Deadline: 17-April-2026
The SME Enhance Grant Scheme is inviting applications to support business investment, innovation and competitiveness through structured financial assistance.
The scheme falls under Policy Objective 1 which focuses on building a more competitive and smarter economy by promoting innovative transformation and strengthening ICT connectivity while also encouraging entrepreneurship and facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and supporting the creation of new firms through business incubators and it also addresses specific objectives including leveraging digitisation benefits for citizens companies research organisations and public authorities and enhancing sustainable growth competitiveness and job creation within SMEs through productive investments.
The total allocated budget for the scheme is €6,000,000, with grants ranging from a minimum of €10,000 to a maximum of €128,400, including an additional 7% flat rate to cover indirect costs. Applications under investment aid follow specific aid intensity thresholds, and large investment projects are subject to adjusted aid limits.
Eligible expenditure includes the purchase of equipment and machinery, along with associated training costs included in purchase agreements, provided the assets remain operational for at least three years. Additional support is available for ancillary items, capped at 10% of core equipment costs, and leasing of private operational premises for up to two years within defined limits. A flat 7% indirect cost rate may also be applied to eligible expenses.
Ineligible costs include maintenance and repair, taxes, insurance, standalone training, financial charges, used equipment, legal costs, fines, entertainment expenses, depreciation, land or construction costs, consultancy services, mobile phones, and building-related installations or finishes. Projects already funded under other EU programmes are also excluded.
Eligibility is limited to micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises engaged in economic activities, including start-ups classified as micro or small enterprises. Undertakings must possess legal personality or be registered according to applicable laws. Entities facing insolvency, recovery orders, or operating in excluded sectors such as agriculture, tobacco, gambling, or non-economic public functions are not eligible. Businesses that internally provide or develop the same goods or services they seek funding for are also excluded.
For more information, visit Fondi.eu.
