Brazil-Italy-Europe Observatory  ·  🇧🇷 🇮🇹 🇪🇺

Opportunities Map Brazil-Italy-Europe
A fortnightly benchmark of tenders and funding in Italy for Brazilian start-ups and SMEs

Period: 01/08 to 16/08 2026 Published: 16 August 2026 Previous edition: 1 August 2026

🔄 What has changed since the edition of 01/08/2026

The core set of instruments genuinely open to Brazilian companies is unchanged from the edition of 01/08: Smart&Start Italia, Contratto di Sviluppo, Invest in Italy / ZES Unica and SIMEST Fondo 394 remain open, with no material change in conditions. The main correction in this round concerns the "Bando Regionale Lazio" (Attrazione Investimenti, Invest in Lazio Grant Facility): the previous edition listed it as open with a deadline "to be confirmed"; checking directly at source (Lazio Innova) shows that the application window, opened on 28/08/2025, closed on 05/03/2026, in other words it was already shut before the edition of 01/08 was published. It has been moved to "Closed" with this correction on the record. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off remains confirmed for 02/09/2026, now within the immediate four-week window.

❌ Closed since 01/08

Bando Regionale Lazio, Attrazione Investimenti / Invest in Lazio Grant Facility (Lazio Innova); the actual deadline was 05/03/2026, a correction recorded in this round

✅ Still open

Smart&Start Italia (rolling) · Contratto di Sviluppo (rolling) · Invest in Italy / ZES Unica (rolling) · SIMEST Fondo 394 (rolling until 31/12) · EIC Accelerator (next cut-off 02/09/2026)

🆕 New in this edition

A new SIMEST facility dedicated to projects in the United States (since 14/01/2026) · The 2026 EIC Accelerator calendar set out in full (six cut-offs, one every two months) · Chamber of commerce internationalisation bandi (Emilia, Marche, Bergamo) and the Voucher Internazionalizzazione PMI 2026 (Lazio) added to the watch list

📊 Opportunities at a glance

✅ Direct Brazilian access ⚠️ Through an EU corporate structure 🔗 Through an EU partner in the consortium 🏢 Through an Italian subsidiary 🤝 Self-funded (associated partner) 🆕 New in this edition
Programme Description Category Type of support Deadline Amount Organisation Info Access for Brazilian companies
📋 National and regional instruments
Smart&Start Italia
 Zero-interest finance for technology business plans from start-ups, open to foreign companies that establish a base in Italy 📋 GeneralTech product, service or platform Repayable loan
(zero interest) plus a partial grant		 Rolling
(sportello open)		 €100k to €1.5m Invitalia / MIMIT ↗ link ✅ Yes, with an Italian base
Contratto di Sviluppo
 Finance for large productive investment programmes (industry, agri-industry, tourism, environment) 📋 GeneralProductive investment Repayable loan
plus a partial grant		 Rolling Large-scale
investment		 Invitalia / MIMIT ↗ link 🏢 Through a permanent Italian entity
Invest in Italy / ZES Unica
 A MIMIT one-stop shop for foreign investors plus a tax credit for productive investment in southern Italy 📋 GeneralInvestment attraction / tax credit Institutional support
plus a tax credit of up to 70%		 Rolling
(ZES in force until 2028)		 €2.3bn
budgeted for 2026		 MIMIT / Invitalia / ICE ↗ link ✅ Yes, any country of origin
SIMEST, Fondo 394
 Subsidised finance for Italian SMEs (or subsidiaries) for internationalisation and the digital and green transitions 📋 GeneralService or product Repayable loan
(reduced rate) plus a partial grant		 Rolling
(until 31/12/2026)		 €500k to €2m SIMEST / CDP Group ↗ link 🏢 Through an Italian subsidiary
📋 European calls
Horizon Europe WP 2026-2027
 Sectoral calls on research, innovation and international cooperation published over 2026 and 2027 📋 GeneralR&D / innovation Grant
(eligibility varies by topic)		 Variable
by topic		 Varies by topic European Commission ↗ link 🔗 Through an EU consortium
EIC Accelerator
 Blended finance (grant plus equity) for deep-tech start-ups with radical innovations. The 2026 calendar has been renewed with six cut-offs, one every two months 📋 GeneralDeep-tech product or technology Blended finance
(grant plus equity)		 02/09/2026next cut-off Grant up to €2.5m
plus equity €0.5m to €15m		 EIC / European Commission ↗ link ⚠️ Through an EU structure

📂 Open opportunities in detail

1. Smart&Start Italia, Invitalia

Rolling (sportello open)
Repayable loan (zero interest) plus a partial grant
Invitalia / MIMIT
€100.000 a €1.500.000
Sportello open, closes when funds run out
Eligible sectors
Start-ups with high technology content: ICT, life sciences, Industry 4.0, energy and others
Eligibility requirements
Innovative start-ups incorporated less than 60 months ago; foreign companies are eligible provided they open an operating base in Italy, evidenced by the first disbursement. The grant element can reach 80% to 90% if the team is mostly young (under 36) and/or female, or includes a PhD holder returning from abroad.
How to join
The business plan is submitted through Invitalia's digital platform. Applications are assessed in the order received. invitalia.it/smartstart
No changes since 01/08: it remains the most structured way into the soft landing of a Brazilian start-up in Italy. It is worth planning well ahead for the opening of an Italian legal and operating base, a practical precondition for disbursement.

