FAQs

It is up to the partner HEIs to select the business ideas in the competition and fill in the application form.
Any individual application that is not recognized as selected by the Higher Education Institution itself for this purpose will not be accepted.

Only one idea per Higher Education Institution should be chosen to represent it at BfK Ideas..

For each category, the jury selects a winner. ANI reserves the right not to award a prize in a given category if it is found that none of the entries is above a certain minimum score of excellence (i.e. thereshold), to be determined according to the evaluation criteria.

The categories can be found in the Rules of the respective edition of the competition.

It is up to the HEI, when completing the application, to classify the idea according to the sectors in the competition.

Yes. All Portuguese HEIs are eligible to select and reference business ideas from their students, teachers and/or researchers.

Only the HEIs listed are BfK Ideas partners, and they are the only ones eligible to select and reference business ideas from their students, teachers and/or researchers.
If any Portuguese public HEI is not on the list of partners and would like to join the BfK Ideas competition, please contact us via online form.

Yes, BfK Ideas is aimed precisely at business ideas and not at mature projects.
BfK Ideas is intended to empower idea promoters and leverage their business potential.

There is no specific application phase for the BfK Awards.

ANI is associated with existing innovation calls and awards in Portugal, within the scope of which it awards a special BfK Award.. To be selectedyou should submit your application to one of the competitions or préif it fits in with your project or company.

The BfK Awards is awarded to one of the finalists of the partner competition/award, but is governed by its own set of evaluation criteria. The objectives and specific evaluation criteria of each competition/award are the sole and exclusive responsibility of the organizing partner.

In cases where the partner competition/award has an international scope, the BfK Awards are awarded to one of the national finalists in the competition.

Application deadlines and the timing of award ceremonies are the sole responsibility of the organizing partner of each competition/award.

The formsáThe application forms for each competition/préThe application forms for each innovation competition/prize with which ANI is associated include, à the necessary fieldsáfields à gathering information to assess the criteriaéCriteria BfK Awards. If necessary additional information, the NIA mayá proceed à collect the necessary dataáIn a later evaluation phase.

The “Tree of Knowledge” is an exclusive piece of art by Leonel Moura, which represents the winner’s scientific excellence and social, environmental and economic impact. To prove the authenticity of this distinction, the winners also receive an award certificate signed by ANI.

Other prizes may be considered, depending on the terms of the partnership with the organizers of the innovation competitions/awards with which ANI is associated.

The allocation of funding from the Innovation, Technology and Circular Economy Fund (FITEC) is governed by the provisions of Council of Ministers Resolution 84/2016 of December 21, Decree-Law 86-C/2016 of December 29 and Ministerial Order 258/2017 of August 21. What are the objectives
and what is Base Funding for?

This funding will serve to empower the Interface Centers through the allocation of multi-annual funding, which will allow them to increase their levels of financial stability and define medium-long term strategies. This initiative is part of the Interface Program and its main objectives are:

• Promoting the Interface Centers’ relationship with higher education institutions;
• The development of your internal capacity;
• An increase in qualified human resources;
• Promoting internationalization;
• The development of new areas of competence.

The Core Funding will be used exclusively to support the development of non-economic activities of a pre-competitive nature (acting on “market failures”) by these Centers, and is not intended for commercial activities. The funding will be based on an action plan with quantitative and qualitative objectives, which will serve as the basis for evaluating it. The level of overall funding for Interface Centers will be linked to the achievement of these objectives.

Entities recognized as Interface Centres (IC) under the terms of Article 7(3) of Ministerial Order No. 258/2017, of August 21, may apply for funding on the date they submit their application to the respective Notices, provided their tax and social security situation is in order. However, the FITEC Executive Committee will regularly issue Notices, depending on existing budget availability, to allow applications from entities not yet recognized as ICs on the date of entry into force of this regulation.

The budget for the next 6 years is 80M€.

The allocation for the first year of funding for Call No. 1 is €12M.

The application consists of two main parts:

• Part A asks for a detailed characterization of the Interface Centre with the identification of quantitative objectives (KPIs for characterization and future performance), also including a SWOT analysis, technological and innovation objectives – more details are available in the application guide.
• Part B calls for the preparation of a Strategic Action Plan – SAP (which should reflect the institution’s overall strategy and not just the part relating to the funding to be requested) and a Global Investment Plan (corresponding to the entity’s overall investment plan, which should be a tool for demonstrating the sustainability and feasibility of the SAP and the capacity for efficient management of resources) – more details are available in the application guide.

Yes. Each entity can receive a maximum of €3M distributed over the 3 years of funding, taking into account the classification obtained in the evaluation process and the average sales and services provided by each entity (2013-2015).

No. The maximum incentive to be contracted, for each entity and per year, will correspond to a maximum of 33% of the average sales and provision of services for the period 2013-2015, without prejudice to the additional restrictions laid down (annual maximums, evaluation, etc.).

On the date of the Annual Progress Reports, based on existing certified financial statements, for the second and third year of funding, the maximum contracted value may be revised downwards – if the financial statements made available show a decrease in the PSV in relation to the average used for the calculation at the time of the application.

Example: A given CI has an average PSV for the period 2013-2015 of 1 million. The maximum amount contracted for the three years of the incentive is 990,000 euros for the three years. Without prejudice to other applicable restrictions, the contracted amount (€990,000) will in any case be the maximum eligible for that entity.

Applications open until May 23, 2018.

See the question “Will all Interface Centers receive the same amount of multi-annual funding?”.

This standard should be applied to the accounting and disclosure of subsidies and other forms of government support. The accounting policy adopted should be disclosed, as well as the nature and extent of the subsidies from which the entity has benefited.

The application and form must be written in Portuguese, and in English in the fields marked.

Non-economic activity means activity that is not commercial or competitive on the market. For this purpose, the European Commission’s definition will be used, according to the Commission Communication – Framework for State Aid for Research, Development and Innovation (2014/C 198/1)¹.

¹ http://www.pofc.qren.pt/ResourcesUser/2014/Legislacao/JOUE_2014_C198_01_RegulamentoIDI.pdf

The European Commission considers that the following activities are generally non-economic in nature:

a) Primary activities of research organizations and research infrastructures, in particular:

• Education in order to obtain human resources with more and better qualifications;
• Independent R&D activities aimed at more knowledge and understanding, including collaborative R&D in which the research organization or infrastructure engages in effective collaboration;
• Broad dissemination of research results on a non-exclusive and non-discriminatory basis, for example through teaching, open-access databases, public publications or software;

b) Knowledge transfer activities, when carried out by or jointly with the research organization or infrastructure (including its departments or subsidiaries), or on behalf of other similar entities, and when all profits from such activities are reinvested in the primary activities of the research organization or infrastructure.

• The non-economic nature of these activities is not prejudiced by the subcontracting of the provision of corresponding services to third parties through the organization of public tenders.

If a research organization or research infrastructure is used for both economic and non-economic activities, public funding is covered by state aid rules only to the extent that it covers costs related to economic activities.

If the research organization or infrastructure is used almost exclusively for a non-economic activity, its funding may, in its entirety, be excluded from the scope of the State aid rules, provided that the economic use remains purely ancillary, i.e. that it corresponds to an activity that is directly related to the functioning of the research organization or infrastructure, or is necessary for it, or is intrinsically linked to its main non-economic use, and is limited in scope. For the purposes of this framework, the Commission will consider this to be the case if the economic activities consume exactly the same inputs (such as material, equipment, labor and fixed capital) as the non-economic activities and if the annual capacity allocated to those economic activities does not exceed 20 % of the overall annual capacity of the relevant entity.

Without prejudice to the previous two paragraphs, when research organizations or infrastructures are used to carry out economic activities, such as renting equipment or laboratories to companies, providing services to companies or carrying out research under contract, the public funding of these economic activities will, as a general rule, be considered State aid.

