Where Startups Grow

R&D: R&D programmes are available mostly from the EU budget. The most notable one is Eurostars, which is dedicated to SMEs. Small and medium companies may benefit from grants of up to 60 %/EUR 300,000.

Jobs creation & CAPEX:  Large investors who consider new investment in the manufacturing sector may receive a grant of up to 15% (capped at EUR 3 mn) mainly for the acquisition of property.  Among relevant criteria are the location of the project outside of the capital, higher value per employee, and the growth of an entrepreneur's international competitiveness.

Companies that already operate in Estonia (3+ years of operation and more than 8 employees) may benefit from grants aimed to support the development and launching of new products or services or enterprise development within selected focus areas (e.g. digital solutions, health technologies, local resources, smart and sustainable energy solutions). The goal is to focus on increasing sales revenues, creating competitive products or services, and increasing their added value. The level of support may reach up to 25%-45%, depending on the size of the enterprise (maximum EUR 500,000) and it may cover employee-related costs and tangible, and intangible assets.

Green and other: For entrepreneurs already present in Estonia, the country offers support for automation and adoption of digital technologies and robots up to EUR 300,000 with a broad scope of costs recognised as eligible. As the support is provided outside of regional aid, it is available not only for the manufacturing industry but also to the mining industry and other sectors. What is more, as part of the transition to a climate-neutral economy, the region of Ida-Viru offers grants from the Just Transition Fund.