Internationalisation grants 2026: ICEX Next, ACCIÓ vouchers, Xpande and more

What internationalisation grants are and who offers them

Internationalisation grants are non-repayable subsidies that cover part of the cost of selling abroad: consulting to design the plan, market studies, prospecting trips, trade fairs, digital promotion or hiring export staff. They do not fund day-to-day operations but a specific project with markets, activities and a budget.

In Spain they are offered at three levels, and you should know all of them because their calendars do not match:

• National: ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, with ICEX Next as the flagship programme for SMEs.
• Regional: agencies such as ACCIÓ in Catalonia, SPRI in the Basque Country or IVACE+i in the Valencia region.
• Chambers of Commerce: programmes such as Xpande and Xpande Digital, co-funded by the ERDF (FEDER) and called by each chamber.

If you are still deciding whether to export and where to start, read our step-by-step export guide first. Export grants work best when your product and target markets are already clear.

Internationalisation grants in 2026: status of each programme

This table summarises the most relevant programmes for SMEs and their status as of 8 October 2026, checked against the official sources linked. Calls change every year: always review the current rules before deciding.

ICEX Next: Spain's flagship national programme

ICEX Next combines consulting and funding. According to ICEX, it includes at least 30 hours of tailored advice from an approved expert to draw up an International Business Strategic Plan, a grant of up to 24,000 euros and access to the ICEX Next Club. In the 2025 call the grant covered 60% of eligible costs over two years, co-funded by the ERDF.

Main requirements

• Be a Spanish SME or technology-based start-up under the EU SME definition.
• Have your own product or service and your own brand.
• Have turnover above 300,000 euros in the year before the call (tech start-ups are exempt but must have a product on the market).
• Have a corporate website showcasing your export offer, and staff for internationalisation, in-house or to be hired.
• Not be a sales or production subsidiary of a foreign company, and not have received more than 300,000 euros in subsidies in the last three years (lower caps apply in some sectors).

Status of the 2026 call

As of 8 October 2026 we have not found the 2026 call published in the BOE (Spain's Official Gazette) or on icex.es. The 2025 call was approved by a resolution of 23 October 2025, with applications open from 4 to 18 November 2025. Because of high demand, ICEX raised its budget from 6 to 7.2 million euros (BOE, 29 January 2026). If a similar calendar is repeated, the next call could come out in the autumn, but there is no confirmed date: have your documents ready.

ACCIÓ internationalisation vouchers (Catalonia)

ACCIÓ internationalisation vouchers pay for advice from an ACCIÓ-accredited provider for companies with limited export experience. The 2026 call had two lines, which cannot both be requested in the same call:

• Internationalisation plans voucher: analyse your international position, define the strategy and design the action plan. Up to 8,000 euros, never above the cost of the service.
• Start exporting voucher: set up the export department and first commercial steps. Covers 100% of the cost up to 10,500 euros.

Common requirements: an SME with an operating site in Catalonia, minimum turnover of 250,000 euros in the last closed financial year, exports of no more than 25% of turnover and a website in at least one foreign language. 2026 projects must be carried out between 1 January 2026 and 30 July 2027.

According to ACCIÓ's FAQ, the procedure is non-competitive: vouchers are awarded in chronological order of complete applications until the budget runs out. The 2026 call is closed and, as of October 2026, ACCIÓ has not announced the date of the next one; in 2026 it opened in spring. You will find more detail in our article on ACCIÓ export vouchers.

Xpande, Kit Consulting and regional grants

Xpande and Xpande Digital (Chambers of Commerce)

Xpande is the Spanish Chamber of Commerce programme for designing and executing an international expansion plan. According to camara.es, it lasts 12 months: a free advisory phase I (market selection, market access, communication and marketing, and financial analysis) and a phase II of funding, with a maximum budget of 8,000 euros per company and a co-funding rate that depends on the region. Xpande Digital follows the same model, focused on digital positioning in a foreign market.

Each chamber publishes its own call and deadlines. In 2026, for example, the Ciudad Real chamber opened Xpande Digital from 27 February to 10 March, and the Alcoy chamber kept Xpande open until 31 July. As of October 2026, check your chamber's e-office to see whether any call is still open.

