Business ideas with EU funds: 9 activities with a programme open or announced now

A business idea can receive EU funds only if there is an officially open or announced call for that type of activity, in your region and for your category of company. As of 27 September 2026, this means in practice: production and services micro-enterprises in the North-East (grants of 100,000–300,000 €), SMEs buying green or digital equipment (SME Eco-Tech, up to 267,240 lei), small farms, floriculture and medicinal plants, freight transport with zero-emission vehicles, energy storage and deep-tech start-ups. Below you will find each idea with its programme, amount and deadline.

In brief

• Definition: a "fundable" business idea = an eligible activity + an open or announced call + an applicant that meets the conditions of the guide.
• North-East micro-enterprises: grant of 100,000–300,000 €, own contribution of at least 10%, submission from 28 September to 28 October 2026.
• SME Eco-Tech (nationwide): grant of up to 40%, at most 267,240 lei, plus a bank loan of at least 60%; registration open until 30 December 2026, 20:00.
• Small farms (DR-14): up to 50,000 €, maximum 85% of eligible costs, until 31 October 2026.
• Flowers and medicinal plants (DR-18): up to 100,000 €, until 31 October 2026.
• Battery storage: budget of 150 million €, maximum 69,000 €/MWh and 15 million € per undertaking, deadline 30 October 2026, 14:00.
• Electric trucks and other zero-emission vehicles: up to 18 million € per undertaking, submission until 16 November 2026.

How to check whether your idea has real funding

1. Define the activity by its CAEN code. The guides do not fund "ideas", but eligible CAEN codes. If the activity is not on the guide's list, the project is rejected from the outset.
2. Check the location of the investment. Regional programmes fund only investments in the region concerned (for example, North-East: Bacău, Botoșani, Iași, Neamț, Suceava, Vaslui).
3. Check your company's track record. Some calls require a completed fiscal year and a profit, while others accept newly established companies.
4. Calculate your own contribution and, where applicable, your capacity to take out a loan.
5. Compare the deadline with the preparation time. A serious business plan, quotes and permits usually take a few weeks.

You can do a first screening with the eligibility check.

Business ideas with a call open now

1. Production or services micro-enterprise in the North-East Region

Call 2 "Investments for the modernisation of micro-enterprises" (code PR/NE/2026/P1/RSO1.3/2/1) has 20.37 million € and awards grants between 100,000 and 300,000 €. It funds production premises, equipment and machinery, renewable energy, software and licences, marketing and digitalisation. The guide requires a registered office in the region, at least one full fiscal year and operating profit in the previous year, and the activity must be in the annex of eligible fields. The quality threshold is 70 points. Details on the programme page.

2. Workshop, production, trade or services investing in green or digital equipment

SME Eco-Tech, funded from the Swiss contribution, is aimed at micro-enterprises and SMEs in trade, services and production across the country. At least 40% of eligible costs must be green or digital equipment. Registration is done at sme-ecotech.gov.ro, on a first-come, first-served basis. See also the SME Eco-Tech sheet.

3. Small vegetable, livestock or other crop farm

DR-14 AFIR funds tangible and intangible investments in small holdings, up to 50,000 € per project. Natural persons are not eligible, so you need a PFA, II, IF or a company. Details on the DR-14 page.

4. Flowers, aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants

DR-18 awards up to 100,000 € per project: 85% for farms with an economic size between 2,000 and 11,999 € SO and 65% above that threshold. Farmers (again excluding natural persons), cooperatives and recognised producer groups can apply.

5. Road freight transport with electric trucks

On 14 September 2026 the Ministry of Transport opened five calls from the Modernisation Fund for zero-emission vehicles (road, rail, naval). The maximum aid is 18 million € per undertaking, with no more than 10 vehicles per applicant. Submission in MySMIS2021 runs until 16 November 2026. See the scheme sheet.

6. Stand-alone battery energy storage

Companies of any size, including newly established ones, with CAEN division 35 in their articles of association, can apply. New companies must have a paid-up share capital of at least 100,000 lei. The installation must have at least 1 MW and a ratio of at least 2:1 between MWh and MW. The aid intensity can reach 100% of eligible costs.

