The CDTI Innovation resolves the call for NEOTEC 2025 with 40 million euros for 130 innovative Spanish SMEs

The CDTI Innovation, the State Innovation Agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), has published the final resolution of the call 2025 of the NEOTEC program, which finances the implementation of new business projects that require the use of technologies or knowledge developed from the research activity and in which the business strategy is based on the development of technology. In total, 130 innovative Spanish SMEs receive 40 million euros in subsidies to develop technology-based products or services, in an action such as Neotec 2025 in which the CDTI Innovation deploys its capacity to execute innovation policies at the service of Spain’s strategic needs.

In August 2025, in addition to the initial budget of 20 million, the expansion of available funds linked to the Industrial Technological Plan for Security and Defense was added with an additional 20 million, which has allowed 64 of the 130 projects financed to be specifically of a dual nature, counting on the collaboration of the Ministry of Defense in the issuance of the qualification reports of dual-use technologies. These projects will finance developments related to the use of AI for the detection of extremist behaviors, data extraction and analysis, audiovisual processing, intelligent cyberdefense, compact fuel cells, intelligent management of energy networks, bioimpressions for the health field, precision therapies or 3D technologies for manufacturing, among others.

In addition, the call established a budget reserve of 5 million euros to support projects of companies with administrative bodies composed mostly of women and those that, in addition, women hold the majority of social capital or have a relevant participation in the project object of the aid. In total, 17 proposals have benefited from the budget reserve for projects led by women, having exhausted the available budget.

Recruitment of doctors and training in EE.UU.

In this call for proposals that included the hiring of people with full-time and indefinite doctoral degrees, relevant to the viability of the business plan presented, has also been prioritized with greater aid intensity. 82% of the approved projects have included the hiring of a doctor in the business plan, which means the effective hiring of at least 100 doctors in technology-based companies.

In addition, the NEOTEC 2025 call offers its beneficiaries the possibility of accessing a course at the “Enterprise Innovation Institute” of the University of Georgia (Atlanta, EE.UU.) To strengthen the training of companies and their chances of success in the market. To this end, 20 of the approved projects will receive additional aid of 10,000 euros for the realization of this training in areas such as innovation for sustainability - both environmental and business -, new business strategies or internationalization processes.

Main beneficiary sectors and territorial distribution of aid

The main sectors benefiting from the aid were Information Technology – ICT, with 44% of the projects approved; the Bio-health sector with 12%; Energy, with 11%; and the Industrial Sectors with 8%.

In terms of territorial distribution, the Autonomous Community that received the most funds was Madrid (28% of the funds), followed by Catalonia (24%), Valencia (14%), the Basque Country (8%) and Andalusia (5%).

About the NEOTEC grants

The NEOTEC program aims to finance the creation of technology-based companies with a vocation for growth, contributing to entrepreneurship and accelerating the transfer of knowledge from public research bodies and universities.

NEOTEC grants cover up to 70% of the performance budget, with a maximum grant amount of 250,000 euros per beneficiary company (85% of the budget and 325,000 euros in the case of companies that carry out the recruitment of doctors).

The companies receiving the aid may choose to receive an advance payment of 60% of the subsidy granted prior to the realization of the project (up to a maximum limit of 150,000 euros), without the need to constitute any guarantee.

The beneficiaries are small innovative technology-based companies, with a maximum age of three years, and with a minimum share capital, or social capital plus emission or assumption premium, of 20,000 euros, disbursed in full.

Since its inception in 2015, as an annual call for grants in competitive competition, more than a thousand business projects have been financed, having received more than 5.00 proposals from innovative Spanish SMEs.

Final resolution available in:

https://www.cdti.es/sites/default/files/2025-12/resolucion_definitiva_neotec_2025_firmado.pdf

CDTI Innovation

The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2024, within the framework of a new strategic plan, the CDTI provided more than 2.3 billion euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.

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