Kit Digital and Kit Consulting

Kit Digital closed its last calls on 31 October 2025. Kit Consulting provided vouchers of 12,000, 18,000 or 24,000 euros, depending on company size, for advice on AI, data analysis, digital sales, processes or cybersecurity. As of October 2026 it is not accepting new applications; Order TDF/38/2026 allows new calls with the remaining funds, but we have not been able to verify any open call. If the digital side interests you, see our digitalisation service.

Other regional grants

• Basque Country, Zabaldu+ (SPRI): merges the former Zabaldu, Sakondu, Elkartu and Pilotu programmes. The 2026 call was published in the BOPV on 6 July 2026 and closed on 15 September 2026.
• Valencia region, IVACE+i: the line for hiring young people for SME internationalisation accepted applications until 15 May 2026.
• Other regions: almost all have an export promotion agency with their own lines. Check their websites and Spain's National Grants Database (BDNS).

How to prepare your application step by step

When calls are awarded first come, first served or stay open for two weeks, the winner is whoever has the file ready before the window opens. This is the order we follow with our clients:

1. Check eligibility: SME size, last year's turnover, export share, location, sector and grants received in the last three years.
2. Define the project: target markets, activities, timeline and budget. A plan backed by data is more convincing than an intention.
3. Choose an approved or accredited provider: in ICEX Next and ACCIÓ vouchers, the adviser must be recognised by the agency at the time of application.
4. Gather the paperwork: annual accounts, certificates showing you are up to date with tax and social security, organisation chart and supplier quotes.
5. Review your website: several programmes require a corporate website and, for ACCIÓ vouchers, at least one foreign-language version.
6. Set up the digital signature of the legal representative and access to the e-office.
7. Apply as soon as the window opens and keep the registration receipt.

To choose and justify markets with data, Exporta.ai, the AI export platform created by Vycte, analyses demand by product or HS Code using official trade data and includes a grants finder, currently in beta, to locate calls that fit your company.

Mistakes that cost you the grant

In more than 30 years managing export grants for SMEs, the reasons for losing them repeat themselves. It is rarely the quality of the project; it is almost always the paperwork.

• Applying late to first-come, first-served calls: by the time you open the form, the budget may be gone.
• Not using the official report template. For ACCIÓ vouchers, a technical report that does not follow the standard structure is not admitted.
• Hiring an adviser who is not accredited, or who becomes accredited after the application.
• Incurring costs outside the eligible period or invoicing ineligible items such as VAT, in-house staff or software.
• Paying in cash: cash payments are not eligible; always pay by bank transfer.
• Executing less than approved. For ACCIÓ vouchers, if at least 80% of the approved cost is not justified, the whole grant is revoked.
• Owing tax or social security at the time of award or payment.
• Missing justification deadlines, which are rarely extended.

Compatibility, de minimis and justification

Can you combine several grants?

It depends on each call. The general rule is that the same cost cannot be funded twice. ACCIÓ vouchers, for example, are incompatible with any other aid for the same eligible costs. You can, however, chain programmes for different phases: a voucher to design the plan and another line to carry out promotion activities, as long as the invoices do not overlap.

Many of these grants fall under the de minimis rules of Regulation (EU) 2023/2831: a company cannot exceed 300,000 euros in de minimis aid over three years. Keep a record of every grant you receive, because you will be asked for it in each application.

How justification works

• Pay first, get paid later: with ACCIÓ vouchers, the company pays the provider and ACCIÓ pays the grant once it validates the justification.
• Keep the evidence: invoices, bank receipts, adviser deliverables, trade fair photos, tickets and meeting agendas.
• Meet publicity rules: for EU co-funded grants you must state the source of funding on subsidised materials.
• Use the agency's justification report template and meet its deadline.

What to do now if you want a grant in 2027

With most 2026 calls closed, October is a good time to prepare the next ones. Our recommendation:

• October-November: watch the BOE in case ICEX publishes the ICEX Next call, and have your paperwork ready.
• Winter: define the plan's markets and budget, and make sure your website is translated.
• Spring: watch for ACCIÓ vouchers and your chamber's Xpande calls, which in 2026 opened between February and summer.
• All year round: if you do not yet have an export team, consider an outsourced export department to execute the plan the grant funds.

If you are a winery or a food company, check each programme's sector exclusions carefully; some lines exclude primary production. You will find more context in our guide to exporting wine.

Luis Sanz Loriente

CEO and founder of Vycte · ICEX-approved consultant

Over 30 years leading SMEs' international expansion, ACCIÓ-accredited advisor and IE Business School MBA. He has trained management teams to export to more than 40 countries.