Project Description

SICE Productive Innovation: Low Density Territories

Portugal 2030

SICE – Productive Innovation – Low Density Territories is a Portuguese government funding measure to promote innovation and business competitiveness in low population density regions. This incentive offers financial and technical support to companies that want to develop innovative projects and/or the creation of new products and services in these regions in order to boost economic growth and employment.

Download the Infosheet

Support Status

Open

Financing

Up to 25.000.000€

Territory

North – Centre
Alentejo – Algarve

Eligible Entities

Micro Enterprises
Small Enterprises
Medium Enterprises

SICE Productive Innovation: Low Density Territories

Portugal 2030

SICE – Productive Innovation – Low Density Territories is a Portuguese government funding measure to promote innovation and business competitiveness in low population density regions. This incentive offers financial and technical support to companies that want to develop innovative projects and/or the creation of new products and services in these regions in order to boost economic growth and employment.

Download the Infosheet

Support Status

Open

Financing

Up to 25.000.000€

Territory

North – Centre
Alentejo – Algarve

Eligible Entities

Micro Enterprises
Small Enterprises
Medium Enterprises

Incentive Conditions

  • Operations of an innovative nature that translate into the production of tradable and internationalizable goods and services and with high added value and national incorporation level, corresponding to an initial investment related to the following action typologies are susceptible to support:
    • The creation of a new facility;
    • The increase in capacity of an existing facility;
    • The production diversification of an existing facility to products not previously produced in the facility;
    • The fundamental change in the overall production process of an existing facility.

  • Low density territories of the NUTS II regions of mainland Portugal (North, Centre, Alentejo and Algarve).

  • Maximum financing rate – 40%.
  • Base rates:
    • 30% medium-sized enterprises;
    • 35% micro and small enterprises;
  • Operations located in the sub-regions Alto Alentejo, Beiras and Serra da Estrela;
    • 35% medium-sized enterprises;
    • 40% micro and small enterprises;
  • Surcharges:
    • 5% for compliance with each of the following priorities, up to a limit of 10%:
      • “Dynamic collective bargaining”-operations by entities that have dynamic collective bargaining;
      • “Industry 4.0” -operations in the area of Industry 4.0, where digital transformation will enable disruptive changes in business models, products and productive processes;
      • “Climate Transition” – operations in areas that contribute in a relevant manner to the objectives of Climate Transition;
      • “SME Capitalisation”: 5% to be allocated to operations whose private component is mainly financed by equity.

  • Minimum – 250.000€.
  • Maximum – 25.000.000€.

  • Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), of any nature and under any legal form, with organized accounting

  • Tangible assets, including the purchase of machinery and equipment, directly attributable costs to place them in the location and conditions necessary for their operation, as well as the purchase of computer equipment, including the software necessary for its operation;
  • Intangible assets, including the transfer of technology through the acquisition of national and international patent rights, licenses, technical knowledge not protected by patents, and standard software or software specifically developed for a particular purpose;
  • Other investment expenses, including expenses with the intervention of certified accountants or statutory auditors, in the validation of expenditure of payment requests;
  • Engineering services;
  • Studies, diagnostics, audits; studies or reports within the scope of the alignment of the operation with the “Do not significantly impair” Principle, as defined in Article 8 of the REITD;
  • Marketing plans;
  • Architectural and engineering projects and services.
  • In the case of operations in the tourism and industry sectors, and in duly justified cases within the scope of the innovative activity incorporated in the operation, the construction of buildings, remodelling works and other constructions may also be eligible.
    • Note: does not contemplate the eligibility of investments with any costs incurred prior to the date of the application, or the request for aid.

  • Operations that contribute to the improvement of the productive capacities of SMEs and to the development of innovative, digital and sustainable solutions, mainly based on R&D results and the increase of qualified employment.
  • The operations to be supported should aim at the production of new goods and services, or significant improvements of current production, through the transfer and application of knowledge. The operations may alternatively or complementarity also target the adoption of new or significantly improved manufacturing, logistics and distribution, organizational or marketing processes or methods.
  • In the present call a clear focus is given to operations that propose to produce tradable and internationalizable goods and services.

Incentive Conditions

Operations of an innovative nature that translate into the production of tradable and internationalizable goods and services and with high added value and national incorporation level, corresponding to an initial investment related to the following action typologies are susceptible to support:
The creation of a new facility;
The increase in capacity of an existing facility;
The production diversification of an existing facility to products not previously produced in the facility;
The fundamental change in the overall production process of an existing facility.

Low density territories of the NUTS II regions of mainland Portugal (North, Centre, Alentejo and Algarve).

Maximum financing rate – 40%.
Base rates:
30% medium-sized enterprises;
35% micro and small enterprises;
Operations located in the sub-regions Alto Alentejo, Beiras and Serra da Estrela;
35% medium-sized enterprises;
40% micro and small enterprises;
Surcharges:
5% for compliance with each of the following priorities, up to a limit of 10%:
“Dynamic collective bargaining”-operations by entities that have dynamic collective bargaining;
“Industry 4.0” -operations in the area of Industry 4.0, where digital transformation will enable disruptive changes in business models, products and productive processes;
“Climate Transition” – operations in areas that contribute in a relevant manner to the objectives of Climate Transition;
“SME Capitalisation”: 5% to be allocated to operations whose private component is mainly financed by equity.

Minimum – 250.000€.
Maximum – 25.000.000€.

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), of any nature and under any legal form, with organized accounting

Tangible assets, including the purchase of machinery and equipment, directly attributable costs to place them in the location and conditions necessary for their operation, as well as the purchase of computer equipment, including the software necessary for its operation;
Intangible assets, including the transfer of technology through the acquisition of national and international patent rights, licenses, technical knowledge not protected by patents, and standard software or software specifically developed for a particular purpose;
Other investment expenses, including expenses with the intervention of certified accountants or statutory auditors, in the validation of expenditure of payment requests;
Engineering services;
Studies, diagnostics, audits; studies or reports within the scope of the alignment of the operation with the “Do not significantly impair” Principle, as defined in Article 8 of the REITD;
Marketing plans;
Architectural and engineering projects and services.
In the case of operations in the tourism and industry sectors, and in duly justified cases within the scope of the innovative activity incorporated in the operation, the construction of buildings, remodelling works and other constructions may also be eligible.
Note: does not contemplate the eligibility of investments with any costs incurred prior to the date of the application, or the request for aid.

Operations that contribute to the improvement of the productive capacities of SMEs and to the development of innovative, digital and sustainable solutions, mainly based on R&D results and the increase of qualified employment.
The operations to be supported should aim at the production of new goods and services, or significant improvements of current production, through the transfer and application of knowledge. The operations may alternatively or complementarity also target the adoption of new or significantly improved manufacturing, logistics and distribution, organizational or marketing processes or methods.
In the present call a clear focus is given to operations that propose to produce tradable and internationalizable goods and services.

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