However, the Commission will not consider that the research organization or infrastructure is a beneficiary of State aid if it acts as a mere intermediary, transferring to the final beneficiaries all the public funding or any other advantage acquired through that funding. This is usually the case in the following instances:

a) Both the public funding and any advantage acquired through the funding are
quantifiable and demonstrable, and there is an appropriate mechanism to ensure that they are
fully passed on to the final beneficiaries, for example through a reduction in
prices.

b) No other advantage is granted to the intermediary because it is selected by public tender or because public funding is available to all entities that meet the necessary objective conditions, so that clients, as final beneficiaries, are entitled to purchase equivalent services from any relevant intermediary.

If the conditions set out in the previous paragraph are met, the state aid rules apply at the level of the final beneficiaries.

Note: see Commission Communication Framework for State aid for research , development and innovation (2014/C 198/1)

This analysis will have to be done on a case-by-case basis, according to the European Commission’s definition of non-economic activities. However, if Sales and Service Support activities are considered, they could be considered economic activities.

Investment in buildings is not eligible. Expenditure on property rents is also not eligible.

Acquisition and amortization can be considered.

No overhead costs are taken into account.

• Start of the calendar year?
• Application submission?
• Contract support for three years?

Expenditure for funding purposes is only eligible from the deadline for submitting the application – May 23, 2018. The entity is free to submit a strategic activity plan starting no later than the moment the contract is signed.

If this is established during the execution of the project, the unrealized amount can be allocated to another activity, provided it is justified and related to the project. If this is established at the end of the 3 years of the project, the remaining funds can be included in the next base funding period.

As stipulated in paragraph 5 of Chapter XV of the Basic Financing Regulation, “In the event of a mid-term evaluation, the FITEC Executive Committee, on the basis of a reasoned proposal from ANI, may alter the funding amounts, without prejudice to the maximum amounts set, in accordance with the budget allocation provided for in the Notice, and under the terms laid down therein.”

Example: if €100,000 is planned to be spent on a piece of equipment in year 2, and the investment is made for a lesser amount, the remaining funds can be reallocated to another item, subject to justification by the entity and assessment by ANI.

With regard to the hiring of qualified human resources by interface centers, objective 3 of the regulation is clear in its reference to young doctorates and other young specialized staff. Chapter V(2)(b) states that, in order to strengthen scientific employment, a training program is needed to justify the hiring of X human resources for an indefinite or uncertain term.

The hiring of eligible human resources in this context must have an additional effect on the entity’s initial number of HR and not simply a conversion of category or functions of existing HR.

Example: if the hiring of the doctorate concerns a human resource who has already been hired (albeit in a different role or category), the “human resources under contract” KPI will remain the same, with no additionality effect.

Doctoral students carrying out research at the organization (including those funded through research grants) can be hired after completing their doctorate (and the end of the grant to which it was associated, if applicable). Expenditure on research grants is therefore not eligible.

The plan to be evaluated consists of an overall strategy and budget for the three-year period. The combination of funding sources is important and will be taken into account for the evaluation. If there is the possibility of professional internships in the interface centers, financed by the Institute for Employment and Professional Training, I.P. (IEFP), these will be considered positively.

Link: https://www.iefp.pt/documents/10181/7118590/Regulamentos+EP_2+revis%C3%A3o-23-01-2018/32b038b4-24bb-457e-843e-2168fa43743f

Yes, Third Party Agreements (including the assignment of qualified human resources) can be accepted.

No, they can’t have legal personality.

The merit of the application will be taken into account by applying the following coefficients to the terms calculated in the previous questions:

• Excellent – 100% of the maximum incentive;
• Very good – 80% of the maximum incentive;
• Good – 60% (sixty percent) of the maximum incentive;
• Insufficient – no funding.

For evaluation purposes, the proposal can only obtain maximum points if it includes at least 20% of the expenditure to be financed in qualified human resources.

After the competition closes, the evaluation period will take place within 40 working days, plus 10 working days as a prior hearing period.

The final decision must be communicated within 5 working days of the evaluation period and prior hearing.

The 80% percentage refers to the amount of funding in the first year and for applications considered “excellent” – whose evaluation corresponds to 100% of the funding. 20% of the incentive for the first year will be blocked, and its payment will be conditional on the overall assessment of the plan’s implementation, i.e. the full realization of the three-year plan.

For example: an entity has an approved three-year plan of €1.5 million and therefore, for the first year, €500 thousand. That entity will see 20% of that amount, €100,000, held in escrow, which will be released after the final assessment of the three-year plan, if it is fully implemented.

The proposed positioning of the application is based on various objectives and funding sources. Although the basic funding is for specific actions within an overall strategy, the assessment will focus on the overall proposal and its implementation. In view of this, the KPIs assessed are those relating to the total plan.

For example: if the overall plan includes the hiring of 3 PhDs, even if only 1 PhD is funded through the basic financing, the assessment will be made on the overall action planned for the organization, i.e. the hiring of the 3 human resources.

As far as the form is concerned, it asks for information about the organization’s characterization and outlook, which has already been used in previous versions. Despite this, there is nothing to prevent the organization from suggesting new indicators or metrics in view of the planned positioning.

The application is made on the basis of the years of funding, starting in May 2018. The three-year period ends in May 2021.

In the first year of financing (2018), a single transfer will be made 30 days after the financing contract is signed.

No. The total value of transfers relating to Core Funding may not exceed 40% of the total maximum contracted amount to be funded in the 2018-2020 three-year period.

The remaining transfers (2019-2020) will be made 30 days after submission and evaluation of the half-yearly and annual reports requested. As payments are made in advance, some kind of adjustment to the amounts already financed may be made, if applicable, after the final assessment of the overall implementation of the plan.

Implementation will be monitored by evaluating the implementation reports of the activity plan approved with the application.

Expenses associated with carrying out activities must be accounted for in accordance with current accounting standards. In order to show the costs and income of non-economic activities and to safeguard against possible audits, this accounting must be segregated by project.

Given that the funding is intended for non-economic activities – within the meaning of the European Commission’s Communication on the Framework for State Aid for Research, Development and Innovation (2014/C 198/01) – the Interface Center must demonstrate that it is able to identify economic and non-economic activities in its accounts in a segregated manner, and the entity must therefore maintain an analytical accounting system for this purpose.

In order to show this separation of activities, each entity must include a specific section in the Annex to the Balance Sheet and Income Statement, in the Annual Report, aggregating the costs, income and financing of each of the major cost centers (Economic Activities and Non-Economic Activities).

The regime approved by Decree-Law 57/2016 of August 29 only applies to the hiring of doctoral graduates on a fixed-term basis, using public funding, to carry out scientific research, technological development, management and science and technology communication activities in SCTN institutions, with a view to their strategic development and strengthening investment in science and technology.

Within the scope of Basic Multiannual Financing, this decree-law applies to both public and private entities.

Without prejudice to compliance with the other provisions, the opening of the tender procedure must be published on the website http://www.eracareers.pt , administered by the FCT.

No, the regime approved by Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, applies to the fixed-term hiring of doctoral graduates for R&D and other related activities (see above). The hiring of PhDs on an open-ended basis must be carried out under the terms of the Labor Code and other applicable legislation.

However, if the contract is awarded through a call for tenders, it must be advertised on the portal http://www.eracareers.pt, administered by the FCT.

As stated in Notice 01/FITEC/2018, for the purposes of fulfilling Objective 3 of the Core Funding (Strengthening scientific employment by hiring young doctoral graduates and other young specialized technical staff), only doctoral graduates aged no more than 40 (forty) years in the year of hiring will be admissible.

Yes. As also mentioned in Notice 01/FITEC/2018, for the purposes of fulfilling Objective 3 of this Core Funding, the Interface Center must demonstrate that it has hired at least 50% of the PhD students on an indefinite basis.

