Innovation Norway Start-up Grants (Oppstartstilskudd)

Innovation Norway Startup Grant Phase 1 (Oppstartstilskudd 1)

Funds early-stage Norwegian startups for technology validation and initial market testing in a low-barrier way.

Innovation Norway's Oppstartstilskudd 1 (Startup Grant Phase 1) is a rolling early-stage grant providing up to NOK 150,000 to innovative Norwegian startups engaged in a demanding technology development path. The program's explicit purpose is to fund market-validation activities: specifically, determining whether a paying market exists for the business idea. Applications are accepted continuously, with a current processing time of approximately three to four weeks from submission to decision.

Eligibility is restricted to registered Norwegian for-profit companies. The business idea must carry significant market potential, both nationally and internationally. Nonprofits, universities, research organizations, and individuals are not eligible. The award operates under EU GBER state aid rules as applied through Norway's ESA registration, and any other public support received after an offer — including SkatteFunn tax credits — must be disclosed and may result in a reduction of the grant amount. No minimum company age, team size, or TRL threshold is specified on the programme page.

Because the program is rolling and decisions are issued within three to four weeks, applicants benefit from submitting as soon as they have a clearly scoped market-validation plan. Reviewers assess whether the technology path is genuinely demanding and whether the proposed activities will produce a definitive answer on market willingness to pay. Oppstartstilskudd 1 is the natural entry point before progressing to Oppstartstilskudd 2, which funds up to NOK 1,000,000 for technical and commercial clarification once initial market interest has been established.