Blog | Financial Incentives, RRP | IFIC – “AI in SMEs” Line
Consulting | October 9, 2025
IFIC - "AI in SMEs" Line
The “AI in SMEs” line seeks to support the adoption of AI solutions by micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with a view to optimizing internal processes, increasing operational efficiency, and integrating digital technologies into their activities, particularly to improve interaction with customers and partners.
On September 30, a new Incentive System was presented: the Financial Instrument for Innovation and Competitiveness, or IFIC.
Included in the Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), this financial instrument emerges as a response mechanism to the needs of catalyzing national Innovation and Competitiveness, seeking to stimulate private investment and improve access to financing.
IFIC is divided into several strategic investment lines, of which we explore, in this article, the Artificial Intelligence for SMEs line, or “AI in SMEs”.
The “AI in SMEs” line aims to support investment projects that demonstrate the integration of artificial intelligence solutions by SMEs.
Beneficiaries
- Micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout the continental territory (North, Center, Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve).
Eligibility Criteria
- Minimum investment of €5,000 and maximum of €400,000;
- Investment start date between January 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026; and,
- Project execution within a maximum period of 24 months.
Action Domains
- AI Solutions for Productivity – Ready-to-use tools that increase worker productivity, such as:
Software acquisition, including initial subscription costs for AI Tools in “Software as a Service” model (e.g., Copilot, Gemini, Claude, etc.);
Virtual assistants for task management;
Automatic document analysis tools; and,
Predictive analysis systems for maintenance.
- AI Solutions Applied to Business – Tools that improve interaction with customers and partners, or optimize internal processes, such as:
Chatbots for customer service;
Product recommendation systems;
Sales forecasting systems;
Sentiment analysis for customer feedback; and,
AI-powered inventory optimization tools.
Eligible Expenses
- Acquisition of equipment and components to incorporate AI solutions into existing processes;
- Software acquisition, including SaaS subscription costs;
- Expenses for hiring up to 2 technicians or platform managers dedicated to project implementation and operationalization (up to €80,000 per position);
- Acquisition of consulting and/or training services essential to solution integration;
- Other expenses directly related to the project.
Funding
Allocation: €100M
Financial incentive: Non-refundable incentive (grant), awarded at a rate of 75% on eligible investment.
Application Dates
- First phase: September 30, 2025, until 5:59 PM on October 31, 2025
- Second phase: November 1, 2025, to November 28, 2025
The stated deadlines may be suspended at any time due to excess demand. Funding decisions will be communicated within 40 business days after the close of each phase.
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