The 1st implementation report is due 6 months after the signing of the financing contract (December 2018), and at the following intervals:

• Year 1:
  • Half-yearly Interim Report, within 30 days of the end of the first semester, from the date the contract was signed (December 2018).
  • Annual Progress Report, within 90 days of the end of Year 1 (the start date of Year 1 is set out in clause 4 of each TIC contract).
• Year 2:
  • Half-yearly Interim Report, within 30 days of the end of the first semester;
  • Annual Progress Report, within 90 days of the end of Year 2.
• Year 3:
  • Half-yearly Interim Report, within 30 days of the end of the first semester;
  • Final Report, within 90 days of the end of Year 3.

The start of the funding period for each Interface Center is the one mentioned in clause 4 of the Funding Agreement (“Funding Period“). This date marks the beginning of Year 1 of funding.

• Example 1: a TIC whose project started in June 2018 will only have to submit its 1st implementation report in June 2019. This 1st report corresponds to the Annual Progress Report for Year 1.
• Example 2: a CIT whose project started in November 2018, will have to submit the 1st execution report in June 2019 (which corresponds to its Half-Yearly Progress Report), submitting the Annual Progress Report in November 2019.

ANI has made available a guide with the rules for publicizing the support, mentioning the situations in which the funding obtained should be publicized, the logos to be considered, the minimum dimensions of the publicity material and the necessary templates.

No, the start date of the project, recorded in clause 4 of the Financing Grant Agreement, cannot be changed. The end date of the project is 36 months after the start date.

Any change or occurrence that puts or is likely to put into question the assumptions regarding the access conditions that allowed the application to be approved must be communicated.

For example:

• significant changes to the structure of the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) that could jeopardize the implementation of some of the planned activities;
• significant changes in the planned investment;
• significant changes in the objectives to be achieved.

It is not necessary to communicate or request prior authorization for minor adjustments to the planned investment amounts or to the dates for acquiring services and equipment. These situations should be reported in the half-yearly and annual execution reports. These documents should summarize the most relevant aspects that occurred in the period to which they refer, as well as the results achieved and deviations from what was planned in the application.

Applications to SIFIDE must be submitted by the end of May of the year following the financial year.

The completed form should be sent electronically to here.

Once the application has been checked for compliance (duly completed form and verification of all requested attachments), the company will be sent the respective proof of the Tax Credit application, for the purposes of Article 40(1) of Law No. 162/2014 of October 31.

Companies with a tax period other than the calendar year must submit their application to SIFIDE II by the last day of the fifth month following the end of the tax period to which the R&D expenses relate (in line with the spirit of the law, which stipulates the last day of May for companies with a tax period equal to the calendar year).

The criteria used to identify and distinguish R&D activities include the presence of an appreciable element of novelty and/or the resolution of a scientific-technological uncertainty. For more information see here.

• Declaration of the company’s liability (automatically generated by the platform);
• Declaration attesting to R&D expenditure, signed by the applicant company’s certified accountant;
• Map of R&D expenditure [Excel];
• IES;
• Model 22;
• Form per Ecodesign project and respective annexes – where applicable.

It is not necessary to attach any expenditure documents. It is sufficient to fill in the expenditure tables on the application form correctly.

For the current financial year, the rates in force are:

• Basic rate – 32.50% of expenditure incurred in the year of application;

• Incremental rate – 50% of the increase in this expenditure compared to the average of the previous 2 years, up to a limit of 1.5 million euros.

For IRC taxpayers who are SMEs according to the definition in article 2 of Decree-Law no. 372/2007, of November 6, who have not yet completed two financial years and who have not benefited from the incremental rate, a surcharge of 15% applies to the base rate.

Yes, in the appropriate percentage of participation in the project(s) and as long as they participate directly in the R&D activities.

In the case of resources with level 1, 2 and 3 qualifications, according to the National Qualifications Framework, as well as other levels, who participate indirectly in R&D activities, these can be charged under “Operating Expenses”.

In this case, the corresponding expense will be considered at 120% of its amount, and the company must present the actual value of this resource on the form.

Yes, except for all expenses incurred within the scope of projects carried out exclusively on behalf of third parties, namely through contracts and the provision of R&D services.

Within the scope of SIFIDE, the figures in the applications are compared with the information in the databases of the financial support systems, and the eligible expenses are those considered in those programs, provided that they are also eligible under the terms of SIFIDE.

Yes, whatever the nature of the subsidy (Portuguese State or European Commission) it will always be deducted from the eligible expenditure, however the application form must state the total expenditure per item.

In this case, the company must convert it to a grant using the new simulator available here.

Ecodesign” is the definition used in DIRECTIVE 2009/125/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of October 21, 2009.

The company must fill in a form (available soon) for each of the Ecodesign projects, which must be attached to the SIFIDE application.

In the“total cost” field, all expenses relating to wages, salaries or wages and salaries must be taken into account:

• the entity’s charges on remuneration;
• insurance for accidents at work and occupational diseases;
• social action expenses;
• staff training costs.

Remuneration, wages and salaries” should be taken into account, including, in addition to wages and salaries, bonuses, percentages, commissions, shares, allowances or bonuses, attendance fees and other ancillary remuneration, even if periodic, fixed or variable, whether contractual or not.

In addition, they must be taken into account when calculating staff remuneration:

• Absence allowances;
• Subsistence allowances and amounts earned for the use of the employer’s own car;
• Funds for travel and representation expenses;
• Amounts earned, even as compensation, for changing workplace.

Operating costs are eligible, up to a maximum of 55% of the costs of staff with a minimum level 4 of the National Qualifications Framework directly involved in R&D tasks. accounted for as remuneration, wages or salaries for the financial year.

We suggest consulting the Regulations and the Good Practice Guide.

National entities interested in obtaining recognition must submit the application form, available at “ENTER” after registering the company.

The form consists of two parts:

1. Identification of the company in its various quadrants;
2. Identification of the areas of activity in which the company wishes to be recognized, accompanied by the following set of documents:

• Permanent Certificate;
• Detailed description of R&D activities using the template;
• Model 22/Report of Accounts for the previous year and Response to the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN) or Statement from the ROC/CC or Reasoned statement from the incubator organisation;
• Organisational chart and proof of employment with the entity or human resources recruitment plan in accordance with the template.

Recognition is valid until the twelfth financial year following the one in which it was requested, in accordance with Article 37-A(2) of Decree-Law no. 162/2014 of 31 October, in the wording currently in force.

Entities whose good repute has been recognized for more than 8 years are subject to reassessment and may be contacted by the National Innovation Agency to update their information. If they wish, entities can request a reassessment by submitting an application for recognition of good repute, as indicated in the previous question.

Recognition of suitability to carry out research and development activities is carried out by ANI in accordance with the provisions of article 37-A, no. 1 of the Investment Tax Code.
Companies that fulfil the following requirements are eligible:

• They are resident in Portuguese territory or non-residents with a permanent establishment in that territory;
• They fulfil one of the following conditions:

  i. Investment in R&D equivalent to at least 7.5 per cent of its turnover in the year prior to the application for recognition, by:

• The availability by the company of the relevant data provided within the scope of the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN); or

• In the case of companies not covered by the IPCTN, submission of accounting data proving turnover and investment in R&D, namely through a statement from the Chartered Accountant/Certified Accountant certifying the amounts declared.

   

  ii. Have been in operation for up to three years and are incubated in an incubator certified or recognised by IAPMEI (or by an entity to which this competence may be assigned) for the purposes of integration into incubation programmes, upon presentation of a reasoned proposal from the incubator describing the scope of the activities carried out since the company was created.

In the case of companies that have invested at least 7.5 per cent of their turnover in R&D in the year prior to the application:

• Permanent Certificate;
• Detailed description of R&D activities, according to the template;
• Organisational chart, highlighting employees with an employment relationship with the entity who perform R&D activities D activities, with emphasis on the domains and main areas of activity aligned with the National Strategy for Smart Specialisation (ENEI), as well as documents proving the employment relationship, namely the respective employment contracts or proof of registration of human resources with Social Security or a human resources recruitment plan for the following 9 months, in accordance with the template, when it is not possible, at the time of submission of the application, to demonstrate the employment relationship with the entity.
• Model 22/Report of accounts for the previous year and Response to the National Scientific and Technological Potential Survey (IPCTN), in the case of companies covered by the IPCTN.
• In the case of companies not covered by the IPCTN, a statement from the Statutory Auditor/Certified Accountant, signed by the company’s management, certifying the turnover and R&D investment figures declared for the previous year.
• In the case of foreign entities that have been established in Portuguese territory for less than 1 (one) year, duly certified accounting evidence of turnover and investment in R&D for the financial year prior to the application, reported by the entity that controls the establishment in Portuguese territory, in the country of origin.

