Galicia announces one million euros in VInnovate grants for innovation

The Galician Innovation Agency (GAIN) announces the VInnovate Galicia grants, with a budget of 1,000,000 euros, for experimental development projects in collaboration between companies and research organizations. The call is established by the Resolution of September 10, 2026, published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) no. 177, on September 17, 2026, with procedure code IN848G and official reference CVE-DOG: pcuvigh3-a6o9-i6f4-9z92-6qheueyjcdz5. The summary of the call is on page 49230 and the full text of the regulatory bases begins on page 49083.

The resolution was signed by the director of the Galician Innovation Agency, Carmen Cotelo Queijo, and organizes the Galician participation in the third call of the interregional funding mechanism VInnovate, promoted by the Vanguard Initiative, a European network composed of 25 regions to which Galicia has belonged since 2015. Following the 2024 and 2025 editions, this third call seeks to consolidate the interregional funding model and incorporate the experience accumulated in the previous two.

The grants are co-financed by the European Union within the framework of the Galicia Feder 2021-2027 program, with a co-financing rate of 100%, and are aligned with the STEP (Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform) initiative. The call is listed in the National Grants Database with the identifier BDNS 929221.

Funding and distribution by annual installments

The total amount of the call is 1,000,000.00 euros, distributed between 2026 and 2029:

• 2026: 9,841.48 euros.
• 2027: 390,158.52 euros.
• 2028: 400,000.00 euros.
• 2029: 200,000.00 euros.

The maximum grant per Galician project is 500,000 euros and the minimum required budget is 150,000 euros. Advance payments of up to 100% may be requested for the first two annual installments and 50% for subsequent ones, without exceeding 80% of the total grant in advances nor 90% when adding advances and payments on account.

Requirements for Galician groupings

Beneficiary entities may be companies—small, medium, or large—and research organizations, which must have a legally constituted permanent workplace in Galicia. The Galician grouping must consist of:

• Between two and four independent entities that are not linked to each other.
• At least one SME, with a minimum participation of 30% of the Galician budget.
• A designated leader acting as the representative before the Galician Innovation Agency.

Projects must be carried out in cooperation with an agent from another participating region in VInnovate belonging to a different country. The adhering regions are Eastern Netherlands (Gelderland and Overijssel), Wales, Galicia, Basque Country, Lower Austria, Lower Saxony, Northern Portugal, Northeast Romania, and North Brabant.

Activities, intensities, and deadlines

Experimental development activities of TRL 6, 7, and 8 will be eligible for subsidies and, under certain conditions, applied research activities in TRL 5. Projects must fit within the Vanguard Initiative pilots—3D printing, efficient and sustainable manufacturing, bioeconomy, smart health and personalized medicine, advanced manufacturing for energy applications and hydrogen—and within the STEP technologies: biotechnologies, artificial intelligence and deep tech, hydrogen, biotechnologies applied to health, marine renewables, and net-zero.

Maximum aid intensities range from 30% to 60% depending on the size of the company and the type of collaboration, reaching 100% for research organizations without economic activity. The application submission period begins the day after publication and ends on October 19, 2026. The maximum deadline for resolution and notification is December 15, 2026, with negative administrative silence, and the final deadline for project completion is September 30, 2029.

The call opens a direct funding route for Galician SMEs and research centers to integrate into European innovation consortia, with 100% coverage from Feder funds and an interregional collaboration requirement that strengthens the international presence of the Galician R&D&i system.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 177, of September 17, 2026, III. Other provisions, p. 49230 (official reference: CVE-DOG: pcuvigh3-a6o9-i6f4-9z92-6qheueyjcdz5).