7. Deep-tech start-up with a market-ready product

The EIC Accelerator offers a grant of under 2.5 million € for activities at TRL 6–8, carried out within a maximum of 24 months. It can be complemented by an equity investment from the EIC Fund. The last deadline in 2026 for full applications is 4 November. Natural persons who are about to set up the company can also apply.

Ideas with an announced programme, but no open submission

8. Young farmer expanding their holding

For DR-12, AFIR published the final guide on 18 September 2026: up to 200,000 € per project, with an intensity of 80% for young farmers and 65% for other beneficiaries aged 45 or under. The submission period has not yet been announced.

9. New company of a Romanian returning from the diaspora

The Diaspora Invests at Home programme (100 million €, managed by BID) covers up to 60% of an investment loan, at most 200,000 €. It is aimed at companies up to 3 years old, majority-owned by Romanians who have lived abroad for at least 12 of the last 18 months. According to BID, applications will be submitted to partner banks once the implementation agreement is finalised. Check on bidromania.eu whether submission has started.

Calculation examples

• North-East: a project with eligible costs of 250,000 € requires an own contribution of at least 25,000 € (10%), and the grant can be at most 225,000 €.
• SME Eco-Tech: the minimum project value is 668,100 lei; at this value, 40% means a grant of 267,240 lei, and the loan must cover at least 400,860 lei. At 800,000 lei, 40% would be 320,000 lei, but the grant stops at the ceiling of 267,240 lei.
• DR-14: for a project with 58,000 € in eligible costs, 85% means 49,300 €, which is below the ceiling of 50,000 €.

Common mistakes and what the evaluators check

• An eligible CAEN code added in a hurry, without real activity or without being authorised at the investment location.
• Zero or negative operating profit in the year required by the guide (North-East).
• Co-financing or a loan without concrete proof of coverage.
• Prices without comparable quotes. Evaluators check the reasonableness of costs.
• Submitting on the last day: platforms get congested, and at SME Eco-Tech the order of registration matters.
• The de minimis ceiling (300,000 € over 3 years at the level of the single undertaking) exceeded without you knowing, because of linked companies.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation: start from what you already have (company, profit, region, land, licence), not from "what is funded". A company from Iași with a profit and an employee currently has the best window through the North-East call. A company from another region that wants equipment and can take out a loan is a fit for SME Eco-Tech. Small farmers have until 31 October, but the documents for the SO calculation and the land paperwork take time. For ideas without an open call (DR-12, diaspora), now is the time to prepare the business plan, so you can submit from the first week.

Frequently asked questions

Can I receive EU funds for a company established now?

Yes, but only in the programmes that accept new companies: battery storage (with capital of at least 100,000 lei), EIC Accelerator and, once it opens, Diaspora Invests at Home. The North-East call requires at least one full fiscal year, and the scheme for zero-emission vehicles is aimed at existing transport operators with a transport licence.

Is there funding now for a restaurant, salon or car service?

For micro-enterprises in the North-East, only if the activity is in the guide's annex of eligible fields. Check the CAEN code in the annex before any expenditure.

What does "in order of submission" mean at SME Eco-Tech?

Applications are processed as they are registered, until the budget is exhausted, without ranking by score.

Can I apply to several programmes at once?

Yes, provided the projects are different and do not fund the same costs twice. The total de minimis aid cannot exceed 300,000 € over 3 years.

Official sources

• ADR North-East – Modernisation of micro-enterprises, Call 2
• Ministry of Economy – SME Eco-Tech, extended until 30 December 2026
• AFIR – DR-14 and DR-18 call windows
• AFIR – DR-14 details and annexes
• AFIR – DR-18 details and annexes
• AFIR – DR-12 details and annexes
• Ministry of Transport – Modernisation Fund press releases
• Ministry of Transport – State aid scheme 3, zero-emission vehicles
• Ministry of Energy – Announcement of stand-alone storage call
• European Innovation Council – EIC Accelerator
• BID – Diaspora Invests at Home Programme

Information checked on 27 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.