2. Contratto di Sviluppo, Invitalia / MIMIT

Window open (no closing date announced)
Repayable loan plus a grant
Invitalia, on behalf of MIMIT
Industry, agri-industry, tourism, environmental protection
Large-scale investment programmes (typically from a few million euros upwards)
Eligibility requirements
Open to Italian and foreign companies of any size, provided they set up a production site on Italian territory before the benefits are released
How to join
invitalia.it/development-contract. A complex process, where specialist advice is recommended.
No changes since 01/08: suited to SMEs with a solid investment plan (setting up a factory or distribution centre in Italy, for example), not to small tickets.

3. Invest in Italy / ZES Unica, MIMIT

Rolling (ZES in force until 2028)
A one-stop shop for foreign investors plus a tax credit
MIMIT, working with Invitalia and ICE Agenzia
€2.3 billion budgeted for 2026 (ZES Unica)
A tax credit of up to 70% on new capital goods and intangible assets
Eligible sectors
Broad: industry, technology, energy, logistics, tourism
Eligibility requirements
Foreign investors of any origin looking to set up in Italy, with a focus on cutting through red tape via the Sportello Unico Nazionale
How to join
Direct contact with "Invest in Italy". ice.it/invest-italy
No changes since 01/08: by March 2026 the "Invest in Italy" portfolio already held 64 projects under institutional guidance, worth €71 billion, 60% of them concentrated in the Mezzogiorno. The recommended channel for a first institutional contact by any Brazilian SME considering a physical presence in Italy.

4. SIMEST, Fondo 394 (for Italian subsidiaries of Brazilian groups)

Rolling until 31/12/2026
Subsidised loan (reduced rate) plus a partial grant
SIMEST S.p.A. (CDP Group)
Around €8.5bn planned for the three-year period (Fondo 394)
€500.000 a €2.000.000
Eligible sectors
Internationalisation, digital transition, green transition, international trade fairs, e-commerce
Eligibility requirements
Italian SMEs and mid-caps, or Italian subsidiaries of foreign groups; at least two sets of accounts filed
Update in this edition
Since 14/01/2026 SIMEST has introduced a new Fondo 394 facility dedicated specifically to innovative start-ups and SMEs with interests in the United States. It does not change access to the Italian market, but it confirms that the fund is still actively expanding in 2026.
How to join
simest.it
For Brazilian companies: directly applicable to Italian subsidiaries of Brazilian groups that are already incorporated. Relevant where the entry strategy involves a local partner or subsidiary.

5. EIC Accelerator, next cut-off 02/09/2026

02/09/2026
Blended finance (grant plus equity)
EIC / European Commission
Grant up to €2.5m plus equity of €0.5m to €15m
2026 timetable
Six cut-off dates, one every two months: 7 January, 4 March, 6 May, 8 July, 2 September and 4 November, all at 17:00 Brussels time. Unchanged since the edition of 01/08.
Eligibility requirements
Start-ups, SMEs and small mid-caps must be based in the EU or in a country associated with Horizon Europe at the time the full proposal is submitted (Step 2). Brazil is not an associated country, so Brazilian companies would need to relocate or set up an eligible entity before that milestone. The short proposal (Step 1) can be submitted at any time, still as a Brazilian company.
How to join
eic.ec.europa.eu/eic-accelerator
For Brazilian companies: viable only for start-ups that are planning, or have already carried out, the incorporation of a legal entity in the EU, ideally combined with prior use of Smart&Start to set up in Italy. Next cut-off after 02/09: 04/11/2026.

🔭 Expected opportunities (opening soon)

1. Horizon Europe, Work Programme 2026-2027 (sectoral calls)

Staggered publication, second half of 2026
Call for research, innovation and international cooperation projects
European Commission (EISMEA, HaDEA and other agencies)
Digital, health, energy, industry, climate and others
Eligibility requirements
Entities from non-associated third countries (Brazil among them) can join consortia but as a rule do not receive automatic EU funding, unless the call text says otherwise. Eligibility has to be checked topic by topic.
How to join
EU Funding & Tenders Portal, looking for a European consortium partner
No specific news since 01/08: the best route for companies with a strong R&D component and a willingness to work in consortium, not for drawing a subsidy directly. No new topic with direct eligibility for Brazil was identified in this round.