Drive your technology project forward with the CDTI’s NEOTEC 

NEOTEC programme is a CDTI Programme designed to support the creation and consolidation of technology-based companies in Spain. Its objective is to foster companies with growth ambitions, promote entrepreneurship and accelerate knowledge transfer from universities and public research organisations to the market.

The core element of a NEOTEC proposal is a business strategy based on technology development: technology must be the competitive factor that differentiates the company and must be supported by its own R&D activities. The programme is open to any technological field or sector.

NEOTEC 2026 has a total budget of €40,383,300: an initial allocation of €20,383,300 and a €20,000,000 extension announced in September 2026. The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities describes this as a doubling of the programme budget, from €20 million to €40 million.

Initial allocation (€20,383,300)

• Includes €383,300 allocated exclusively to training in the United States (MIT or Georgia Tech).
• Reserves at least €5,000,000 for women-led companies.

Budget extension (€20,000,000)

• The CDTI formally approved the extension through the Resolution of 9 September 2026, published as an extract in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE-B-2026-29714).
• The funding comes from the Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defence.
• It must be allocated in full to applications linked to Security and Defence, in accordance with Annex VII of the call.
• According to the MICIU, it will focus on companies developing dual-use technologies, meaning technologies with applications in both the civilian and security and defence sectors.

What this means for applicants

• No new application period is being opened. Only applications already submitted within the 2026 deadline can benefit from the additional funding.
• Additional information on dual-use potential. The CDTI requested this information from all applicants on 2 September 2026, with a deadline of 10 business days.
• Ministry of Defence assessment. The Ministry issues an assessment on the suitability of applications that may qualify for these funds and has access to the documentation relating to those applications.
• The conditions remain unchanged. Eligibility requirements, maximum funding amounts, eligible costs and evaluation criteria remain the same.

According to the MICIU, typically only 15% to 25% of proposals submitted to NEOTEC receive funding. Many proposals scoring more than 70 points remain unfunded due to budget constraints, and the extension aims to address part of this unmet demand.

NEOTEC 2026 funds up to 70% of the eligible budget, with a maximum grant of €250,000 per company. If the project includes the recruitment of at least one PhD holder under the conditions set out in Annex I, the funding can increase to 85% and €325,000.

How the training in the United States works

• There are 30 places, with one participant per company, who must be employed by that company.
• The 10 highest-scoring beneficiary companies that request the training are allocated a place at MIT, while companies ranked 11 to 30 are allocated a place at Georgia Tech (Atlanta).
• Only companies that select this option in the application form are eligible.

Minimum and maximum project budget

The eligible budget for a NEOTEC 2026 project must be between €175,000 and €750,000. Costs related to the training under Annex II are not included in these limits.

60% advance payment without guarantees

Following the final grant award decision, the company may request an advance payment of up to 60% of the grant, capped at €150,000, without providing guarantees. The amount corresponding to the Annex II training is not included in this calculation.

NEOTEC is open to small innovative companies incorporated as commercial companies, with tax residence in Spain, no more than three years of age and at least €20,000 in paid-up and registered share capital.

The company must meet all of the following requirements:

1. Legal form and size. Be a commercial company that qualifies as both a small enterprise and an innovative company under Order CNU/161/2025.
2. Incorporation and tax residence. Be validly incorporated, have its own legal personality and be tax resident in Spain.
3. Company age. Have been incorporated no more than three years before the application deadline and at least six months before that deadline. The relevant date is the date of registration in the Commercial Registry, not the filing date.
4. Share capital. Have minimum share capital of €20,000 (or share capital plus share premium), fully paid up and registered before submitting the application. This capital must be maintained throughout the project implementation period.
5. Not listed on a stock exchange. Alternative trading platforms are exempt from this restriction.
6. No distribution of profits.
7. Not derived from another company. The company must not have taken over the activities of another company or have been created as a result of a business concentration.
8. Annual accounts filed. The company must have filed its annual accounts with the relevant registry, at least for the 2024 financial year, where it is legally required to do so

NEOTEC funds the costs required to launch the business project, provided they are included and justified in the business plan.

Three-quote rule: when an expense reaches or exceeds the threshold for a minor contract, at least three quotes from different suppliers must be requested, unless it can be justified that only one supplier is available. According to the CDTI FAQs, this threshold applies to expenses of €15,000 or more.

Non-eligible costs

• Financial expenses.
• Land, premises and construction works.
• Indirect taxes.
• Subsistence expenses.
• Travel not linked to training activities.
• Costs related to preparing the funding application.

To access 85% funding and up to €325,000, the company must hire at least one PhD holder who meets all the requirements set out in Annex I of the call:

• Suitable profile. The PhD holder must be suited to the research activities described in the business plan and participate in the development of the company’s core technology.
• No previous relationship. There must have been no prior employment, commercial or corporate relationship with the company.
• Type of contract. The contract must be permanent and full-time, and signed after the application has been submitted.
• Minimum duration. The PhD holder must be employed for at least two-thirds of the project duration and remain employed until the project ends.
• Salary. Gross annual salary must be above €30,000, excluding the employer’s Social Security contributions.
• Dedication. 100% of their working hours must be allocated to the project from the date of recruitment.
• PhD qualification. The person must hold a PhD at the time of recruitment or obtain it within the following six months, and always before the end of the project. Foreign qualifications require a declaration of equivalence.

