Support for business establishment and startups (GBER Article 22)
Purpose of the funding
Grants for newly established small, unlisted companies during the first five years after registration, provided that the company:
a) has not taken over the activities of another company,
b) has not yet paid dividends or group contributions, and
c) was not established through a merger.
Please note: Under Article 22 of the GBER, 'undertakings' are understood to mean groups of companies. This means that if you are part of a group, we will use the age of the group as the basis for assessment. For example, a 'spin-off' company within a group will not qualify for support under Article 22 of the GBER if the group is more than five years old.
Company size
Small businesses. For other businesses, startup funding must still be provided under the de minimis aid rules or, where applicable, other aid categories in the General Block Exemption Regulation under which the service has been notified.
Eligible costs
Grants can cover all types of costs except export-related costs.
However, we can support all export promotion activities that comply with the guidelines for SME support, including consultancy services and participation in trade fairs.
Forms of funding
Innovation loans
- 10-year term
- Loan amount: EUR 1 million, or up to EUR 1.5 million in areas covered by regional development policy. For loan terms between 5 and 10 years, you can multiply the amount by 10 divided by the loan term. For loan terms of less than 5 years, you can multiply the amount by 10/5, meaning the amount can be doubled.
Financial guarantees
- 10-year term
- financial guarantee amount: EUR 1.5 million, or up to EUR 2.25 million in areas covered by regional development policy. For terms between 5 and 10 years, you can multiply the amount by the ratio of 10 to the term of the financial guarantee. For terms of less than 5 years, you can multiply the amount by 10/5, meaning the amount can be doubled.
- The financial guarantee cannot cover more than 80% of the underlying loan or credit facility.
Grants
- Grant amount: EUR 400,000, or EUR 600,000 in designated regional aid areas.