Programa NEOTEC 2026 y Misiones 2026: +100 M€

NEOTEC 2026 Programme and Misiones 2026: €100M budget increase

The CDTI, an organisation under the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), has increased the budget for the NEOTEC 2026 Programme and Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 calls by €100 million, according to information published by the MICIU. The additional funding, linked to the Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defence, will be allocated to projects already submitted in areas related to dual-use technologies, security and defence.

With this increase, the combined budget rises from €80 million to €180 million. NEOTEC 2026 doubles its budget from €20 million to €40 million, while Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 increases from €60 million to €140 million.

What is the new budget for NEOTEC 2026 and Misiones 2026?

NEOTEC 2026 receives an additional €20 million, while Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 receives a further €80 million, bringing their announced budgets to €40 million and €140 million respectively.

The additional funding has a specific purpose for each call. Under NEOTEC 2026, the extra €20 million is reserved entirely for applications linked to security and defence. The MICIU focuses this additional support on technology-based companies developing innovative dual-use technologies. These technologies can have both civilian and security or defence applications, for example in sectors such as healthcare, energy, industry, space and security.

For Misiones 2026, the additional €80 million is allocated entirely to projects under the mission “New capabilities to advance strategic autonomy in security and defence”. Although the additional funding has a specific purpose, the MICIU states that the increased budget will also make it possible to support more projects involving non-dual-use or civilian technologies compared with the initial allocations.

What does the budget increase mean for the NEOTEC 2026 Programme?

The increase gives NEOTEC 2026 greater budget capacity to support projects already submitted to a particularly competitive call.

NEOTEC 2026 is one of the CDTI’s flagship programmes for technology-based companies. Its aim is to support the creation and consolidation of businesses that compete on the strength of their own technology. In addition, the programme helps bridge the gap between research carried out at universities and R&D centres and its transfer to the market.

Doubling the budget is particularly significant given the programme’s highly competitive nature. According to the MICIU, typically only 15% to 25% of submitted proposals receive funding, while many applications scoring more than 70 points remain unfunded due to budget limitations.

In this budget increase, the focus on dual-use technologies adds a strategic dimension. These technologies can have both civilian and security or defence applications, with potential uses in areas such as energy, healthcare, Industry 4.0, space and security. In addition, the MICIU highlights their potential to accelerate knowledge transfer, technological scaling and investment attraction.

What does the budget increase mean for Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026?

Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 supports large-scale collaborative projects led by companies and focused on high-impact research at a pre-commercial stage. The additional €80 million is allocated entirely to the mission “New capabilities to advance strategic autonomy in security and defence”, one of the seven missions included in the 2026 call.

This mission covers areas including:

• Medical countermeasures for nuclear, radiological, biological and chemical crises;
• Advanced technologies to improve flight behaviour and performance;
• Subsonic self-propelled systems;
• Positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions for contested environments;
• Robust communications for contested environments or restrictive conditions;
• Innovative applications of laser technologies;
• High-energy-density, low-observability propulsion systems;
• Extended-endurance unmanned aerial systems.

In addition, the MICIU highlights three effects associated with this additional funding:

• Greater dual-use technology development, aimed at strengthening technological sovereignty and reducing dependencies and vulnerabilities in critical areas, while also supporting civilian applications in healthcare, energy, transport and industry.
• Greater cooperation and critical mass, with consortia made up of between 3 and 6 companies, including at least one SME. They must subcontract at least 15% to research centres and have budgets ranging from €3.5 million to €10 million.
• A stronger focus on results, through multi-year projects designed to deliver tangible and verifiable outcomes such as patents, prototypes and demonstrators, while also creating new supply chains and opening up opportunities in international markets.

The additional funding will apply to proposals already submitted under the call.

How could the budget increase affect the results of NEOTEC and Misiones 2026?

The increased budget will allow more projects to receive funding than under the initial allocations, although the additional resources have a specific purpose and will not affect all applications in the same way. As a result, the main impact of the increase is that the total number of funded initiatives may rise compared with the original budget allocations. This is one of the objectives specifically highlighted by the MICIU.

In addition, the Ministry states that the increase will also strengthen support for innovation involving non-dual-use or civilian technologies, thanks to the higher overall volume of funding available for projects.

Now that both calls have closed for applications, the increased budget becomes particularly relevant ahead of the upcoming funding decisions.

When will the NEOTEC 2026 and Misiones 2026 results be announced?

The current CDTI calendar indicates that the provisional funding decision for NEOTEC 2026 is expected in October, while the provisional decision for Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 is expected in November, with the final decisions for both calls scheduled for December.

For NEOTEC 2026, the application period closed on 14 May, and the provisional funding decision is currently expected in October 2026. For Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026, whose application period ended on 12 June, the provisional funding decision is expected in November 2026. In both cases, the CDTI calendar places the final funding decision in December 2026. These dates are indicative and may be subject to change.

At Evolution Europe, we are closely following the upcoming decisions and look forward to learning the results of the proposals we have supported in preparing over the coming months.

Official source: Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (MICIU), “El MICIU incrementa en 100 millones de euros la dotación presupuestaria inicial de las convocatorias NEOTEC y Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026”, 14 Septembre de 2026.

Frequently asked questions about NEOTEC 2026 and Misiones 2026

1. Is the NEOTEC 2026 Programme call closed?

Yes. The application period for NEOTEC 2026 closed on 14 May 2026. The call is currently being processed.

2. Is Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 closed?

Yes. The deadline for applications to Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026 was 12 June 2026. Therefore, the increased budget applies to projects that have already been submitted.

3. Can new applications be submitted to NEOTEC 2026 and Misiones 2026 following the budget increase?

No. The €100 million budget increase does not reopen NEOTEC 2026 or Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2026. The additional funding will be allocated to projects that were already submitted within the application periods established for both calls.

4. When are the NEOTEC 2026 and Misiones 2026 results expected?

The CDTI currently expects the provisional funding decision for NEOTEC 2026 in October and for Misiones in November 2026. The final funding decisions for both calls are expected in December.