PDDTJ start-up: €12 million in grants of €50,000–300,000 in Gorj, Hunedoara and Galați

On 8 October 2026 the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE) published for public consultation the applicant's guide and the draft order for a new de minimis aid scheme under the Sustainable Development and Just Transition Programme (PDDTJ): support for setting up start-ups in Gorj, Hunedoara and Galați counties, delivered through grant administrators. The total allocation is €17.15 million, of which at least 70% (around €12 million) goes to newly established companies as grants of €50,000–300,000, covering up to 100% of eligible costs. Comments can be submitted until 29 October 2026, and the call for grant administrators has not yet been launched.

In brief

• Programme: PDDTJ 2021-2027, action "Development of enterprises and entrepreneurship", component "Support for setting up enterprises (start-ups) through a grant administrator" (Priorities 1, 2 and 4)
• Authority: MIPE, the Managing Authority for PDDTJ
• Beneficiaries: grant administrators (universities, NGOs, chambers of commerce, employers' organisations, private entities with entrepreneurship experience, UATs only in partnership); final beneficiaries: start-ups in Gorj, Hunedoara and Galați
• Total budget: €17,150,000, of which at least €12,005,000 in de minimis grants: Gorj €3,500,000, Hunedoara €1,505,000, Galați €7,000,000
• Value per project / intensity: €50,000–300,000 per start-up, up to 100% of eligible costs; grant administrator projects of at least €2,000,000
• Submission period: public consultation 8–29 October 2026; the submission period for administrators has not yet been announced
• Status: guide and scheme under public consultation (subject to change)

How does the two-tier scheme work?

Entrepreneurs do not apply directly to MIPE. In the first stage, the managing authority selects grant administrators through a competitive call, for projects of at least €2 million each, capped at the county's allocation. In the second stage, the administrators run business plan competitions, and the winning plans receive de minimis grants, in descending order of scores.

The model is the same as the PDDTJ scheme for social enterprises in Gorj, Dolj and Hunedoara, for which MIPE published on 12 October 2026 the final lists of the administrators selected in Gorj and Dolj. The difference is that this scheme funds ordinary companies rather than social enterprises, and Galați, which was not included in the social enterprise scheme, has the largest allocation here.

The draft order estimates at least 150 supported start-ups: at least 40 in Gorj, 40 in Hunedoara and 70 in Galați. Of the total allocation, a maximum of 30% (around €5.1 million) covers the administrators' costs and expenses that fall outside the de minimis scheme.

Who can be a grant administrator?

Under Article 6 of the draft order, the following can apply:

• accredited higher education institutions headquartered in the target area;
• local or county administrative-territorial units (UATs), but only in partnership with other categories of applicants;
• NGOs with a role in supporting entrepreneurship;
• chambers of commerce and industry, employers' organisations, employers' federations and confederations, professional associations;
• private entities with experience in entrepreneurship;
• partnerships between any of the above entities; if the partnership brings together a public and a private entity, the leader can only be the public entity.

The applicant must have at least 3 years of experience in entrepreneurship and demonstrate the implementation of at least 2 similar entrepreneurship support projects in the last 5 years.

What does a start-up receive, and with what obligations?

The grant is between €50,000 and €300,000 per single undertaking, awarded as de minimis aid under Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, and therefore subject to the €300,000 ceiling over any 3-year period. The funding can cover 100% of eligible costs, but the own co-financing proposed in the business plan earns additional points. Payment is made in a maximum of 3 instalments, the first being no more than 50% of the total.

The company registers with the Trade Register after the business plan is selected, but no later than the first instalment, with its registered office in Gorj, Hunedoara or Galați. Eligible costs include construction, modernisation or extension works on premises, technological equipment, machinery, furniture and IT equipment, intangible assets (patents, licences, software), training for newly hired staff, consultancy (maximum 7%), design, certifications and advertising. Land and buildings, motor vehicles, fossil-fuel equipment, interest and operating costs are not eligible.

Main obligations: at least one full-time job per start-up in Gorj and Hunedoara, while in Galați an average jobs ratio is monitored at county level; at least 75% of the jobs created must be filled by people domiciled or resident in the target area; the business and the jobs must be maintained for at least 12 months after the final payment. Primary agricultural production, fishing and aquaculture, and activities related to exports to third countries are excluded.

What are the deadlines?

Comments on the guide and the draft order are sent to MIPE's headquarters or by e-mail (secretariat.dgpim@mfe.gov.ro) within 15 working days of publication, that is, by 29 October 2026. The scheme applies from the publication of the order in the Official Gazette until 31 August 2030, with payments to beneficiaries until 31 December 2030. The launch date of the call for grant administrators and the calendar of the business plan competitions have not yet been announced.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation depends on your position. If you represent a university, a chamber of commerce, an entrepreneurship NGO or a consultancy with similar projects to its name, now is the time to form your partnership and compile your 2 reference projects from the last 5 years; the €2 million threshold per project requires real capacity to manage a competition with dozens of business plans. City halls and county councils in the three counties can join only as partners, but combined with a private entity, they would take the leader role.

If you have a business idea in Gorj, Hunedoara or Galați, do not set up the company now: the scheme requires registration after the plan is selected. Instead, prepare the business plan, emphasising jobs for local people, investment in equipment, and no vehicles or fossil-fuel machinery. The common pitfall is the de minimis ceiling: if you have control links with other companies that have received de minimis aid, the €300,000 ceiling is calculated at the level of the single undertaking. You can quickly check your fit with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can an individual apply for the grant directly from MIPE?

No. Start-up grants are awarded exclusively through the grant administrators selected by MIPE, who run business plan competitions in Gorj, Hunedoara and Galați. Interested persons will apply to these administrators, once the call has been launched and their projects contracted.

How much can a start-up receive, and how much must it contribute?

The draft order provides for a grant of at least €50,000 and at most €300,000 per single undertaking, which can cover up to 100% of eligible costs. There is no mandatory co-financing, but the own contribution proposed in the business plan earns additional points at selection.

What are the allocations by county?

Of the €12,005,000 earmarked for de minimis grants, Gorj has €3,500,000, Hunedoara €1,505,000 and Galați €7,000,000. The estimated minimum number of start-ups is 40 in Gorj, 40 in Hunedoara and 70 in Galați.

When can projects be submitted?

For now, the documents are only under public consultation, until 29 October 2026. The submission period for grant administrators will be set by the final guide and the order published in the Official Gazette, and the competitions for entrepreneurs will follow once the administrators have been contracted.

What happens if the company closes before 12 months?

The beneficiary is obliged to continue the activity and maintain the jobs created for at least 12 months after the final payment. Failure to comply with the obligations in the grant contract leads to recovery of the de minimis aid, in line with the scheme's general rules.

Official sources

• MIPE – PDDTJ Guide "Support for setting up enterprises (start-ups) through a grant administrator", public consultation from 8 October 2026
• Draft order approving the de minimis aid scheme (start-ups through a grant administrator), PDDTJ 2021-2027
• MIPE – Managing Authority for the PDDTJ (announcements and lists)

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.