How we help you start a business

Do you have a business idea, or have you recently started a business? Find out what support you can get during the startup phase.
Mennesker jobber alene eller sammen ved samme bord

Webinar for startups: From idea to market

Do you have an innovative business idea and are you considering applying for Startup grant 1? This free webinar explains what you need to have in place before applying and what makes a strong market validation project.

Read more about the webinar
View our upcoming webinar calendar
View the presentation: From idea to market

Tools

We guide you

You will receive guidance on where to apply for relevant support and which organisations can provide the right advisory services and expertise through Single point of entry – a digital gateway to support from public bodies and other relevant organisations in Norway.

This is not an application, but guidance to help you move your project forward.

We have a duty of confidentiality, and we will only use your answers to provide you with the best possible guidance. We will respond as soon as possible, and the form takes approximately 15–20 minutes to complete.

Get personalised recommendations‌
There are many business support organisations in Norway that can help you develop your idea or project. If you answer a few questions, you'll receive personalised recommendations within 1–2 days on the support and services available to you.

Who can apply for grants and loans?

Our funding schemes support different stages of the startup journey and are available to companies that:

  • are less than three years old (in exceptional cases, five years)
  • is incorporated as a limited company before submitting the application (sole proprietorships, general partnerships, partnerships with shared liability, etc. are not accepted)
  • is a genuine startup with the potential and ambition to grow
How we process applications

1. Insight

We familiarise ourselves with your company and the plans you have described in your application. In many cases, your customer advisor, who is your point of contact, will ask for more information. We may invite you to a meeting to present the project in more detail.

If your application falls outside our target group, we will reject it without requesting further information.

2. Assessment

Once we have sufficient information and documentation, we assess your project against our funding policy. We receive a large number of applications and have limited funds available.

At this stage, at least two of us, and often more, will always assess each application. Your advisor is responsible for summarising the assessment and recommending whether to reject or approve the application.

3. Decision

The recommendation is presented to a decision-maker, who ensures that the assessment and decision comply with our funding policy. Decisions may be made at regional or national level, depending on the size of the project.

Log in
Go to My page to start or continue your application.
Published 17 Feb 2026Last updated 5 Oct 2026
This page is translated with the assistance of AI