The evaluation is based on the following criteria:

• R&D projects already carried out and in progress;
• History of the organization;
• Significant previous experience in the areas/fields requested;
• Curriculum of the R&D team;
• Employees’ ties to the organization;
• Infrastructure/facilities/equipment to support R&D activities.

After the application for Recognition of Good Standing has been submitted:

1. Conformity checks are carried out in accordance with the admissibility criteria;
2. In the event of admissibility, an invitation to schedule an online meeting of approximately 45 minutes is sent;
3. After the meeting, ANI notifies the organization of the decision to grant, partially grant or reject the application;

After receiving the decision, the organization can request the SELO ID promotional materials and communication guide from ANI by emailing: sifide@ani.pt.

Article 40: “Entities benefiting from SIFIDE undertake to report annually, within two months of the end of each financial year, to the Agência Nacional de Inovação, S. A., through a map of indicators to be made available by the latter, the results of the activities supported by the tax incentive granted, during the five years following the approval of the incentive.”

It is ANI’s understanding that companies should respond to these indicators 2 months after the end of the application evaluation, since the results of the activities supported by the tax incentive granted are requested.

The indicator map should be sent to sifide@ani.pt.

Companies that do not submit applications in consecutive years are subject to this obligation for the 5 years following the approval of the incentive.

All companies that have obtained a tax credit for R&D activities approved by SIFIDE must respond.

Regardless of whether or not they submit an application to SIFIDE, they must respond to the survey within 5 years of the credit being granted.

The aim is to obtain information on the results of projects approved, in progress or completed in the reference year. The year of application should be taken as the reference, not the year in which the survey was completed.

If the company has only ongoing projects in the reference year, they should simply fill in the “Annual Activity” tab. If they present projects that ended in the reference year, they should also respond to the project tab.

No. They just have to answer the question and not add any new rows or columns.

This tab shows the results of all projects approved under SIFIDE, whether they are in progress or were completed in the reference year.

In the “Job creation” box, the number of jobs created in all areas of the company should be counted, provided that they originate in the R&D activities that benefited from SIFIDE.

In the “Industrial property” box, only the number of registrations/licenses made as a result of projects approved by SIFIDE should be indicated.

When calculating the “Turnover of SIFIDE-supported projects”, only products or services that originated from SIFIDE-supported projects should be taken into account.

The “Exports” table should only include exports that originated from projects approved under SIFIDE.

The “Collaborative projects” box should include contracts signed with entities and/or companies during the course of (or after the conclusion of) projects supported by SIFIDE. For example, during the execution of the project, the company may contract another with a recognized identity in the practice of R&D activities.

Not necessary. Point 3 should only be filled in if a project actually ended in the reference year.

They should only list the projects completed in the reference year, and the information should be updated in the following 5 years, recording developments and adding some more that have been completed in the meantime.

You can consult the list of Funds certified by ANI here.

It is a Fund whose Management Regulations are in accordance with the SIFIDE legislation in force at the time.

The investment made should be included in point f) Participation in the capital of R&D institutions and contributions to funds intended to finance R&D.

In addition to the usual documentation, it is necessary to attach:

• Fund Management Regulations;
• Proof of subscription of Shares;
• Proof of investment (bank transfer).

No, the investments cannot relate to the same expenses that are the subject of other public support, for example, with the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and Portugal 2030 (PT 2030).

Therefore, if the investments relate to the same expenses, this will result in non-compliance with the rules governing the Funds, with additional CIT assessments being issued.

Not in accordance with Article 37(9) of the IFC, they do not need to obtain or apply for recognition as a Technology Sector Company.

Yes, as long as they are incubated in a certified incubator.

You must go to the ANI website, fill in the online form and submit the requested documents.

Yes, you must be incubated in a certified incubator or have invested at least 7.5% of your turnover in R&D in the previous year, even if you have already been in business for 6 years.

No. In order to be eligible for investment in R&D by funds, they must obtain recognition of their suitability in terms of Research & Development under Article 37 – A of the Investment Tax Code.

They are separate applications, both of which have to meet the respective eligibility requirements.

According to article 2 of Ministerial Order no. 295/2021, of July 23, “ Employers with registered offices or effective management in Portuguese territory, as well as non-resident employers with a permanent establishment in this territory, who carry out, as their main activity, a commercial, industrial or agricultural activity, and who cumulatively meet the following conditions, are considered to be subject to this regime:

1. a) Are not considered, during the period referred to in point b), to be micro, small or medium-sized enterprises, under the terms set out in the annex to Decree-Law no. 372/2007, of November 6, in its current wording;
2. b) Have recorded a positive net result in the accounting period for the calendar year 2020 or, if the accounting period does not coincide with the calendar year, for the accounting period beginning on or after January 1, 2020, in accordance with the respective accounts approved by their governing bodies, under the terms of the applicable legislation..”

The expression “(…) are principally engaged in a commercial, industrial or agricultural activity (…)” is an expression enshrined in tax legislation, namely in Article 3 of the IRC Code, which establishes in paragraph 4 that “For the purposes of this Code, all activities that consist of carrying out economic operations of a business nature are considered to be of a commercial, industrial or agricultural nature, including the provision of services.”, so it must be understood that the regime is also applicable to entities that carry out any business activity as their main activity.

As established in Article 7(3) of the Ordinance, the level of employment must be maintained “in the months between October 2020 and the month preceding the month of application“, in accordance with Article 3(3).

Pursuant to Article 3(3) of the Ordinance, the average number will be calculated by Social Security, based on the number of workers employed by the entity at the end of October 2020 and the number of workers employed by the entity in the month prior to the month in which the application is submitted.

According to Article 2(2) of Ordinance 295/2021, “The maintenance of the level of employment is considered to be observed whenever, by the end of the month prior to the month of application, use or training of public support or tax incentive, where applicable, the entity has an average number of workers at its service equal to or greater than the level observed in October 2020.”

At the same time, under the terms of Article 3(5)(a), the legislator established “the prohibition on terminating employment contracts under the collective redundancy, redundancy due to job extinction or redundancy due to unsuitability modalities provided for in articles 359, 367 and 373 of the Labor Code, approved in the annex to Law no. 7/2009, of February 12, in its current wording, as well as initiating the respective procedures until December 31, 2021, without prejudice to the provisions of article 2(d) of Law no. 7/2009, of February 12, in its current wording.º 7/2009, of February 12, in its current wording, respectively, as well as to initiate the respective procedures, until December 31, 2021, without prejudice to the provisions of paragraph d) of article 2 of annex V of Law no. 27-A/2020, of July 24“.

Estas disposições da Portaria são a concretização do previsto no n.º 4 do artigo 403.º da Lei n.º 75-B/2020, de 31 de dezembro (Lei do Orçamento de Estado para 2021), que determina na sua alínea a) que a concessão dos apoios públicos e incentivos fiscais em causa, implica, para as entidades abrangidas pelo presente regime (ou seja, para as empresas com resultado líquido positivo no período de 2020 que não se qualifiquem como micro, pequenas ou médias empresas ) “A proibição de fazer cessar contratos de trabalho ao abrigo das modalidades de despedimento coletivo, de despedimento por extinção do posto de trabalho ou de despedimento por inadaptação, previstos, respetivamente, nos artigos 359.º, 367.º e 373.º do Código do Trabalho, bem como de iniciar os respetivos procedimentos até ao final do ano de 2021”.

