Andorra doubles R&D grants to €1.05M, backs antibiotic-resistance project
What's the deal? Andorra BusinessDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the principality's government agency, has awarded €1.05 million across 10 research and development projects run by Andorran companies. Health and biotechnology took more than half the total, with CellabDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s Cimera project — researching how to use the body's defences to treat antibiotic-resistant infections — winning the largest grant at roughly €450,000.
Why now? The 2026 round doubles the €500,000 awarded in the agency's inaugural 2025 programme. Applications jumped from 12 to 30, and awards from five to 10.
What's the endgame? The aim is to keep research, intellectual property, and skilled jobs inside the principality. "We have to be able to keep the intellectual property and the wealth these projects can generate," said Judit Hidalgo, director of Andorra Business (translated from Catalan).
Selection weighed economic impact, diversification, competitiveness, and the creation of high-value jobs, not just technical novelty. Projects were also assessed by Andorra Recerca i Innovació on criteria including technical risk and collaboration with local players.
Where the money went: Beyond Cimera, biotech project AquaverifyDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → received about €105,000 to track water quality. New technologies and artificial intelligence took 30.19% of the total, funding an AI model for translation and legal advice, a talent network linking firms and universities, and a platform that uses existing shop cameras to analyse customer behaviour.
What could go wrong? Cimera remains early-stage research into a potential treatment, not a proven therapy. Eligible costs must be completed by the end of 2027, and grants fall proportionally if final budgets come in lower.
The grants sit within a broader push to diversify Andorra's economy into higher-value sectors. The agency opened a separate €1 million line in June 2026 to attract high-value foreign companies, with recipients to be named soon.
The signal: For a microstate of 468km² long known for its tax regime, the expansion signals an attempt to build a domestic innovation base rather than watch its companies take R&D abroad. The test will be whether the funding delivers results and follow-on investment.
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