14.1. Are human resources costs (partners, managers or staff) eligible?
No. Expenditure on the beneficiary’s internal human resources — including the remuneration of partners, managers and employees — is not eligible, as it constitutes the company’s normal operating costs (Point 6 of the Notice). Expenditure on subcontracting and the provision of services by third parties independent of the beneficiary is eligible, provided it is carried out on market terms and meets the other eligibility conditions.
14.2. Is the provision of services by a partner or manager to their own company (for example, through self-employment invoices) eligible?
No. Where the service provider is a partner (in particular a majority or controlling partner), a director or a person or entity related to the beneficiary, the expenditure is not eligible, even if supported by self-employed service receipts or an invoice. This constitutes a transaction with a related party, in respect of which arm’s-length conditions are not guaranteed and which gives rise to a situation susceptible to a conflict of interest, which the beneficiary is obliged to prevent in its dealings with its service providers (Point 6 of the Notice; Article 13(e) of the Regulation).
15. From when can expenditure be considered eligible?
16. What are some examples of ineligible expenditure?
16.1 What is considered to be day-to-day operating costs?
The Notice identifies the beneficiary’s normal operating costs as ineligible expenditure, but does not provide a definitive and exhaustive list of such costs.
In practical terms, these should be understood as current and recurring expenditure necessary for the normal operation of the company, without a concrete, specific and demonstrable link to the eligible activities contracted under the project. They include, in particular, salaries and other costs relating to the beneficiary’s own staff (including managers and employees).
17. What documents must be submitted with the application?
18. Do I need to register with the Funds Desk?
19. When is the deadline for applications?
20. How are applications assessed?
21. What are the selection criteria?
22. What is required for approval?
23. What happens if there are more eligible applications than there is funding available?
24. How long does it take for the decision to be communicated?
25. Is there a public hearing?
26. Is it possible to appeal against the decision?
27. How is acceptance of the support formalised?
28. What happens if the acceptance form is not submitted by the deadline?
29. How long might the project last?
30. What obligations arise at the end of the project?
31. Could there be a reduction in funding?
32. Where can I ask for clarification?
33. Will beneficiaries report on expenditure or on the activities carried out?
Nevertheless, beneficiaries must keep proper records, including proof of expenditure and other evidence demonstrating the implementation of the project, as the eligibility of expenditure and its link to the activities may be verified during monitoring.
34. Until when can eligibility and other requirements be checked?
Notwithstanding this, the Notice also identifies specific points in time by which certain requirements must be met, namely by the time the acceptance certificate is signed or by the time the project is completed, depending on the criterion in question.