Consequentemente, as empresas que tenham cessado “contratos de trabalho ao abrigo das modalidades de despedimento coletivo, de despedimento por extinção do posto de trabalho ou de despedimento por inadaptação” ou tenham iniciado até ao final os procedimentos para a cessação de contratos de trabalho ao abrigo de uma destas modalidades não poderão usufruir do benefício fiscal no exercício de 2021.

In the event of a reduction in the level of employment identified by Social Security, the company must be given the opportunity to demonstrate that this reduction is due to the occurrence of one of the situations provided for in Article 4(1)(b) of Ministerial Order 295/2021, of July 23, and therefore should not be taken into account for the purposes of verifying the maintenance of the level of employment.

In addition, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 2 of the same article, entities subject to the regime may also demonstrate that, in the overall calculation of the entities with which it has a corporate relationship of reciprocal holdings, control or group, even if not subject to the regime, the level of employment has been maintained, under the terms and conditions set out in this regime, with only those entities having their registered office or effective management in Portuguese territory or the permanent establishments of those entities located in Portugal being counted for this purpose.

Yes. Failure to comply with the duty to maintain employment levels will result in the suspension of the right to use these benefits during the tax period beginning on or after January 1, 2021.

However, the benefits may be used in subsequent periods, provided that the necessary legal requirements are met, as well as the submission of the respective applications..

No. A company is not obliged to demonstrate compliance with the criterion at group level and can take advantage of the tax incentives even if there has been a reduction in employment at group level.

Under the terms of the extraordinary and transitional incentive scheme for maintaining jobs, enshrined in article 403 of the State Budget Law for 2021 and subsequently regulated by Ministerial Order no. 295/2021, of July 23, access to public support during 2021 and the use of tax incentives in the tax period beginning on or after January 1, 2021, by the entities subject to it, would be conditional on compliance with certain requirements regarding the maintenance of employment levels.

As such, it should be clarified that this regime only applied with reference to the 2021 tax year/period.

Therefore, since no legislation has been produced to renew the validity of this scheme for subsequent years/tax periods, we hereby inform you that the extraordinary and transitional incentive scheme for maintaining jobs will not remain in force for the 2022 tax period and subsequent years.

Funds Hotline 800 10 35 10 (09:00-18:00 – free of charge)

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.

Public procurement of innovation (or public contracts for innovation) refers to situations where public purchasers seek to acquire the development or application of cutting-edge innovative solutions to meet the medium- to long-term needs of the public sector. It is a tool that aims to provide taxpayers with public services of the highest possible quality and efficiency. In certain cases, it is possible to respond to challenges in the public sector through innovative solutions that are almost or already available on the market in small quantities and do not require further research and development (R&D). It is in these cases that public procurement of innovation can be used Public procurement of innovative solutions (PPI)¹ so that these solutions can be put into practice. In other cases, the challenges facing the public sector require such demanding technological improvements that they are still far from market readiness and require further R&D. In such cases, recourse can be used Pre-commercial procurement (PCP)² to compare the pros and cons of alternative competing approaches and gradually reduce the risks of the most promising innovations through solution design, prototyping, development and initial testing of products. By developing a forward-looking public procurement of innovation strategy that uses PCP and PPI in a complementary manner, the public purchaser can drive innovation on the demand side, thereby enabling the public sector to modernise public services more quickly while creating opportunities for companies in Europe to obtain a first customer reference and achieve international leadership in new markets.

¹ Translation note: In this text we will use the acronym PPI (“Public Procurement of Innovative solutions”), as it is the one used in all international texts.

² Translation note: Likewise, this text will use the acronym PCP (“Pre-Commercial Procurement”), as it is the one used in all international texts

The public procurement of innovation involves 3 phases and several steps per phase:

1. The preparatory phase, which covers the following stages:

• identifying and assessing the needs of the buyer (and end users);
• checking needs against what already exists (prior art analysis & patent search);
• checking needs against what the market can offer (open market consultation);
• formulation of the economic arguments for the buyer to initiate an innovation purchase (how to establish the requirements in terms of functionality/price to be applied to innovative solutions so that the purchasing process leads to a positive result in terms of cost/benefit ratio);
• preparation of the tender documentation (including the establishment of intellectual property rights (IPR), confidentiality and standardization requirements).

2. The competition phase (recruitment), which includes the following stages:

• carrying out the tender procedure (publication of tender documents, submission of tenders, evaluation of tenders, award of contract);
• In the case of an IPP, the conformity test may take place before or during the tendering phase.

Note: The compliance test is purely optional and takes place before the contract is awarded. Since the purpose of this test is to verify that the potential suppliers’ solutions meet the minimum requirements for the tenders to be eligible (e.g. compliance with standardization, certification requirements), it must be carried out before the contract is awarded.

3. The contract execution phase (after the contract has been awarded), which covers the following stages:

• permanent monitoring and evaluation of the final results of the R&D (PCP) or the application of the solution (PPI), payment to the supplier(s);
• In the case of a CFP, this process is repeated for each phase of the CFP, followed by a selection of R&D suppliers who will continue to the next R&D phase.

The limits of what R&D can cover under the CFP are defined by the following legal frameworks:

• o 2014 EU framework for state aid for research, development and innovation;
• the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA).

According to the 2014 EU Framework for State Aid for Research, Development and Innovation, in order to exclude any state aid from a CFP procedure the subject matter of the contract must be covered by one or more of the research and development categories defined in the framework and the duration of the contract must be limited. In addition, it may include the development of prototypes or a limited quantity of first products or services in the form of a series of tests, but the purchase of products or services in commercial quantities must not be the subject of the same contract. The categories of R&D defined in the State Aid Framework that can be covered by the CFP are:

• “basic research“, i.e. experimental or theoretical work carried out primarily with the aim of acquiring new knowledge about the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct commercial application or use in mind;
• the “industrial research”, i.e. planned research or critical investigation aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills for the development of new products, processes or services or for introducing significant improvements to existing products, processes or services. It includes the creation of complex system components and may involve the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment simulating interfaces with existing systems, as well as pilot lines, if necessary for industrial research and, in particular, for the validation of generic technology;
• the “experimental development”, i.e. the acquisition, combination, configuration and use of relevant existing scientific, technological, commercial and other knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services. This may also include, for example, activities aimed at conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes or services. Experimental development may include the creation of prototypes, demonstration, pilot projects, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions, where the main objective is to introduce new technical improvements to products, processes or services that are not substantially fixed. This may include the development of a commercially usable prototype or pilot project, which is necessarily the final commercial product and whose production is too costly to be used solely for demonstration and validation purposes. Experimental development does not include routine or periodic changes made to existing products, production lines, processing methods, services and other ongoing operations, even if such changes are likely to represent improvements.

As explained in the Framework for State Aid to R&D&I, the different categories of R&D can also be considered to correspond to levels of technological readiness 1 (fundamental research), 2-4 (industrial research) and 5-8 (experimental development). As the CFP is motivated by a specific purchasing need (with a concrete use in mind), fundamental research is not its objective. However, it is possible that in order to complete the industrial R&D necessary for the CFP, it is also necessary to deepen some aspects of fundamental research. Thus, the CFP usually covers activities such as the exploration and design of solutions, the creation of prototypes, up to the original development of a limited quantity of first products or services in the form of a series of tests. Pursuant to Article XV(1)(e) of the WTO GPA 1994 and Article XIII(1)(f) of the WTO GPA 1994, these activities are usually carried out in the form of exploration and design of solutions.Under Article XV(1)(e) of the 1994 WTO GPA and Article XIII(1)(f) of the 2014 Revised WTO GPA, which defines original development as the frontier where R&D ends, the original development of a new product or service may include some production or supply in order to incorporate the results of testing under real conditions and to demonstrate that the product or service in question can be produced or supplied in quantity and to acceptable quality standards, but does not include production or supply in quantity with a view to establishing commercial viability or recovering research and development costs.

