Development Grant

Development Grant

Provides research teams and institutions for Development Grant in hardware, materials science, and biotechnology.

The Development Grant (Arendustoetus) is a rolling R&D collaboration grant administered by Estonia's Ettevõtluse ja Innovatsiooni Sihtasutus (EIS, formerly Enterprise Estonia) for Estonian small and medium-sized enterprises. The programme awards up to €35,000 per project at a 70% support rate, meaning the applicant covers 30% of eligible costs. It funds engagement of external R&D partners — research institutions, accredited laboratories, and engineering service firms — for prototype manufacturing, technology testing, feasibility studies, and intellectual property or patent consultancy. In-house R&D costs are not eligible; the grant specifically subsidises the cost of engaging qualified external providers.

Only registered Estonian for-profit SMEs qualify; universities, research organisations, nonprofits, and individuals are excluded. The programme operates as a continuous rolling window with no fixed deadline. EU de minimis state-aid rules apply: the €35,000 grant counts toward a €300,000 ceiling on total state aid received by one company over any rolling three-year period. Applicants are subject to a hard limit of two applications in total across the lifetime of the programme.

Applications are submitted in Estonian only through the E-toetus portal (etoetus.rtk.ee). Non-Estonian-speaking applicants require a local partner or advisor to complete the application. The external R&D partner must be an eligible service provider under EIS definitions. Applicants should confirm remaining de minimis headroom and available programme budget before investing time in proposal preparation, as both caps constrain access independently.