A grant is not a business model. But the right support can make a well-defined investment possible. Separate cash grants, tax credits and repayable finance—then build the application around what the business actually needs.
A curated snapshot, not an automatic eligibility checker. Dates below were checked on 4 October 2026.
6 support entries / reviewed snapshot
One or more published dates in this snapshot have passed. Confirm the live authority page for the next cut-off, any extension or replacement scheme; this page does not automatically update deadlines.
Non-repayable support for eligible SME digitalisation; an additional eligible-AI component has separate conditions. Build a qualifying project, not a shopping list of software subscriptions.
Read the scheme conditionsEarly seed support for eligible small start-ups to develop an economically feasible business proposal. Specified manufacturing, software, life-science and innovative activities are covered; this is not unrestricted cash for every new company.
Read the scheme conditionsCash grants or tax credits, covering up to 75% of eligible costs over three years. Supports eligible expansion and transformation projects; gambling, real-estate sales, wholesale/retail and financial-service revenue activities are excluded.
Read the scheme conditionsNew rules for eligible undertakings employing 1–50 people. Support can increase by €20,000 for specified categories. Malta Enterprise publishes intensities up to 65%, or 85% for Gozo, subject to the relevant conditions and ceilings.
Read the scheme conditionsFor qualifying small start-ups with a viable concept and commitment to expand. Eligible costs include payroll, assets, materials and specified services. This is finance to repay—not a grant with a different name.
Read the scheme conditionsFor qualifying sustainability investments. SGS–S covers loans of €10,000–€1 million; GCLS–S covers €1,000,001–€10 million. Apply through accredited intermediary banks. Their credit assessment and repayment obligations remain.
Read the scheme conditionsMDB’s older general SGS page lists a 31 December 2024 loan-inclusion deadline. This desk instead links to the sustainability products and their published scope; it does not relabel that old scheme as open.
Call 2 adds an AI component. It does not turn an AI label into an entitlement.
The minimum grant is €25,000. Base support intensity is 50% in Malta and 60% in Gozo, with conditional top-ups for qualifying investments. The project still needs eligible costs and its own financing contribution.
Read the funding guidanceThe additional AI threshold is separate from the conditional 10% AI intensity top-up. The latter is subject to MDIA’s one-year post-completion assessment and reporting. It is not correct to say the entire €107,000 is automatically paid one year later.
Official cut-offs include 16 and 30 October, 13 and 30 November, and 14 December 2026. Verify the live call and budget availability.
Check the live callA manufacturer replacing disconnected order, stock and production systems has a process to describe. “We would like to buy AI tools” does not yet explain the investment, adoption plan or result.
Our preparation framework: make the commercial case clear before asking a scheme to support it.
Identify the operation, bottleneck and intended outcome. Keep the funded project distinct from the company’s general ambitions.
List the proposed expenditure, quotes, own contribution and reimbursement timing. A tax credit cannot pay a supplier invoice today.
Verify eligibility, eligible-cost dates, procurement, any pre-approval requirement and the applicable scheme version. Keep an audit trail.
Review prior aid, related undertakings, cumulation and duplicate-cost risks. Plan implementation, reporting and retention—not just submission.
Cumulation must be checked project by project. De minimis rules generally refer to a €300,000 ceiling per single undertaking over any three-year period, but the applicable regime and scheme limits still need review.
Independent editorial guides, not official application instructions. Check the review date of each article.
The broader landscape of support, funding instruments and practical trade-offs.
Read the brief Investment structuresA separate regulated structuring question—not another grant application.
Read the brief Venture capitalUnderstand the fund structure before confusing public incentives with investor capital.
Read the brief Company foundationsBuild the operating foundation before designing an investment project around it.
Read the briefThis is a dated editorial snapshot. The relevant authority, current legislation and application checklist take precedence.
Current call, cut-offs and V2.0 documentation.
€10,000 ceiling and published October 2026 deadline.
Version 1.2 updated August 2026, exclusions and ceilings.
New rules and applications from January 2027.
Repayable instrument and published deadline.
Loan ranges, intermediary banks and inclusion deadline.
Single undertaking, three-year ceiling and cumulation rules.
For operating companies planning a specific Malta expansion, investment or transformation project.
Discuss the strategic fit, evidence and appropriate next step for a defined enterprise project. FreeMalta’s original account records Business Start support of €10,000 for Fierce & Tame Ltd; that experience is not government endorsement or a promise of the same result.
Short answers to common assumptions. Read the linked official guidance for your circumstances.
No. Business Start is a grant, Micro Invest is a tax credit, Start-up Finance is a repayable advance and MDB products support bank lending. Their effects on cash flow and repayment are different.
Malta Enterprise publishes the new 2026–2030 rules, with applications available from 1 January 2027. Do not confuse those rules with legacy claims for earlier cost years.
No. The additional eligible-AI threshold and the conditional 10% AI intensity top-up are distinct. The guidance links the latter top-up to a one-year post-completion assessment and reporting. Read the exact funding and payment conditions.
Do not assume so. Check cumulation, eligible-cost rules, prior aid and the applicable single-undertaking limits with each authority. A different scheme name does not make double funding lawful.
No. Published ceilings are not awards. Eligibility, eligible expenditure, support intensity, selection, available budget and compliance determine the actual result.
No. The enterprise enquiry is for a defined project-readiness discussion, not a promise of funding or a government application channel. Scheme administrators decide awards.
