---
title: "Red.es launches call for proposals of up to $45 million for AI in SMEs and startups — Marsanne Studio AI watch"
description: "Red.es launches a €40 million call for proposals to fund AI deployment in Spanish SMEs and startups."
url: "https://marsanne.studio/en/ai-watch/red-es-launches-call-for-proposals-of-up-to-45-million-for-ai-in-smes-e54c62/"
lang: "en"
---

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Regulation · 11 September 2026

# Red.es launches call for proposals of up to $45 million for AI in SMEs and startups

Original title, in Spanish: “Red.es lanza convocatoria de hasta US$45M en IA para pymes y startups – El Ecosistema Startup”

**Publication**

El Ecosistema Startup (Spain)

**Author**

Unsigned

**Published on**

11 September 2026 · read in the page structured data

## Summary

Red.es, the Spanish public agency for digital transformation, launched a call for applications on 11 September 2026 with funding of up to €40 million for intermediary entities (professional associations, technology centres, clusters) that will develop AI models applied to Spanish SMEs and startups. Each agreement must generate at least 30 use cases, 15 of which are intended for deployment on a larger scale. Public funding can cover up to 80% of a project's cost, with a ceiling of €12 million per agreement. The initiative is part of Spain's National AI Strategy, which has been allocated more than €1.5 billion since 2020, and complements the Red IA programme, which already funds 372 AI projects, including 300 business initiatives (70% of them SMEs) and 72 health projects under Red IA Salud.

Summary based on the full text of the article.

[Read the article on El Ecosistema Startup →](https://ecosistemastartup.com/red-es-lanza-convocatoria-de-hasta-us45m-en-ia-para-pymes-y-startups/)

## Figures cited

-   40 EUR million
    
    Total funding of the Red.es call for AI projects in SMEs and startups
    
    Spain, 2026 call
    
    > « La dotación total puede alcanzar los 40 millones de euros, con una cobertura pública de hasta el 80% por convenio y un tope de 12 millones por proyecto, según recogió IT User. »
    
    Source: IT User
    
-   80 %
    
    Maximum public funding share per agreement
    
    Spain, Red.es 2026 call
    
    > « Red.es aporta hasta el 80% de cada proyecto, con un máximo de €12M por convenio. »
    
    Source: eSmartCity
    
-   12 EUR million
    
    Funding ceiling per agreement
    
    Spain, Red.es 2026 call
    
    > « Red.es aporta hasta el 80% de cada proyecto, con un máximo de €12M por convenio. »
    
    Source: eSmartCity
    
-   1,500 EUR million
    
    Funding of the National AI Strategy since its launch
    
    Spain, since 2020
    
    > « está dotada con más de 1.500 millones de euros desde su lanzamiento, recogió Hoy.es »
    
    Source: Hoy.es / Ministerio
    
-   74 %
    
    Spanish startups created in the last four years focused on AI and Automation or Computing and Digitalisation
    
    Spain, startups created in the last 4 years, sample of 960 technology-based companies
    
    > « el 74% de las startups españolas creadas en los últimos cuatro años se centran en Inteligencia Artificial y Automatización (37%) o Computación y Digitalización (37%), frente al 15% que representaba la IA en 2023-24, según el informe de IESE y CaixaBank DayOne sobre 960 empresas de base tecnológica, publicado por El Periódico. »
    
    Source: IESE / CaixaBank DayOne
    
-   180 EUR million
    
    Overall budget of the Red IA programme managed by Red.es
    
    Spain, Red IA programme, 372 projects
    
    > « Red.es gestiona ya un paquete global de 180 millones de euros del programa Red IA para financiar 372 proyectos de IA en todo el país »
    
-   130 EUR million
    
    ERDF funds for business initiatives (70% in SMEs)
    
    Spain, 300 business initiatives
    
    > « con 130 millones de euros FEDER dirigidos a 300 iniciativas empresariales (70% en pymes) »
    
-   50 EUR million
    
    Funds for Red IA Salud health projects
    
    Spain, 72 health projects
    
    > « y otros 50 millones para 72 proyectos sanitarios bajo Red IA Salud, con ayudas que oscilan entre 400.000 euros y 5 millones de euros por proyecto »
    
-   5 rank
    
    Spain's position among European markets for private investment in AI startups
    
    Europe
    
    > « España es el quinto mercado europeo en inversión privada en startups de IA y el sexto del mundo en adopción de IA generativa, según el ranking de la Universidad de Stanford, recogido por Hoy.es »
    
    Source: Universidad de Stanford / Ministerio para la Transformación Digital
    

## Classification

**Country**

Spain

**Company size**

SMEs

**Industries**

All industries, or industry not specified · Healthcare, pharmaceuticals, social care

**Companies**

CaixaBank DayOne (study author), Red.es (cited), IESE (study author)

**Keywords**

public funding, SMEs, startups, generative artificial intelligence, digital transformation, Spain

Entry written by Marsanne Studio from the cited article, with the help of an AI model (claude-sonnet-5). The rights to the article and its illustrations belong to El Ecosistema Startup. Entry translated from French by Claude Sonnet 5.5.