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Activa Startups

The last nationwide call paid up to EUR 9,500 per beneficiary SME at 100% of eligible project cost for collaboration with a startup. Earlier regional calls offered up to EUR 40,000 and the governing order permits economic grants up to EUR 40,000 plus in-kind accompaniment valued up to EUR 10,000, but those ceilings are not a current offer. · EOI / Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism

Activa Startups is a grant programme from EOI / Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism for Startups and SMEs incorporated in Spain collaborating on eligible open-innovation projects Current lifecycle: closed. Real economics: The last nationwide call paid up to EUR 9,500 per beneficiary SME at 100% of eligible project cost for collaboration with a startup. Earlier regional calls offered up to EUR 40,000 and the governing order permits economic grants up to EUR 40,000 plus in-kind accompaniment valued up to EUR 10,000, but those ceilings are not a current offer..

Tier 3governmentspainopen-innovationgrant

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Key facts

FunderEOI / Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism
AmountThe last nationwide call paid up to EUR 9,500 per beneficiary SME at 100% of eligible project cost for collaboration with a startup. Earlier regional calls offered up to EUR 40,000 and the governing order permits economic grants up to EUR 40,000 plus in-kind accompaniment valued up to EUR 10,000, but those ceilings are not a current offer.
Decision timeThe governing order allows up to six months from the day after BOE publication of the call extract to resolution and notification. Selection is documentary and competitive; no interview is prescribed in the base process.
EligibilityFor the last nationwide call, a Spanish tax-resident SME in an eligible sector proposing an open-innovation project with the advice and support of a startup to solve a defined innovation challenge. Earlier regional variants sometimes funded the startup directly, so applicants must use the beneficiary, geography, sector and collaboration model of a newly published call rather than assume the umbrella EUR 40,000 terms.
RestrictionsBeneficiaries maintain a detailed electronic audit trail, justify deliverables and eligible costs, preserve documents for three years when support is below EUR 60,000, comply with publicity, anti-fraud, DNSH and data-access duties for Recovery Plan funding, provide three supplier offers above applicable thresholds, and repay improper aid with interest. Eligible categories under the base order include personnel, equipment depreciation, project materials, facility or equipment rental, necessary travel, innovation advisory/support services, an auditor report and 15% indirect cost on eligible direct personnel. Financial costs, amortisation outside the allowed category, recoverable taxes, fossil-fuel and environmentally harmful activities, and unnecessary or double-funded expenditure are excluded.
Statusclosed

Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.

Application process

  1. Wait for an EOI/BOE call and confirm whether the SME or startup is the beneficiary
  2. Define the innovation challenge and eligible SME-startup collaboration
  3. Submit electronically through EOI with the project memorandum, budget, company and state-aid declarations
  4. Pass completeness, representation, SME/startup, geography and exclusion checks
  5. Receive competitive scoring under the call-specific innovation, impact, capacity and budget criteria
  6. Enter the provisional resolution and use the ten-working-day allegation or correction window where applicable
  7. Receive the final published award decision and accept within ten calendar days
  8. Deliver the subsidised collaboration during the call's implementation period
  9. Submit technical, financial, supplier and audit evidence and preserve the electronic audit trail
  10. Repay aid plus interest if the project, eligible-cost or reporting conditions are breached

Background

EOI / Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism operates Activa Startups. This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. EOI states that Activa Startups had EUR 44 million of Recovery Plan investment and published regional calls across all autonomous communities before the national round The October 2024 national call budgeted EUR 6.98795 million and targeted at least 735 Spanish SMEs The first Balearic call funded 15 projects from 49 applications, providing a rare official historical denominator

How the application really works

Wait for an EOI/BOE call and confirm whether the SME or startup is the beneficiary → Define the innovation challenge and eligible SME-startup collaboration → Submit electronically through EOI with the project memorandum, budget, company and state-aid declarations → Pass completeness, representation, SME/startup, geography and exclusion checks → Receive competitive scoring under the call-specific innovation, impact, capacity and budget criteria → Enter the provisional resolution and use the ten-working-day allegation or correction window where applicable → Receive the final published award decision and accept within ten calendar days → Deliver the subsidised collaboration during the call's implementation period → Submit technical, financial, supplier and audit evidence and preserve the electronic audit trail → Repay aid plus interest if the project, eligible-cost or reporting conditions are breached

Tips

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Track record

The first Balearic regional call funded 15 of 49 applications, a historical 30.6% award incidence. The last national call targeted at least 735 SMEs from a EUR 6.988 million budget, but its application denominator and realised rate were not found, so the regional figure is not a forecast.

Frequently asked questions

Is this actionable now?
closed. The latest verified nationwide Activa Startups call opened with its 1 October 2024 BOE publication and closed 31 October 2024. Earlier calls were regional and varied by geography and beneficiary model; no 2025 or 2026 founder/company call was found on EOI or BOE.
What is the real economic value?
The last nationwide call paid up to EUR 9,500 per beneficiary SME at 100% of eligible project cost for collaboration with a startup. Earlier regional calls offered up to EUR 40,000 and the governing order permits economic grants up to EUR 40,000 plus in-kind accompaniment valued up to EUR 10,000, but those ceilings are not a current offer.
Who is eligible?
For the last nationwide call, a Spanish tax-resident SME in an eligible sector proposing an open-innovation project with the advice and support of a startup to solve a defined innovation challenge. Earlier regional variants sometimes funded the startup directly, so applicants must use the beneficiary, geography, sector and collaboration model of a newly published call rather than assume the umbrella EUR 40,000 terms.
How does selection work?
Wait for an EOI/BOE call and confirm whether the SME or startup is the beneficiary; Define the innovation challenge and eligible SME-startup collaboration; Submit electronically through EOI with the project memorandum, budget, company and state-aid declarations; Pass completeness, representation, SME/startup, geography and exclusion checks; Receive competitive scoring under the call-specific innovation, impact, capacity and budget criteria; Enter the provisional resolution and use the ten-working-day allegation or correction window where applicable; Receive the final published award decision and accept within ten calendar days; Deliver the subsidised collaboration during the call's implementation period; Submit technical, financial, supplier and audit evidence and preserve the electronic audit trail; Repay aid plus interest if the project, eligible-cost or reporting conditions are breached. The governing order allows up to six months from the day after BOE publication of the call extract to resolution and notification. Selection is documentary and competitive; no interview is prescribed in the base process.
What burden and restrictions apply?
Beneficiaries maintain a detailed electronic audit trail, justify deliverables and eligible costs, preserve documents for three years when support is below EUR 60,000, comply with publicity, anti-fraud, DNSH and data-access duties for Recovery Plan funding, provide three supplier offers above applicable thresholds, and repay improper aid with interest. Eligible categories under the base order include personnel, equipment depreciation, project materials, facility or equipment rental, necessary travel, innovation advisory/support services, an auditor report and 15% indirect cost on eligible direct personnel. Financial costs, amortisation outside the allowed category, recoverable taxes, fossil-fuel and environmentally harmful activities, and unnecessary or double-funded expenditure are excluded.
What evidence exists?
EOI states that Activa Startups had EUR 44 million of Recovery Plan investment and published regional calls across all autonomous communities before the national round The October 2024 national call budgeted EUR 6.98795 million and targeted at least 735 Spanish SMEs The first Balearic call funded 15 projects from 49 applications, providing a rare official historical denominator The first Balearic regional call funded 15 of 49 applications, a historical 30.6% award incidence. The last national call targeted at least 735 SMEs from a EUR 6.988 million budget, but its application denominator and realised rate were not found, so the regional figure is not a forecast.

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Sources