Financing network and IT infrastructure in 2026/2027: a guide for the finance director

Not on its own. On the reference date of this guide, 12 October 2026, none of the official portals we consulted had an open call aimed at SME digitalisation. The PRR (Portugal's Recovery and Resilience Plan) is no longer an option either: its execution deadline ended on 31 August 2026.

Anyone looking for a "voucher" to replace laptops, switches, servers or the firewall will come away empty-handed. Anyone who frames the infrastructure within a larger investment — a new process, a new service, a new production line — has options.

Three terms worth pinning down. A call (aviso) is the competition itself: it opens, closes, has rules and a budget, and nothing can be submitted outside those dates. A non-repayable grant (fundo perdido) is a subsidy that does not have to be paid back. A guarantee line is ordinary credit where a public body covers part of the risk, which makes it easier for the bank to approve.

The 2026 call covers micro, small and medium-sized enterprises on the Portuguese mainland with organised accounts. Computers, servers, the software that runs them and standard or bespoke applications are on the list of eligible items. The filter lies elsewhere.

• Scale Eligible expenditure starts at €300,000. Renewing the laptops and licences of a 30-workstation company almost never reaches that figure.
• Purpose The technology must serve a specific innovation. Replacing old equipment with new equipment does not count on its own.
• Funding rate Caps of 60% under COMPETE 2030 and in the Norte, Centro and Alentejo regions, 50% in the Algarve and 40% in Lisbon, subject to increases and to regional state-aid limits.
• Execution and submission 24 months to execute, barring justified exceptions; submission via the Balcão dos Fundos portal, which requires prior registration; once submitted, the form can no longer be changed.

Ordering before applying. The text of the call only accepts preparatory work, such as feasibility studies, as expenditure prior to the application. Everything else is excluded under the so-called "incentive effect": the grant must prompt the investment, not pay for it after the fact.

A typical scenario: the company buys its new server infrastructure in the summer and only thinks about funding in September. By then there is nothing to be done. That is why we recommend finalising the IT investment plan for 2027 early: it becomes clear what to buy and when, and the order can be timed for the right window.

The incentives consultant writes the application. The technical justification — what, why, how much and when — can only come from the company and its IT partner. Six elements make the difference:

1. Snapshot of the IT estate — what equipment exists, how old it is, warranties, licences and contracts in force. You can start with our IT estate audit guide.
2. Link to the business — every line of investment with a reason. Integrating the ERP with production convinces an assessor; "replacing workstations" does not.
3. Separate supplier quotes — hardware, software and services as distinct items, with make, model and quantity.
4. Timeline — phases and dependencies that fit within the 24-month execution period.
5. Breakdown by site — the form asks for amounts per establishment; with several addresses, each must have its own share.
6. Outcome metrics — availability, capacity, processing times: indicators that can be verified when the project closes.

In September 2026 the Portugal 2030 Annual Plan of Calls was presented: 172 calls planned from September 2026 to August 2027, with funding of close to €2 billion, productive innovation included. In the Lisbon regional programme, calls for businesses focus on R&D and internationalisation; none is dedicated to digitalisation.

In practice, a monthly routine is enough: check the COMPETE 2030 list of calls and the plan of the regional programme where the company is based. And register on the Balcão dos Fundos now, rather than leaving it for the week of the deadline.

In the interest of transparency: DataRoad - IT Services and Consulting does not submit applications and does not guarantee funding. Our role is to deliver the technical dossier and the IT budget with the rigour an assessor expects.

Our work for France Affiches shows the format. The French large-format printing group operates in France, Spain and Portugal; our team went to its headquarters in Paris to survey on the ground the network as it actually exists (not as it was designed), the servers, licensing, privileged accounts, endpoint protection and backups.

The report split the findings into three groups: risk to address now, technical debt to schedule, and solid areas needing no investment. The consultancy that followed turned each finding into a decision with a cost and an order of execution. That prioritised, costed list is precisely what most companies lack on the day a call opens.

We survey your IT estate, align priorities with the board and deliver the technical plan with a detailed budget, ready to go to your incentives consultant. No-obligation proposal. More than 10 workstations · support contract · remote, on-site and telephone support.

With IT Unlimited Premium contracts, the annual investment plan is already included in the service. See also how our IT and infrastructure consultancy works. Contact us on +351 211 459 950* or at sales@dataroad.pt.

*Call to a Portuguese landline.

• COMPETE 2030: MPr-2026-6 page (dates and extension)
• Text of MPr-2026-6 (eligibility, minimums, rates)
• COMPETE 2030: COMPETE2030-2026-3
• COMPETE 2030: all calls
• Lisboa 2030: plan of calls
• AICEP Portugal Global: PT2030 calendar 2026/2027
• Government of Portugal: end of PRR execution
• gov.pt: guide to business support
• Example bank product sheet for the BPF InvestEU line