78% success rate, EUR 2.5M secured in 2024 — we find and win grants for your company

Business grants and subsidies in Spain are public funding instruments available from multiple sources — including the CDTI (Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology), ENISA (National Innovation Enterprise), regional government programmes, and the European Union's Next Generation EU and Horizon Europe frameworks — that provide non-repayable or preferential-rate financing for investment, R&D&I, digitalisation, and internationalisation projects. Applications are submitted through bodies such as the BDNS (National Grants Database) and require technical and economic memoranda that meet each awarding body's evaluation criteria; the subsequent justification phase requires complete expenditure documentation retained for 5 to 10 years and is subject to audit by the granting authority.

Our grants team has managed more than 400 successful applications with a success rate above 78%. We monitor all relevant funding calls so that no public financing opportunity goes untapped for your business.

Why Spanish companies leave millions in untapped grants every year

Spanish SMEs leave between 60% and 70% of the grants they are entitled to unsolicited each year, according to Chamber of Commerce data. The reasons are systematic: lack of time to monitor calls dispersed across the Official State Gazette, BDNS, and regional government portals; unfamiliarity with eligibility criteria and documentary requirements; and well-founded fear of the justification phase. The cost of an unsolicited grant is invisible but real: for a company with a EUR 500,000 investment project, not accessing 40% non-repayable CDTI funding is equivalent to EUR 200,000 of capital that must be financed another way. And a grant poorly justified that ends in repayment is worse still: it means having planned investments on funding that ultimately does not materialise.

The volume of public aid available to businesses in Spain is substantial: Next Generation EU European funds, CDTI and Horizon Europe R&D&I programmes, ENISA participating loan lines, social security contribution bonuses, regional government sector-specific aid, and digitalisation programmes such as Kit Digital. The difficulty is not the existence of these resources, but the ability to identify which ones apply to each company at each moment, to prepare technically sound applications, and to manage the subsequent justification phase with the rigour demanded by awarding bodies.

Our grants management methodology

Our working model combines permanent monitoring of funding calls with deep knowledge of the language and evaluation criteria of each awarding body. We do not manage one-off applications: we design a strategy for continuous access to public funding tailored to each company’s profile. For each identified opportunity we produce a success probability assessment and expected amount estimate before deciding whether to apply. Technical and financial memoranda are drafted with the language and level of detail required by each awarding body — which differs significantly between CDTI, Red.es, and a regional government ministry.

For innovation projects, we coordinate with the tax planning team to integrate R&D&I tax deductions with the grants obtained, optimising the total impact of public funding. For growth-stage companies, we connect grants with the outsourced CFO service to integrate public funding into the financial model.

What our grants and subsidies service includes

The service includes permanent monitoring of relevant calls for the client’s profile (with opening and closing deadline alerts), eligibility diagnosis and success probability assessment for each identified call, technical and financial memorandum preparation, electronic application submission, file tracking with responses to correction requirements, complete management of the justification phase (expenditure documentation, technical reports, certifications), and maintenance of the file throughout the mandatory retention period for possible audits. The recurring public funding strategy is included for clients on annual contract.

Real results in grants and public funding

Seventy-eight per cent of applications managed by our team in competitive calls obtain a favourable resolution, compared to an estimated sector average of 45-55%. One hundred per cent of grants awarded under our management have passed the justification phase without reimbursements. In 2024 we managed the securing of EUR 2.5 million in public funding for our clients. Average time from start of management to award varies between 6 and 18 months depending on the awarding body, but the impact on cash position and investment capacity is decisive.

Frequently asked questions about grants and public funding

Justification is the phase that determines whether the grant is real. Obtaining the favourable resolution is only half the work. The grant is not definitive until the awarding body verifies that the expenditure incurred genuinely corresponds to the approved project, that the supporting documentation is complete, and that the commitments made have been fulfilled. Errors at this stage — incorrectly attributed invoices, expenditure not included in the approved budget, failure to meet output indicators — generate partial or total repayment obligations. Companies with international activities can complement this strategy with our ESG sustainability advisory, which unlocks access to EU green financing lines with preferential terms.

The Spanish grants and subsidies landscape

Grants and subsidies for Spanish businesses are available through a layered system: European Union funds (NextGenerationEU, ERDF, Horizon Europe, ESF+), national programmes (CDTI, ICO, MINECO, ENISA), and regional programmes managed by the autonomous communities and their development agencies (IVACE in Valencia, IFR in Murcia, CREA/SOPDE in Andalucía, ICEX, etc.). Navigating this landscape — identifying which programmes apply, meeting eligibility requirements, preparing compliant applications, and managing the justification and disbursement process — requires specialist expertise.

The current cycle is dominated by NextGenerationEU-funded instruments, which have channelled approximately EUR 69 billion to Spain through the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR). These funds are being disbursed through specific programmes across digital transformation, green energy, SME competitiveness, housing, and health — with application processes managed by various ministries and agencies.

Key grant programmes for Spanish businesses

CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico Industrial): Spain’s principal agency for R&D and innovation funding. CDTI programmes provide loans (partly non-repayable) and grants for R&D projects, technology development, and innovation activities. The NEOTEC programme funds early-stage technology companies; the Proyectos de I+D+i individually grant larger innovation budgets to established companies. CDTI applications are technically demanding — a strong technical narrative aligned with the agency’s evaluation criteria is essential.

Kit Digital / Kit Consulting: NextGenerationEU-funded digitalisation subsidies for SMEs (see our Kit Digital advisory for details).

ENISA (Empresa Nacional de Innovación): provides participative loans (préstamos participativos) to Spanish SMEs and startups on favourable terms. ENISA lending is frequently combined with private equity or bank financing as part of a growth financing package.

ICO (Instituto de Crédito Oficial): state-backed lending programmes at subsidised rates, including specific lines for sustainability investment, international expansion, and SME working capital.

Regional development agency grants: the autonomous communities operate their own grant programmes for business establishment, investment in production capacity, employment creation, and sector-specific development. For businesses investing in facilities or creating significant employment in a specific region, regional grants can be significant — often covering 20-40% of qualifying investment.

The application and justification process

Grant applications require: eligibility confirmation, preparation of a compliant project description and budget, technical and financial evaluation documentation, and formal submission through the applicable agency’s portal. Our grant advisory covers all phases:

1. Feasibility screening: confirming eligibility and estimating the likely grant amount and probability of success before investing in application preparation.
2. Application drafting: preparing the technical narrative, financial projections, and supporting documents to the standard required by the evaluating agency.
3. Submission management: ensuring timely submission through the correct portal with all required attachments.
4. Progress reporting and justification: once a grant is approved, the disbursement is typically conditional on demonstrating that the funded activities have been completed as described. Our team manages the justification process to ensure full disbursement.
5. Audit preparation: EU-funded grants are subject to EU and Spanish audit. Our documentation procedures ensure that the evidence required for a clean audit is maintained throughout the project.

Contact our grants advisory team for an initial screening of your eligibility for available programmes.