Promote sustainable growth and business innovation. This is the proposal of the Portugal 2030 Program. In total, around 4.5 billion euros are planned to support the competitiveness of private and public-private companies, in a period between September 2024 and August 2025.
This program is implemented through 12 programs, which are divided into:
– Four thematic areas: People 2030, dedicated to Demographics, qualifications and inclusion; COMPETE 2030, dedicated to Innovation and digital transition; Sustainable 2030, dedicated to climate action and sustainability; and March 2030;
– Five Regional: corresponding to NUTS II on the Continent – North 2030, Center 2030, Lisbon 2030, Alentejo 2030 and Algarve 2030;
– Two of the Autonomous Regions: Azores 2030 and Madeira 2030;
– PAT 2030: Technical Assistance Program;
– Added to these are the European Territorial Cooperation Programs in which Portugal participates.
But what concrete impact does Portugal 2030 have on Portuguese companies? What incentives are really important and how to prepare for them? Precisely to simplify all these topics, the talk was held on October 24: “PT2030: More relevant incentives for companies”, an initiative between Observador and Yunit Consulting, and attended by Eduardo Silva, Director of Operations at Yunit Consulting; Gorete Lopes, CCO and member of the board of directors of Techframe and CEO of Digital Valley Portugal; and Susana Maia, marketing director of Newhotel Software.
The first step was to understand, briefly and in simplified language, what lines currently exist in PT2030 dedicated to companies. It was Eduardo Silva who explained to us: “It ends up being a complex system, with several contests, where each one has specific eligibility criteria, either for the project or for the promoter. Therefore, only with a detailed analysis can we understand exactly where we can fit companies, depending on their investment projects,” he begins.
“The good news is that Portugal 2030 is very similar to its predecessors and brings us financing lines for companies in almost all dimensions in which they need to invest.” The Director of Operations at Yunit Consulting shares that there is a thematic program aimed almost exclusively at companies and that it is made up of five incentives: “one, which greatly promotes business competitiveness and here we have three typologies: productive investment, internationalization and qualification. Then we have a second incentive system that is directly linked to research and development. The third incentive system, more at the local level, is called territorial base, it is administered by CIM – Intermunicipal Communities and we are talking about projects with investment in productive innovation, but of small size. We have a fourth incentive system and this is also new, which is the climate and energy transition, a pure replacement investment in more sustainable and more environmentally friendly equipment. And lastly, we have human resources.”
From the perspective of companies, both Gorete Lopes and Susana Maia shared the experience of presenting a candidacy and took the opportunity to talk a little more about some projects. “We, in Portugal 2020, did a project with Yunit that was related to the Graphic Search Engine, it was called GSE. With PT2030 we already have two approved projects that are underway, one of them is being developed in co-promotion in low-density territory”, words of Gorete, followed by his fellow panelist: “We have just delivered the project to expand our exports and be able to reach to new markets in countries where, effectively, either we already have a certain penetration or we want to grow and increase our exports,” said Susana Maia.
When we talk about projects, it becomes inevitable not to put the topic of applications on the table. Since PT2030 is such a complex program from the beginning, it is important to understand what the critical success factors are in the application logic. After all, what does the project have, or should have, to achieve the intended objective?
“I would focus here on three points that, for us, are fundamental: firstly, an adequate and coherent strategy between what the project is and what the company is, what its path is. Then prepare the project in advance. And then it is necessary to know the specific characteristics of incentive systems. To give an example, in Portugal 2020 a study was carried out that involved around 20 thousand applications. Half of them were not even considered eligible,” explains Eduardo Silva, complemented by Susana’s words: “I think it is important here that the company is very aware of the process itself. That is, being able to be ambitious, but being aware that it is achievable. Have a strategy behind it, your business model very well defined. And then, have internal teams that can follow the process and that are trained and trained to manage these processes, because, once implemented, it is necessary to manage, monitor, verify if it is within the schedule that was defined and understand if the strategy is working. . It is very important to have this balance between what the strategy really is and what the ambition of the company is.”
Throughout the conversation it became clear that specialized knowledge about the candidacy is crucial to avoid some mistakes that could become critical at the time of selection. The issue of strategy was highlighted as a critical and fundamental step that should not be neglected at any time. “I believe that strategic planning is extremely important, because without these objectives it makes no sense to follow this path. The company must train effectively with companies that have the necessary competence in the market to guide them, monitor them and correct errors in the application,” Susana highlighted, adding: “I would advise that companies consult companies like Yunit, which carry out this monitoring with trained professionals to guide them on this path of application, but, above all, with very clear, well-defined objectives, with planning and prepared teams.”
As time was running out, it was also time to define some practical tips that, from the speakers’ perspective, could somehow help companies in the application process. Along with strategy came purpose. For Gorete Lopes, it is essential to carry out a candidacy, only “if it makes sense with the direction of our business,” but not only that. The help of an outside consultant may be what is needed for a successful outcome.
For Eduardo Silva, along with all the suggestions shared by his colleagues, it is important to move forward. “Incentive systems exist and are intended to be used. If we look at the market today, with the competitiveness that exists, they can make a difference. (…) When someone tells us: I have a project here, I am going to do this, with support or without support… those are the projects that should be supported. We must look at these incentives as catalysts,” he concludes.
Basically, align, plan and guarantee are the watchwords of a Program that aims to encourage the Portuguese business fabric. When in doubt, seeking specialized help can make the difference in an increasingly accessible process.
Source: Observadora
