Deadline Date: November 28, 2025
The Marketing Strategy Support Scheme offers advisory assistance to help micro and small enterprises strengthen their efficiency, competitiveness and business credibility through externally developed marketing strategies.
The focus areas of this scheme are to render the enterprises more efficient and/or more competitive and gain further credibility for their business operations; to part-finance costs incurred for external services contracted to provide a Marketing Strategy; to support micro and small enterprises through non-repayable Grants to part-finance costs incurred for external services contracted to provide the enterprise with a Marketing Strategy aimed at rendering it more efficient or more competitive; to provide an enterprise with the plans and actions involved in promoting the business, its products or services to achieve its goals; to support limited in-house resources and competences required to conduct a marketing strategy; and to align the marketing efforts with the enterprise’s overall business objectives.
It falls under Policy Objective 1 ‘A more competitive and smarter Europe by promoting innovative and smart economic transformation and regional ICT connectivity’ and incorporates PO1: Promoting entrepreneurship, in particular by facilitating the economic exploitation of new ideas and fostering the creation of new firms, including through business incubators, as well as RSO1.3. Enhancing sustainable growth and competitiveness of SMEs and job creation in SMEs, including by productive investments.
This scheme provides support for enterprises that require external expertise to create a comprehensive marketing strategy tailored to strengthening their position in the market. Many micro and small enterprises lack the in-house capacity to undertake detailed marketing planning, which creates a reliance on outsourcing such services. The grant helps bridge this gap by part-financing the cost of securing external professionals who can produce structured marketing strategies aligned with the enterprise’s goals.
The scheme has an allocated budget of €500,000. The maximum grant available is €10,000, supporting eligible costs based on defined aid intensities. Micro and small start-up enterprises up to five years from registration may receive support at 60 percent, while micro and small enterprises operating for more than five years may receive 50 percent.
A well-developed marketing strategy provides businesses with clear plans and actions for promoting their products or services. It enables enterprises to better understand their markets, sharpen their competitive edge and strengthen their brand positioning. By supporting these activities, the scheme helps enterprises improve their efficiency, enhance their competitiveness and reinforce their long-term sustainability.
The scheme will remain active until 31st December 2026, subject to the availability of funds. Eligible applicants include micro and small enterprises engaged in economic activity. Enterprises without a legal personality must be registered under the Second Schedule of the Civil Code.
For more information, visit FONDI.eu.
