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 15/08 2026 Published: 1 August 2026 Previous edition: 16 July 2026

🔄 What has changed since the edition of 16/07/2026

This edition confirms the picture set out on 16/07 and adds a significant regional route. Smart&Start Italia, Invest in Italy / ZES Unica, Contratto di Sviluppo and SIMEST Fondo 394 remain open with no change in conditions. The main new item is the Lazio regional bando for attracting productive investment, with a grant of up to €10 million and an explicit mention of eligibility for foreign companies opening or expanding production sites in the region, a route still thinly documented in public and one that calls for direct confirmation from Lazio Innova on the total budget and timetable. The next EIC Accelerator cut-off remains confirmed for 2 September 2026, unchanged from the previous edition. No new Horizon Europe Work Programme 2026-2027 call with direct eligibility for Brazil was identified in this round.

❌ Closed since 16/07

No closures were identified in this round among the programmes monitored.

✅ 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

Bando Regionale Lazio, attraction of productive investment, up to €10m in grants, explicit eligibility for foreign companies

📊 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
Bando Regionale Lazio 🆕 NEW
 A grant for SMEs starting up or expanding production sites in Lazio, foreign companies included 📋 GeneralRegional productive investment Grant To be confirmed
(check with Lazio Innova)		 Up to €10m
per project		 Regione Lazio / Lazio Innova ↗ link ✅ Yes, explicitly for foreign companies
SIMEST, Fondo 394
 Subsidised finance for Italian SMEs (or subsidiaries) for internationalisation and the digital and green transitions 📋 GeneralService or product Repayable loan
(rate of about 0.319%) 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 the second half of 2026 📋 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 📋 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 - €1.500.000
Sportello open, closes when funds run out (a new allocation of around €200m for 2026)
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 a genuinely operating base in Italy, evidenced by the first disbursement.
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 16/07: 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. 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 (16 strategic sectors in the national portfolio)
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
For Brazilian companies: by March 2026 the "Invest in Italy" portfolio already held 64 projects under institutional guidance, worth €71 billion, more than half of them concentrated in southern Italy. Recommended as a first institutional contact for any Brazilian SME considering a physical presence in Italy.

3. Bando Regionale Lazio, attraction of productive investment 🆕 NEW IN THIS EDITION

To be confirmed, check with Lazio Innova
Grant funding
Regione Lazio / Lazio Innova
Broad, with a focus on manufacturing and productive activities
Up to €10,000,000
Eligibility requirements
Explicitly open to foreign companies starting up or expanding production sites in the Lazio region
How to join
→ lazioinnova.it / → regione.lazio.it
For Brazilian companies: one of the few regional facilities with explicit eligibility for foreign companies. The total budget and the exact timetable were not confirmed in the public sources consulted, so contact Lazio Innova directly before planning any application.

4. 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.
For Brazilian companies: suited to SMEs with a solid investment plan (setting up a factory or distribution centre in Italy, for example), not to small tickets.

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

Rolling until 31/12/2026
Subsidised loan plus a partial grant
SIMEST S.p.A. (CDP Group)
Around €8.5bn planned for the three-year period (Fondo 394)
€500.000 - €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
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.

🔭 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
For Brazilian companies: the best route for companies with a strong R&D component and a willingness to work in consortium, not for drawing a subsidy directly.

2. EIC Accelerator, next cut-off

02/09/2026
Blended finance (grant plus equity)
EIC / European Commission
Grant up to €2.5m plus equity of €0.5m to €15m
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 before that milestone.
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.