At KSi Malta, we assist start-ups and SMEs in identifying support measures offered by Malta Enterprise and other institutions, be it in the form of financing through soft loans, reimbursement or tax credits, that can provide the necessary financial impetus and support. To this end, our services range from one-to-one consultancy on which measure best suits your operations, to reports analysing measures available for a particular sector, to application preparation and support; from start to finish.
Cross-industry measures available from Malta Enterprise, Malta’s Investment Promotion arm, include:
Investment Aid Tax Credits 2014 - 2020
Tax credit of up to 30% of qualifying expenditure for a given investment project.
Micro Invest
A tax credit equivalent to 45% of eligible expenditure. An additional bonus of 20% (that is a total of 65% tax credit) applies to undertakings operating from Gozo.
Skills development scheme
Addressing skill shortages and supporting training and re-skilling of employees with a tax credit of 50% to 70% of eligible expenditure.
Business Development and Continuity Scheme
Tax credits or cash grants of up to € 200,000 over a period of 3 fiscal years to undertakings that carry out a project aimed to expand their business operation and establish an operational base in Malta or to consolidate their current operations.
Micro Guarantee 2017 - 2020
A guarantee of up to 70% on loans required to finance business enhancement, growth and development.
Cooperate for Growth
Supports Maltese companies to explore new markets or introduce new services or products in an existing international market by providing a grant of circa €15,000.
Incentives and Measures - Business Enhance ERDF
The Business Enhance Grant Schemes, part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund 2014-2020, support enterprises when undertaking investment projects aimed at securing sustainable business growth, by becoming more competitive, innovative and become more resilient to market challenges. A list of Schemes available is presented hereunder.
NAME OF MEASURE | MAXIMUM GRANT IN € |
Start-up Investment Grant Scheme | 300,000 |
SME Growth Grant Scheme | 500,000 |
SME Diversification and Innovation Grant Scheme | 200,000 |
SME Internationalisation Grant Scheme | 10,000 |
e-Commerce Grant Scheme | 5,000 |
SME Consultancy Services Grant Scheme | 4,000 |
Research and Development Grants
NAME OF MEASURE | TYPE OF BENEFIT | ADMINISTERED BY |
R&D Feasibility Studies | This scheme seeks to support the preparation of R&D Feasibility Studies by allocating to researchers €50,000 per project capped at €5,000 per full-time employee. Eligible costs include researcher wages as well as costs of contractual research. Aid intensity varies from 50% to 70% depending on size of entity. | Malta Enterprise |
Research and Development 2014-2020 | Beneficiaries can benefit from €500,000 per annum per project covering wage costs, equipment, contractual research and consultancy fees for research activities involving acquisition of knowledge. | Malta Enterprise |
Grants supporting start-ups
NAME OF MEASURE | TYPE OF BENEFIT | AUTHORITY CONCERNED |
Takeoff Seed Fund Award | This award grants between €2,500 and €20,000 to 10-20 selected projects in order to be able to turn ideas into a commercial product. | Take-Off Incubator |
YouStartIT | Tech start-ups have the opportunity to validate, test and execute their business idea and develop a product in a 20-week period. Pre-seed investment of €30,000 is available. | MITA Innovation Hub |
FUSION | Supports R&I, researchers and technologists to turn their research ideas into market-ready products by supporting up to 75% of eligible costs. | MCST |
Seed Investment Scheme | Incentives in the form of tax credits (equivalent to 35% in investment) to individual investors resident or operating in Malta who invest in equity of Maltese start-ups or early stage companies. No capital gains tax if equity is disposed of. Up to €250,000 tax credit for equity of up to €750,000. | MIMCOL |
Business START | An initial grant of up to €10,000 and quarterly funding of up to €10,000 per quarter during their start-up period. The total funding may not exceed €25,000 per beneficiary. | Malta Enterprise |
Start-Up Finance 2017 - 2020 | Funding that does not exceed the nominal value of paid up share capital held by private parties or €200,000 (whichever is the lowest). The Corporation shall disburse the repayable assistance in a maximum of four (4) tranches. | Malta Enterprise |
Startup Advance | A maximum grant of €100,000, limited to €25,000 for any six months for start-ups. | Malta Enterprise |