The scheme is open to Micro, Small, Medium-sized and Small Mid-Cap Enterprises engaged in an economic activity, irrespective of their legal form.
The investments should be steered towards contributing to Malta’s Research and Development (R&I) landscape by fostering a culture for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the areas as identified in Malta’s Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3) 2021-2027.
The six Smart Specialisation Areas for which the R&I Feasibility Study Grant Application is open include the following:
Health and Well-being
Sustainable Use of Resources for Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation
Smart Manufacturing
Marine & Maritime Technology
Aviation and Aerospace
Future Digital Technologies
The eligible costs under this scheme shall be the costs of the feasibility studies.
The scheme shall be managed on a demand driven basis. The Measures and Support Division shall issue a public open call (rolling-call) for interested eligible Undertakings to submit their applications. Applications will be assessed and evaluated and eligible applications meeting the Gateway Criteria shall be awarded the grant. Grants shall be awarded on a first come-first served basis subject to budget availability.
What aid will be awarded?
The maximum grant value under this scheme is set at €100,000 per undertaking. The aid intensity is defined in the table below, where the percentage of eligible costs to be covered by the grant is determined by the size of the entity.
Size |
Aid intensity |
Micro & Small enterprise |
70% |
Medium-sized enterprise |
60% |
Small Mid-Caps |
50% |
In line with the above, the main factors determining whether an enterprise is an SME or a small Mid-Cap are:
- Staff headcount and;
- Either turnover or balance sheet total:
Enterprise category |
Staff headcount |
Turnover |
or |
Balance sheet total |
Small Mid-Caps |
< 500 |
≤ €100m | ≤ €86m | |
Medium-sized |
< 250 |
≤ €50m | ≤ €43m | |
Small |
< 500 |
≤ €10m | ≤ €10m | |
| Micro | < 10 | ≤ €2m | ≤ €2m |
Key Deadlines
This Scheme shall be administered through an open rolling call with the list of cut-off dates scheduled as follows:
- Wednesday, 31 July 2024 - noon
Friday, 30 August 2024 - noon
Monday, 30 September 2024 - noon
Thursday, 31 October 2024 - noon
Friday, 29 November 2024 - noon
Tuesday, 31 December 2024 - noon
How can we help?
With years of experience working with EU funding schemes, our team of professionals in advisory can help you develop solutions to face your challenges and operate more profitably, with the support of our international network. We can assist you in making value-adding decisions by identifying opportunities within your operations and carefully selecting the most suitable funding scheme available to you.
We will also support you throughout the application process. PwC can prepare and compile the content and collate the documentation required as part of the grant scheme application form.
Should you require any further information or have any queries on these schemes, or the support that we offer, including on entity eligibility, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for further guidance.