An unmet need or challenge in a PCP or PPI is a requirement or set of requirements that (…) [buyers] have at present or (preferably) that (…) [they] will have in the future, which current products, services or devices cannot satisfy, or can only do so at excessive cost or with unacceptable risk. An unmet need or challenge often becomes apparent when a buyer has to solve a problem that negatively affects the efficiency of its internal operations or the quality of the public interest service it offers to citizens, or when4 a buyer has to implement political objectives or legislation. [1] Cf. Department for Business Innovation & Skills, “Delivering best value through 10 innovation. Forward Commitment Procurement. Practical Pathways to Buying Innovative Solutions”, November 2011. Available at
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/3
2446/11-1054-forward-commitment-procurement-buying-innovativesolutions.pdf

An open market consultation consists of an open dialogue between the buyer(s) and the market, in which the buyer(s) ask for the market’s opinion in order to identify the market’s ability to meet their needs. All potentially interested economic operators present in the market are invited to participate in the open market consultation (by publishing an open market consultation notice in the European Union’s public procurement database, the European Tender Database). An open market consultation will reveal whether the need is met by a readily available commercial solution or whether R&D (PCP) or near-market innovation (PPI) is required to meet the need. When the solution to meet the need is not readily available, the open market consultation will help the public purchaser choose the right way to procure innovation. If R&D is still needed to meet the need, CFP is the appropriate option (possibly followed by IPP). If there are already suitable innovative solutions close to the market stage that have already passed through the R&D phase and are ready for commercialization by a first customer (or launch customer), PPI is the appropriate option.

The CFP is a public procurement process for Research and Development (R&D) services that involves the sharing of risks and benefits according to market conditions and competitive development in phases, where there is a clear separation between the acquisition of R&D and the deployment of final products in commercial quantities.

The separation between CFP and the deployment of final products in commercial quantities refers to the complementarity between CFP, which is focused on the R&D phase before commercialization (the purchase of R&D services), and IPP, which is not focused on R&D but on the commercialization/diffusion of solutions (the purchase of innovative products that are ready to be marketed).

It is an R&D phase within a CFP process. As a general rule, a PCP project comprises 3 phases. Phase 1 comprises the study of solutions, phase 2 comprises the creation of prototypes, and phase 3 comprises the original development of a limited quantity of first products or services in the form of a series of tests.

Phased competitive development refers to the competitive approach that buyers use in the CFP to purchase R&D from several competing R&D suppliers at the same time in order to compare and identify the most economically advantageous solutions on the market to meet the CFP challenge. R&D is also divided into phases (the conception of solutions, the creation of prototypes, original development and the validation/testing of the first products). The number of competing R&D suppliers is reduced after each phase of the CFP process following the interim evaluations. The phased approach reduces the investment risk for the public purchaser, facilitates the participation of smaller innovative companies (SMEs) and rewards the most competitive solutions. There is also evidence that phased competitive development that is clearly separated from subsequent deployment contracts generates significant quality improvements and reduces first-product costs for buyers by an average of 20%.

The separation of CFP from the deployment of end products in commercial quantities refers to the complementarity between CFP, which is focused on the R&D phase before commercialization, and IPP, which is not focused on R&D but on the commercialization/diffusion of solutions.

Sharing risks and benefits according to market conditions refers to the approach used within a CFP 13 process in which buyers share with suppliers, at market price, the benefits and risks related to intellectual property rights (IPR) arising from R&D. For more information, see answers to questions Q11, Q12 and Q13.

The CFP falls outside the scope of the European directives on public procurement, since in the CFP the buyer does not reserve all the benefits of R&D for itself, but leaves the intellectual property rights (IPR) arising from the results they produce to the R&D providers. The CFP is therefore exempt from the EU directives on public procurement on the basis of Article 16(f) of Directive 2004/18/EC on the coordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts (Public Sector Directive), Article 24(e) of Directive 2004/18/EC on the coordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts (Public Sector Directive) and Article 24(e) of Directive 2004/18/EC on the coordination of procedures for the award of public works contracts, public supply contracts and public service contracts (Public Sector Directive).Article 24(e) of Directive 2004/17/EC coordinating the procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors (Utilities Directive) and the EU legislation that replaced these directives, namely Article 14 of Directive 2014/24/EU.Article 14 of Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement and repealing Directive 2004/18/EC, and, respectively, Article 32 of Directive 2014/25/EU on public contracts awarded by entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors and repealing Directive 2004/17/EC, as well as Article 13(f) and (j) of Directive 2004/18/EC.Article 13(f) and (j) of Directive 2009/81/EC (Defense/Security Directive) establishes that the directive applies only to public contracts for the acquisition of research and development services that meet the following conditions:

• the results are intended exclusively for the contracting authority/entity for its use in the conduct of its own affairs, and
• the provision of services is fully remunerated by the said contracting authority/entity.

The main parties to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (WTO GPA), including the EC, have excluded R&D services from the scope of the GPA (Article IV). Therefore, the CFP is exempt from the GPA as long as it is limited to original development (cf. questions on what is covered by R&D) within the meaning of Article XV(1)(e) of the 1994 WTO GPA and Article XIII(1)(f) of the 2014 Revised WTO GPA. However, it is necessary that the acquisition of these exempt R&D services be made in accordance with:

• the fundamental principles of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the principles deriving therefrom[1];
• the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA) and the Stabilization and Association Agreements with third countries[2] of the European Neighbourhood Policy. For CFP projects funded by the Horizon 2020 program, it is also necessary to ensure compliance with the association agreements concluded under that program;
• EU competition rules, including in particular the conditions to ensure that the CFP does not involve state aid as defined in Article 33 of the rules on state aid for research, development and innovation;
• the provisions of Article XV(1)(e) of the 1994 WTO GPA and Article XIII(1)(f) of the 2014 Revised WTO GPA with regard to subsequent supply contracts after the conclusion of the pre-commercial procurement (PCP).

While the principles of the TFEU as well as the above-mentioned principles of the EEA/Stabilization and Association Agreements remain applicable, the public purchaser must allow all interested candidates from all EU Member States, the EEA and the partner countries in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy the possibility to compete on an equal footing in the CFP procedures, based on transparent and fair rules. According to Article XV(1)(e) and Article XIII(1)(f) of the 2014 Revised WTO GPA, the use of restricted competition in the CFP is not allowed to avoid competition to the greatest extent possible or to discriminate against suppliers from other WTO parties or to protect domestic suppliers in subsequent contracts for supply purposes. Thus, with regard to bidders from other countries that are signatories to the WTO, the public purchaser has two options:

• If it does not allow candidates from these countries to submit tenders under the PCP, the public purchaser may not restrict the tender to the purchase of prototypes or the first products/services developed during the implementation of the PCP from the PCP contractors.
• If it allows candidates from these countries to submit tenders under the PCP, the public purchaser can limit the procurement of prototypes or the first products/services developed during the PCP to PCP contractors. Note that in this case it is still possible to use a place of performance requirement which obliges suppliers to perform a relevant part of the R&D services for the PCP in the territory defined by the EU, EEA and partner countries in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy. It should be noted that in CFP projects funded under Horizon 2020, the scope of the local performance condition is even broader and also includes all countries associated with Horizon 2020 that do not belong to the EEA and are not covered by the European Neighborhood Policy. Under the EEA and Stabilization and Association Agreements, it is not permitted to restrict the place of performance clause
  so that R&D can only be carried out in EU Member States. Under the EU Treaty principles of EU competition rules, it is also not permitted to restrict the place of performance clause so that R&D can only be carried out in a particular EU Member State, region or city.

The Communication on the CFP [4] and the Working Document [5] on staff allocated to the CFP define an approach to implementing the CFP that fully complies with the applicable legal framework at European and global level.

What needs to be complied with in particular includes: the fundamental principles of the TFEU on the free movement of goods and workers, the freedom to provide services, the freedom of establishment and the free movement of capital, as well as the principles deriving from them, such as the principles of non-discrimination, transparency and equal treatment.

