Regional development funding
Our primary target group is small and medium-sized enterprises and entrepreneurs in areas eligible for regional aid.
Loan and grant schemes in rural areas include
- Startup grant
- investment grants and development grants for individual businesses and entrepreneurs
- innovation loans, including subordinated loans, promissory note loans and secured loans
Startup grant
The grant reduces early-stage risk and supports activities that develop and realise new business ideas in rural areas. Priorities may vary between counties, but all projects must contribute to value creation, employment, innovation and restructuring.
Business development grants
The grant supports the further development of established businesses, rather than physical investments in machinery or facilities. Your project must develop or improve a new product, process or service. We can consider a wide range of activities needed to successfully develop or implement new solutions as a basis for funding.
The project may include an initial strategy process and related competence building, development activities and testing. This also applies to implementing a new production process, organisational model or business model.
Investment grants
We can provide grants for investments related to setting up a new business, expanding the capacity of an existing business, diversifying production to include new products not previously produced, or fundamentally changing the production process of an existing business.
Innovation loans
You can use the loan to commercialise new solutions, strengthen working capital, restructure, develop, grow and expand internationally.
The loan offers the same features and terms as our innovation loans, but places greater emphasis on the project's regional benefits.
The county authorities draw up their own assignment letters, setting priorities for how funding is used in each county. This means that priority areas and the types of projects eligible for funding may vary between counties.
Eligible projects must meet the following criteria:
- Value creation
- Employment
- Innovation
- Transformation
We cannot support projects that started before you submitted your application.
We have notified ESA (the EFTA Surveillance Authority) of the scheme under the following articles of the General Block Exemption Regulation:
Business development grants
GBER Articles 18, 19, 22, 25, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31
Grants for investments:
GBER Art. 14, 17, 36, 38, 38a, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49 and 53.
Regional innovation loans:
GBER Art. 14, 17, 18, 19, 22, 25, 26, 26a, 29, 30, 31, 36, 36a, 36b, 38, 38a, 41, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 53 and 55
Financial guarantee for working capital credit:
GBER Art. 22
Read more about the individual articles on the page about state aid regulations.