Deadline Date: December 12, 2025
The Standards & Awards for SMEs Grant Scheme by the Government of Malta aims to render enterprises more efficient, more competitive, and gain further credibility for their business operations through advisory support designed to achieve recognised Standards or Awards.
The focus areas of the scheme include funding advisory services necessary for SMEs to prepare for and successfully achieve a recognized Standard or Award; enhancing competitiveness and credibility through internationally recognized certifications or national excellence awards; strengthening alignment with industry standards and best practices; promoting quality, efficiency, sustainability, and innovation within business operations; facilitating entry into new markets; encouraging a culture of continuous improvement and excellence in business operations; supporting enterprises in improving their internal management frameworks and operational structures rather than fulfilling regulatory requirements or obtaining product-specific certifications necessary for placing a product or service on the market; promoting entrepreneurship by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms; and enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs including by productive investments.
This grant scheme provides part-financing for external advisory services that help businesses build capacity to achieve recognised Standards or Awards that elevate their brand and operational excellence. By securing credible certifications and excellence recognitions, SMEs can reinforce their presence in competitive markets, expand their access to new opportunities, and align themselves with internationally accepted business requirements.
The initiative operates with an allocated budget of €500,000. The maximum grant amount per application is €15,000, with the possibility of receiving up to €20,000 for SMEs applying to achieve more than two standards or awards through the same service provider within a single application. The scheme will remain operational until 31 December 2026, or until funds are exhausted.
The scheme forms part of Policy Objective 1 of the SFC2021 Programme 2021–2027, steering Malta toward a smarter, well-connected, and resilient economy. The commitment to quality and innovation underpins the call to support enterprises that demonstrate ambition to elevate their operational maturity through recognised frameworks of excellence.
Eligibility is open to Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises engaged in an economic activity and actively trading for at least one year as of the application date. All undertakings must possess legal personality or be registered under the Second Schedule of the Civil Code.
For more information, visit the FONDI.eu.
