€1.8 billion for innovation in Spain. And most tech companies won't even hear about it.

There are €1.8 billion earmarked for innovation in Spain in 2026. CDTI has just opened one of the most significant calls of the year, and another major one arrives in May. And yet, a huge number of tech companies that could qualify won't even know these opportunities exist.

Some assume "that's not for us." Others tried before, submitted an unprepared application, and were rejected. Either way, they leave real money on the table.

Here's what's open right now and what you actually need to know.

NEOTEC 2026 — open until 14 May

NEOTEC is CDTI's flagship grant for early-stage technology companies. Key terms:

• Non-repayable grant of up to €250,000 (€325,000 if you hire PhDs)
• Covers up to 70% of your business plan (85% with PhD researchers)
• Advance of up to 60% — no collateral required
• For startups and technology-based companies under 3 years old
• One call per year. Miss it and you wait until 2027

Science and Innovation Missions 2026 — opening in May

CDTI has published seven priority missions for this year: energy, aeronautics, antimicrobial resistance, security and defence, among others. These are large-scale collaborative R&D projects.

If you work in cybersecurity, AI, critical infrastructure or defence, this is a real window. The scale of funding is significantly larger than NEOTEC and the projects are multi-year.

Other calls worth watching this year

Beyond the two main calls: Innterconecta-STEP, Cervera, Innoglobal and Eurostars 3. Each has different eligibility criteria, timelines and funding structures — worth mapping against your roadmap early.

What nobody tells you about these grants

• NEOTEC is not "competitive" — it's extremely selective. A mediocre application has zero chance
• Approval to formalisation can take months. Don't plan around having the money the day after you apply
• The R&D component must be genuine. If your project is essentially integrating existing tools, it won't pass the filter
• A strong application takes weeks of serious work: technical report, financial plan, novelty justification — all rigorous

Where we come in

At AP Interactive we have been executing real R&D projects since 2020 — in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and own infrastructure. We operate our own autonomous network (AS215691), deploy private LLMs and carry out security audits for critical environments.

We are not a consultancy that writes your technical report and disappears. We are the technology partner that executes the project with you.

If you have an idea with a technology component and want to know whether it fits any of these calls, get in touch. We'll help you evaluate it, prepare the application and, if it makes sense, execute the technical project.

No commitment. No smoke. Just real technology.