Your Business Can Receive Up to 300,000 Euros to Adopt AI: How the Government Program Works

The Portuguese Government created, under the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), a 100 million euro support line with a clear goal: help small and medium-sized businesses adopt AI tools.

The program is called «AI for SMBs» and offers a non-refundable grant — meaning money that does not need to be paid back — of up to 75% of eligible investment, with a maximum of 300,000 euros per company.

The minimum investment to apply is 5,000 euros, which makes the program accessible to microenterprises and family businesses as well.

This type of support is rare. An opportunity to have 75% of the cost of a tool or service covered by the State — as long as you meet the rules — does not come around every day.

The program is aimed at micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMBs) based in mainland Portugal.

You can apply if your business:

• ✅ Is an SMB (fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover below 50 million euros)
• ✅ Is based in mainland Portugal (excludes Azores and Madeira)
• ✅ Has up-to-date tax and social security status
• ✅ Plans to invest in AI tools from January 1, 2025 onwards

You cannot apply if your business:

• ❌ Has more than 250 employees
• ❌ Is based in the autonomous regions
• ❌ Is in serious financial difficulty

The program funds investments in two types of AI tools:

1. AI tools for productivity Ready-to-use tools that help employees do more in less time — for example, writing assistants, document summarization tools, automated customer service platforms.

2. AI tools for business Tools that improve customer relationships or optimize internal processes — for example, product recommendation systems, sales forecasting, order analysis, or order management tools.

Eligible expenses include:

• Equipment needed to integrate AI tools into existing processes
• Software and subscriptions (including monthly SaaS like ChatGPT Enterprise, Microsoft Copilot, etc.)
• Hiring up to 2 technicians dedicated to the project (up to 80,000 euros per job, for 24 months)
• Consulting and training essential for adopting the tools
• Accountant or auditor to certify expenses (up to 2,500 euros)

Phases I and II of the program, opened in 2025, have already closed. However, the program allows applications until June 30, 2026, suggesting new phases will open.

What we recommend doing now:

1. Check the official portal at recuperarportugal.gov.pt to confirm whether new phases are open
2. Document investments you have already made since January 1, 2025 — if you acquired AI software, training, or equipment since then, they may be eligible in a future application
3. Prepare your company's dossier: up-to-date tax declarations, up-to-date social security status, and a clear description of the processes you want to improve with AI
4. Identify the AI tools you want to adopt and get quotes from suppliers — a strong application needs concrete quotes
5. Consider support from specialist consultants — poorly structured applications are often rejected, and the cost of a consultant can be included in eligible expenses

This program is a genuine opportunity for Portuguese SMBs. Having 75% of the cost of AI tools covered by the State is significant — a subscription of 500 euros/month over two years represents an investment of 12,000 euros, of which the program could cover 9,000 euros.

There are, however, two risks to avoid:

First, do not let the financial support be the only reason to adopt AI. The tool needs to make sense for your business, regardless of funding. A tool that does not solve a real problem will continue not to solve that problem, even if it cost less.

Second, do not underestimate the preparation work. A well-prepared application — with a clearly identified problem, a coherent solution, real quotes, and a realistic timeline — has a much higher approval rate than a generic application.

If you need help assessing whether your business is eligible, identifying the most suitable AI tools, or structuring the application, get in touch with us.