The list of countries with which the EU has signed association agreements on public procurement in the context of the European Neighborhood Policy is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/growth/single-market/publicprocurement/international/european-neighborhood-policy/index_en.htm

The list of countries associated with Horizon 2020 is available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/grants_manual/hi/3cpart/h2020-hi-list-ac_en.pdf. [4] Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, ‘Pre-commercial Procurement: Driving innovation to ensure sustainable high quality public services in Europe’, COM(2007) 799 final, 14.12.2007.

[5] Commission Staff Working Document, SEC (2007) 1668, Example of a possible approach for the procurement of R&D services by applying risk and benefit sharing according to market conditions, i.e. pre-commercial procurement, 14.12.2007.

It is recommended that any type of legal entity that is interested and qualified to commercialise R&D results be allowed to apply for the PCP, either individually or in consortium with other entities, including SMEs (also start-ups), universities [1], associations and foundations. To apply, the applicant [2] must demonstrate a clear path to market. Since the testing in situ Phase 3 of the PCP is an activity that normally consumes most of the PCP budget. It is recommended that applicants be asked to carry out most of the R&D and operational activities covered by the contract within the European Economic Area or in a country that has concluded a stabilisation and association agreement under the European Neighbourhood Policy. In the case of PCP projects funded by Horizon 2020, this extends to all countries associated with Horizon 2020.

[1] Universities, on their own initiative, should also be able to apply as long as they are capable of commercializing IPR.

[2] It should be noted that in the case of tenders submitted by a consortium, it is the consortium as a whole that has to prove its capabilities, not each individual entity that makes it up.

IPR represents the package of property rights over intangible knowledge products, such as copyright for documents and software, patents for technical inventions, and trademarks for brand images. They refer to patents, inventions (whether or not patentable or registrable), trademarks, service marks, copyrights, topography rights, design rights, and database rights (whether or not registered or registrable, and including applications for registration, renewal, and extension for any of them), trade secrets and confidentiality rights, trade names or designations and domain names, and all rights or forms of protection of a similar nature with equivalent effects for any that may exist now or in the future anywhere in the world. The term results is not limited to IPR. It also includes any tangible or intangible ‘product’, namely data, knowledge or information, generated within the scope of the PCP (i.e. in the activities described in the contract), whatever its form or nature, whether or not it can be protected, as well as any rights associated with it, including IPR produced during the execution of the contract (‘foreground IPR’ or new IPR). It should be noted that the results are the products generated at this stage and therefore do not include pre-existing products (‘background’ products generated before the CFP) or co-existing products (‘sideground’ products generated during the term of the CFP but not in the activities covered by it). In a PCP, the purchaser does not reserve the results of R&D for its exclusive use. Each R&D supplier that generates results under a PCP retains ownership of the IPR associated with its own results (along with the responsibility and costs of protecting that IPR). The public purchaser acquires royalty-free rights to use the R&D results and the right to require participating R&D suppliers to grant non-exclusive licences to third parties to exploit the results on fair and reasonable market terms without any right to sublicense. A “call-back” clause ensures that an R&D supplier that does not commercially exploit the results within a period of time after the completion of the PCP as defined in the relevant specifications (minimum period of four years for projects funded by Horizon 2020) or that uses them to the detriment of the public interest (including security interests) will have to transfer ownership of those results to the purchaser at the latter’s request. Given that the award of a PCP does not entail the purchase of pre-existing (background) or co-existing (sideground) products, the purchaser obtains access to these products from R&D suppliers on fair and reasonable market terms, except for pre-existing products that it needs to perform its own tasks during the term of the PCP (without the need for a licence). The purchaser also retains the right to publish information – after consultation with each participating R&D supplier – public summaries of the results of the FPPC, including information on the main R&D results achieved and the lessons learned by the purchaser during the execution of the FPPC (e.g. on the feasibility of the solutions explored to meet the purchaser’s requirements and the lessons learned for a potential application of the solutions in the future). Details should not be disclosed that could impede law enforcement, be contrary to the public interest, compromise the legitimate commercial interests of R&D suppliers involved in the PCP (e.g. regarding specific aspects of their individual solution approaches protected by IPR) or distort fair competition between participating or market-present R&D suppliers. For the public purchaser, this approach safeguards a competitive supply chain and cheaper prices in the future for R&D and the resulting products, as participating R&D suppliers can market the results of the PCP – including the resale of the solutions developed – in wider markets.

PCP concerns the phase preceding commercial exploitation, namely the acquisition of R&D. PCP is used to drive technological innovation up to the development of a limited batch of first products or services in the form of a series of tests. The subsequent commercialisation of the PCP results generated by R&D suppliers under the PCP is the responsibility of the R&D suppliers themselves (for an unlimited period of time if the conditions of the PCP are met or until the application of the “call-back” clause is requested). We can define the commercial exploitation of the results produced under a PCP by R&D suppliers as the marketing of a commercial application of the results directly by the R&D supplier or by any of its potential subcontractors or licensees. This definition may include the marketing of a commercial application (by direct sale, licensing or transfer of ownership) of all types of results obtained in the
scope of the PCP (including information, data, IPR, products/services/processes resulting from the PCP). The commercialisation of products/services resulting from the PCP covers the production, distribution, marketing, sale and customer support necessary to ensure their commercial success. As a strategy, the commercialisation of products/services requires the development of a marketing plan, determining how the product/service will be delivered to the market, and anticipating and managing obstacles to success. After completion of the PCP, the public purchaser may support the commercialisation process by launching a tender for the award of an IPP for the acquisition of the results of the PCP, in particular for the deployment of the products/services resulting from the PCP. If the PPI only covers the purchase of the limited set of prototypes or first test products/services developed during the term of the PCP, then the PPI may be limited to R&D suppliers participating in the PCP, provided that the tender for the award of that PCP was open not only to candidates from the 28 EU Member States, EEA countries and countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, but also to all candidates from WTO member countries. According to the EU and WTO legal framework, the award of an IPP for end products in commercial quantities cannot be reserved for (one of) the R&D suppliers that participated in the PCP and must, in addition to the 28 EU Member States, EEA countries and countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy, also include candidates from all WTO signatory countries for all types of purchases covered by the WTO GPA.

A PCP is a contract for the provision of R&D services in which the public purchaser shares with the R&D supplier the risks and benefits related to IPR. The public purchaser must ensure that PCPs concluded with R&D suppliers include financial compensation in line with market conditions, using the cost of exclusive development for the allocation of IPR to participating R&D suppliers as a benchmark, so that the conclusion of the PCP does not involve any state aid. The financial compensation compared to the cost of exclusive development should reflect the market value of the benefits received and the risks assumed by the participating R&D supplier. The market price of the benefits must reflect the commercialisation opportunities that the IPRs provide to the R&D provider. The associated risks assumed by the R&D provider include, for example, the costs it has to bear to maintain the IPRs and commercialise the products. If the price paid by the public purchaser does not reflect the benefits received and the risks assumed by the participating R&D suppliers, the PCP will normally be regarded as State aid. According to the new EU Framework for State Aid for Research, Development and Innovation (R&D&I) of 2014, a “market price” is presumed to exist whenever the award of the PCP is made in accordance with a set of cumulative conditions. [1] See section 2.3 of the Framework for State aid for research, development and innovation.

The PPI is a public contract in which the public buyer acts as the first customer (or launch customer) – also called the first user or early adopter – of products or services that are about to become or are already available on the market in small quantities but are not yet deployed on a large-scale commercial basis. PPI does not include the purchase of R&D but may include the purchase of a test to verify that existing solutions on the market can meet the deployment requirements, i.e. a conformance test.

In Horizon 2020 MIP projects, innovative solutions are innovative products or services that offer better levels of performance than the best available that suppliers are invited to satisfy through production innovation. This includes solutions that will normally already have been (partly) technically successfully demonstrated on a small scale, and may be almost or already available on the market in small quantities, but which, due to the residual risk of market uncertainty have not yet been produced on a large enough scale to meet the price/quality requirements of the large market and therefore have not yet penetrated widely into the buyer’s market segment. This also includes solutions based on existing technologies intended for new and innovative uses. PPI does not include the acquisition of R&D.

