CDTI Innovation adds an additional €100 million to the initial budget for the NEOTEC and 2025 Science and Innovation Missions calls for proposals
CDTI Innovation is bolstering the NEOTEC and 2025 Science and Innovation Missions calls for proposals with an additional €100 million, doubling and expanding their respective budgets to promote strategic technology projects of a dual-use, security, and defence nature.
A strategic investment for Spanish innovation
El Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico y la Innovación (CDTI Innovación) ha anunciado una ampliación extraordinaria de 100 millones de euros en la dotación presupuestaria de las convocatorias NEOTEC y Misiones Ciencia e Innovación 2025. Esta medida supone un refuerzo sin precedentes para dos programas clave en el impulso de la I+D empresarial, con especial atención a proyectos de carácter dual —aplicaciones civiles y de defensa— y a iniciativas vinculadas a la seguridad y la soberanía tecnológica. La decisión se enmarca en el Plan Industrial y Tecnológico para la Seguridad y la Defensa del Gobierno de España, cuyo objetivo es acelerar la llegada al mercado de innovaciones estratégicas y reducir la dependencia de proveedores externos en sectores críticos.
The Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI Innovation) has announced an extraordinary increase of €100 million in the budget allocation for the NEOTEC and 2025 Science and Innovation Missions calls. This measure represents an unprecedented boost for two key programmes driving corporate R&D, with a special focus on dual-use projects—with both civil and defence applications—and initiatives related to security and technological sovereignty. The decision is part of the Spanish Government's Industrial and Technological Plan for Security and Defence, which aims to accelerate the market entry of strategic innovations and reduce reliance on external suppliers in critical sectors.
NEOTEC: more opportunities for tech startups
The NEOTEC programme, aimed at early-stage technology-based companies (TBCs), is doubling its budget from €20 million to €40 million. This increase responds to a clear reality: in previous calls, only 15% to 25% of applications could be funded, leaving out projects with scores above 70 points due to a lack of funds.
This reinforcement will prioritise projects with dual-use technologies, strengthening the creation and early consolidation of companies whose core competitive advantage is based on a solid technical team and proprietary intellectual property. It will also foster the professionalisation of knowledge transfer, business development, and the technological maturity of solutions.
The impact will not be solely economic: a network effect is expected with incubators, accelerators, universities, and science parks, as well as a leveraging role in attracting private investment and facilitating subsequent funding rounds.
2025 Science and Innovation Missions: cooperation for strategic challenges
The 2025 Science and Innovation Missions call is seeing an even greater increase, rising from €60 million to €140 million. This programme funds large-scale cooperative corporate R&D projects developed by consortia of three to six companies—which must include at least one SME—and which are required to subcontract a minimum of 15% of their budget to research centres.
Projects must have a total budget of between €3.5 million and €15 million and align with priority technology areas such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure protection, advanced automation, unmanned systems, new-generation materials and platforms, or CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) capabilities. The goal is to generate tangible results such as patents, prototypes, demonstrators, new supply chains, and internationalisation opportunities, contributing to the country's strategic autonomy and industrial competitiveness.
Historic results and projected impact
Since its inception, the Missions call has funded 168 projects over five editions, with €467 million in grants and a total mobilised investment of €695 million. These figures confirm its ability to attract resources and generate a significant impact on the innovative business ecosystem.
In the case of NEOTEC, the budget increase will allow more companies to overcome the critical validation and scaling phase, increasing the success rate and reducing the gap between the quality of proposals and the available funding.
For its part, CDTI Innovation predicts that in 2025, it will allocate a total of €1.942 billion in public support for corporate R&D, marking a historic record for investment in innovation in Spain.
Expected socioeconomic benefits
The funding increase will have a direct impact on the beneficiary companies and an indirect effect on the economy and society. It is expected to contribute to improving well-being and quality of life through advances in health, mobility, and infrastructure security; transform science and technology into sustainable competitive advantages; and reduce external technological dependence in critical areas, strengthening open technological sovereignty.
Furthermore, it will generate skilled employment and new industrial capabilities, with a multiplier effect on attracting private investment and on the international profile of participating companies.
Innovation as an investment in the future
Beyond the figures, this measure reflects a strategic vision: innovation is not an expense, but an investment in the country's future. Each funded project represents an opportunity to develop solutions that respond to the social, economic, and security challenges facing Spain.
With more resources, more ideas can become tangible realities, more companies can grow, and more technologies can contribute to sustainable and secure development. The strengthening of NEOTEC and the 2025 Science and Innovation Missions is, ultimately, a firm commitment to a future in which science and technology are a driving force for progress and competitiveness.
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