NEOTEC 2026 projects may run for one or two years. They must start on 1 January 2027 and end on 31 December 2027 for one-year projects or 31 December 2028 for multi-year projects.

The call allows one extension of the project implementation period, of up to six months. In that case, the supporting documentation must be submitted within the three months following the end of the extension.

The CDTI evaluates NEOTEC applications on a 100-point scale based on four criteria. The first three have minimum qualifying thresholds and are assessed sequentially. An application must achieve at least 50 points overall to be eligible.

How the thresholds are applied

• If a proposal does not reach the minimum threshold for criterion 1, the remaining criteria are not evaluated.
• The same applies to criteria 2 and 3.
• In the event of a tie, priority is given to the proposal with the highest score in criterion 1, followed by criteria 2, 3 and 4, in that order.

NEOTEC Seal

All proposals scoring 65 points or more receive the NEOTEC Seal, even if they do not receive funding. The Seal certifies that the company has successfully passed the evaluation and meets the conditions for an innovative company under European regulations.

The Seal may facilitate access to funding from Spain’s Autonomous Communities for projects that do not receive NEOTEC funding due to budget limitations, although it does not guarantee such funding.

The NEOTEC application must be submitted exclusively online through the CDTI electronic office, using a certificate for a legal entity representative.

Steps to apply

1. Prior registration. Register the company in the CDTI entity registration system.
2. Application form and documentation. Complete the online application form and attach the required documentation in PDF format (maximum 6 MB per file).
3. Electronic signature. Sign the application using a qualified certificate for the legal representative.
4. Email for notifications. Provide an email address to receive notification alerts.

Required documentation

• Business plan in accordance with Annex III: executive summary, technology and innovation, commercial exploitation plan, team capacity, and socio-economic and environmental impact.
• Three quotes (or a single-supplier justification) where the subcontracting has already been identified and exceeds the minor contract threshold.
• Commercial Registry certificate confirming that the 2024 annual accounts have been filed.
• Deeds of incorporation and, where applicable, registered capital increase deeds.
• Documentation proving women-led company status, if applying under the reserved allocation.
• Declarations of responsibility under Annex VI, included within the application form itself.
• Beneficial ownership certificate, required during the award decision stage.

NEOTEC 2026 reserves at least €5,000,000 for women-led companies. To qualify for this reserved allocation, two conditions must be met:

• Management body. It must be composed predominantly of women (natural persons), for at least three months before the application deadline.
• Share capital. More than 50% of the share capital must be nominally held by women, at least from the application deadline onwards.

During the project implementation period, at least one of these two conditions must continue to be met. Any unused amount from the reserved allocation is transferred to the general funding line.

NEOTEC is designed for young companies whose competitive advantage is based on technology developed through research and that have a clear plan to continue developing it. Based on the objectives of the call and its evaluation criteria, the following profiles are typically a good fit:

• Spin-offs from universities, technology centres or public research organisations. The business plan specifically asks companies to indicate whether they fall into this category.
• Startups with their own R&D activities and a strategy for protecting intellectual and industrial property.
• Teams with technical and management experience and links to incubators, accelerators or entrepreneurship support networks.
• Projects with a clearly defined business model and market, capable of meeting the threshold for the commercial exploitation plan.
• In the 2026 edition, companies developing dual-use technologies (civilian and security or defence applications), which are the target of the budget extension.

NEOTEC is compatible with other funding provided that it covers different costs or, where it covers the same costs, that the combined support does not exceed the maximum aid intensity permitted under Regulation (EU) 651/2014.

• NEOTEC is incompatible with any other NEOTEC grant, whether awarded previously or subsequently.
• It is also incompatible with any funding scheme that expressly states that it cannot be combined with NEOTEC.
• PhD holders hired under the NEOTEC funding uplift cannot receive other public funding for their recruitment.
• The company must inform the CDTI of any other funding received for the same activities.

The NEOTEC grant must be justified each year through a supporting statement of expenditure accompanied by an auditor’s report. The documentation must be submitted between 1 January and 31 March of the year following the activity.

Main obligations

• Implement the project as presented in the application, which is binding.
• Maintain small enterprise status and the minimum share capital throughout the project implementation period.
• Publicise the funding on the company’s website using the phrase “Funded by CDTI”, mention the support of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and keep this information visible for up to five years after final certification.
• Submit a technical report and a financial report with each justification.
• Modifications. Only one modification request is permitted per project file, and it must be submitted before 31 October of the year in which the project ends.

Flexibility and repayment

• During the justification stage, up to 20% more may be certified under one budget item if this is offset by another item and does not increase the total grant amount.
• If less than 60% of the planned project is implemented, this is considered total non-compliance and the grant must be repaid.

Evolution Europe is a consultancy specialising in public funding for R&D, with 25 years of experience and a team of more than 60 professionals. Every year, we advise more than 300 clients across over 30 countries. We support technology startups throughout the entire NEOTEC process:

• Eligibility assessment. We review the company’s registration date, share capital, the technological basis of its business model and its fit with the CDTI evaluation criteria.
• Business plan and budget. We structure the business plan in line with Annex III and the four evaluation criteria, and prepare a well-supported budget within the limits of the call.
• Application submission. We prepare and review the documentation to be submitted through the CDTI electronic office.
• Post-award support. We support you with grant acceptance, the advance payment request, project modifications, technical and financial monitoring, and justification with an auditor’s report.

Success story: Alterity. We worked with Alterity on its NEOTEC project (2020) and on R&D tax deductions.

View success story