Almi Verification Grant (Verifieringsbidrag)

Almi Verification Grant

Funds Swedish SMEs and early-stage founders verifying an innovative business idea through external analysis services.

Almi's Verification Grant (Swedish: Verifieringsbidrag) is a non-repayable de minimis state aid grant administered by Almi Företagspartner, Sweden's government-owned business development body. It sits inside Almi's broader financing platform alongside its loan products. The grant provides cash to buy third-party verification services that help founders test whether their business idea is viable before committing larger capital.

Companies can receive up to SEK 100,000 per award; private individuals intending to start a Swedish company can receive up to SEK 25,000. No co-financing is required — you do not need to match the grant with your own funds. The grant counts as de minimis state aid under EU rules: the total de minimis aid a company receives from all public sources over any rolling three-year period must not exceed EUR 300,000.

Eligible applicants are Swedish SMEs at any stage — both new and established companies — where the specific business idea is still in a development phase needing verification. Private individuals are also eligible if they hold a Swedish personal identity number, hold an account at a Swedish bank, and have a clear intention to start a business in Sweden. The grant is sector-agnostic. Eligible costs are limited to external services: market and customer analysis, competitive landscape research, FTO or novelty searches, simple MVP work, and legal or regulatory assessments. Travel, marketing, training, patent application fees, prototypes, and investments that create lasting value are all explicitly excluded.

The application process requires a mandatory initial conversation with an Almi regional advisor before submitting anything. Almi will not accept applications filed without this prior contact. After the advisor meeting, the applicant submits through Almi's e-service. Processing typically takes a few weeks once the application is complete. The program operates on a continuous rolling basis with no fixed application windows or annual deadlines.

Two constraints most likely to trip up applicants: (1) the EUR 300,000 de minimis cap is calculated at group level and covers all public aid received over the current year and the three preceding years — companies in groups with multiple public subsidies may exhaust the cap without realising it; (2) the SEK 100,000 company ceiling applies in most but not all cases — the exact amount is set in dialogue with the regional advisor and can be lower.