The limits of what R&D can cover under the CFP are defined by the following legal frameworks:

• o 2014 EU framework for state aid for research, development and innovation;
• the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement (WTO GPA).

According to the 2014 EU Framework for State Aid for Research, Development and Innovation, in order to exclude any state aid from a CFP procedure the subject matter of the contract must be covered by one or more of the research and development categories defined in the framework and the duration of the contract must be limited. In addition, it may include the development of prototypes or a limited quantity of first products or services in the form of a series of tests, but the purchase of products or services in commercial quantities must not be the subject of the same contract. The categories of R&D defined in the State Aid Framework that can be covered by the CFP are:

• “basic research“, i.e. experimental or theoretical work carried out primarily with the aim of acquiring new knowledge about the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, without any direct commercial application or use in mind;
• the “industrial research”, i.e. planned research or critical investigation aimed at acquiring new knowledge and skills for the development of new products, processes or services or for introducing significant improvements to existing products, processes or services. It includes the creation of complex system components and may involve the construction of prototypes in a laboratory environment or in an environment simulating interfaces with existing systems, as well as pilot lines, if necessary for industrial research and, in particular, for the validation of generic technology;
• the “experimental development”, i.e. the acquisition, combination, configuration and use of relevant existing scientific, technological, commercial and other knowledge and skills with the aim of developing new or improved products, processes or services. This may also include, for example, activities aimed at conceptual definition, planning and documentation of new products, processes or services. Experimental development may include the creation of prototypes, demonstration, pilot projects, testing and validation of new or improved products, processes or services in environments representative of real-life operating conditions, where the main objective is to introduce new technical improvements to products, processes or services that are not substantially fixed. This may include the development of a commercially usable prototype or pilot project, which is necessarily the final commercial product and whose production is too costly to be used solely for demonstration and validation purposes. Experimental development does not include routine or periodic changes made to existing products, production lines, processing methods, services and other ongoing operations, even if such changes are likely to represent improvements.

As explained in the Framework for State Aid to R&D&I, the different categories of R&D can also be considered to correspond to levels of technological readiness 1 (fundamental research), 2-4 (industrial research) and 5-8 (experimental development). As the CFP is motivated by a specific purchasing need (with a concrete use in mind), fundamental research is not its objective. However, it is possible that in order to complete the industrial R&D necessary for the CFP, it is also necessary to deepen some aspects of fundamental research. Thus, the CFP usually covers activities such as the exploration and design of solutions, the creation of prototypes, up to the original development of a limited quantity of first products or services in the form of a series of tests. Pursuant to Article XV(1)(e) of the WTO GPA 1994 and Article XIII(1)(f) of the WTO GPA 1994, these activities are usually carried out in the form of exploration and design of solutions.Under Article XV(1)(e) of the 1994 WTO GPA and Article XIII(1)(f) of the 2014 Revised WTO GPA, which defines original development as the frontier where R&D ends, the original development of a new product or service may include some production or supply in order to incorporate the results of testing under real conditions and to demonstrate that the product or service in question can be produced or supplied in quantity and to acceptable quality standards, but does not include production or supply in quantity with a view to establishing commercial viability or recovering research and development costs.

In Horizon 2020 PPI projects, the term first customer or launch customer – also referred to as first user or early adopter – refers to the first 20% or so of customers in the EU domestic market in the buyer’s market segment who are deploying innovative solutions to address the challenge that the PPI award is responding to. PPI will result in the first application/commercialisation of innovative solutions, i.e. the solutions must be new to the buyer’s market segment or to the EU internal market, and relevant to suppliers in other Member States and/or countries associated with Horizon 2020. See Annex E. Specific requirements for innovation procurement (PCP/PPI) supported by Horizon 2020 grants. Available at: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/data/ref/h2020/wp/2014_2015/annex
es/h2020-wp1415-annex-e-inproc_en.pdf.

The PPI falls within the scope of the EU public procurement directives and the WTO GPA rules where these are applicable to the buyer and the product/service in question.

Cross-border collaboration means collaboration between two or more buyers from different countries (“group of buyers”), who can co-finance the purchase and/or make the purchase together. Collaboration can take different forms. For example, a joint CFP or IPP will involve the identification of a need shared by all participating contracting authorities, the publication of a joint contract notice, the joint evaluation of tenders, and the award of the contract or all or some of the contracts by a lead buyer in the name and on behalf of the purchasing group.

Cross-border collaboration between contracting authorities has several advantages:

• allows public buyers to share the costs and risks of buying innovation;
• allows public buyers to create the basis for interoperable solutions; and
• creates a critical mass of demand for innovative solutions, which encourages private investment in the development of the innovative solution and generates growth in the defined markets.

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.

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.

The calculation of the de minimis threshold takes into account the single undertaking within the regulatory meaning, including any associated or affiliated undertakings.

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.

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.

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).

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).

As of September 28, 2026, the work email addresses of employees at ANI, FCCN and FCT have been migrated to the single, shared domain @ai2portugal.pt.

This process is another step in the transition of ANI, FCCN and FCT to AI²—the Agency for Research and Innovation (Decree-Law No. 132/2025, of December 24).

AI² – Agency for Research and Innovation is the Portuguese public agency for science and innovation.

It exists to support researchers, innovators, and those who transform knowledge into value. We work with researchers, scientific and higher education institutions, companies, entrepreneurs, and public entities, seeking to create the best conditions for good ideas to emerge, grow, and make an impact.

Our ambition is to help make Portugal one of the countries where it is easiest to conduct research and innovate.

Over the past few decades, Portugal has built a stronger scientific and technological system. The challenge now is to transform it into an ecosystem with greater scale, greater connectivity, and greater impact.

AI² was created to bridge the worlds of science and innovation, knowledge and society, research and application. It was also created to simplify the system for its users: with clearer tools, faster processes, and a closer relationship with researchers, institutions, and companies.

Our mission is to connect talent and capabilities, reduce fragmentation, and transform knowledge into impact for Portugal.

AI² funds and monitors research and innovation, evaluates projects and institutions, supports training and talent development, fosters international cooperation, and promotes the utilization and transfer of knowledge.

Our role goes beyond program management and funding. We aim to help identify opportunities, bring together the best partners, mobilize public and private investment, and create the conditions for Portugal to focus talent and resources on the challenges where it can make a difference.

We also have a responsibility to bring Portugal closer to Europe by aligning national research and innovation instruments with major European programs, notably Horizon Europe and the European Competitiveness Fund. The goals are to increase Portuguese participation, create scale, and enhance access to networks, knowledge, and additional funding.

From knowledge to innovation, and from innovation to impact, AI² exists to help the best ideas go further.

Yes. Messages sent to the old addresses will continue to be delivered during a transition period. You will receive an automatic notification with the new address, and we ask that you update your contacts.

Yes, your message was delivered to the recipient. The automatic reply is a notification that the address has changed and does not replace a response from the person you contacted. To stop receiving this message, update the contact information with the new address.

No. Although the old email address will forward messages to the new one during a limited transition period, you should start using only the new address as soon as possible.

At this time, functional email accounts (general/service accounts) will remain on the current domains @ani.pt, @fccn.pt and @fct.pt. If you are corresponding with an office, project, or customer service account, the address has not changed. Any future changes will be communicated in a timely manner.

This page is the official verification site. If you have any questions, do not reply to the message: verify here or contact the person through a channel you have used before.
We never request or change personal, banking, or payment information via email.
If you receive a request of this nature, verify it by phone or through your usual point of contact before taking any action.

Please use [firstname.lastname]@ai2portugal.pt. If you have any questions, please send an email to the old address: messages will be delivered correctly during a transition period. We will notify you in advance of the date when the old addresses will be deactivated.