Fast-Track support for Strategic Investments in Portugal
Developing large-scale projects in Portugal can be a complex journey, requiring coordination across multiple stages and entities. However, securing Portuguese Important Project (PIN) or Investment Project for the Interior (PII) status unlocks a powerful advantage—streamlining approvals and accelerating progress.
With direct support from key governmental bodies such as APA, CCDR, Floene, REN, and others, investors benefit from: ✔ Priority in licensing – ensuring faster approvals ✔ Simultaneous administrative processing – cutting through bureaucracy ✔ Significant reduction in timelines – getting projects off the ground quicker
For those looking to invest in Portugal, PIN/PII status is the key to unlocking efficiency and success.
Applications are open until 2025/12/31 under the SICE Business Innovation Call – Contractual Investment Regime (RCI). This call aims to support productive investment projects promoted by companies engaged in innovative activities deemed of special interest to the national economy, due to their structuring impact on the development, diversification, and internationalization of the economy.
Beneficiaries: Companies of any type and legal form, including SMEs, Large Enterprises, and Small Mid-Cap companies.
Types of operations supported:
Creation of a new establishment or diversification of the activity of an existing establishment, provided that the new activity is not the same or a similar activity previously carried out at the establishment;
Increase in the capacity of an existing establishment;
Diversification of the production of an establishment into products not previously produced or services not previously provided at that establishment;
Fundamental alteration of the overall production process of an existing establishment.
Budget: EUR 150 M
Funding rate: Negotiable, within the limits of the maximum regional aid intensities indicated in Annex B-6 of the Call Notice.
Form of support: Non-reimbursable grant. The financing may include complementary incentives of a different nature (e.g., tax or local benefits), ensuring that the EU-permitted aid intensities for the region of implementation are not exceeded.
Eligible expenses: Machinery and Equipment, Construction and/or renovation works and Intangible assets or, alternatively, estimated salary costs for two years related to the net creation of jobs.
Specific conditions: Operations must be considered of:
Special Interest – minimum eligible total cost of €25 million; or
Strategic Interest – minimum eligible total cost of €15 million and at least two of the following:
Job creation of at least 50 new positions or 20 qualified jobs in the reference year;
Export Intensity equal to or greater than 80% in the reference year;
Investment Impact equal to or greater than 50%.
The pre-project reference year is the last completed fiscal year prior to the application date.
Projects must demonstrate the incentive effect by meeting one of the following conditions:
Investment decision;
Location decision.
Funding programmes:
COMPETE 2030, Lisboa 2030, and Algarve 2030 – for projects promoted by SMEs;
Budget lines from AICEP, under the provisions of Council of Ministers Resolution no. 34/2023 of April 19 (up to €150 million/year) – for projects promoted by Large Enterprises.
