This is a preliminary notice of a call opening on 15 December 2025
Target group/Who can apply
The funding targets Finnish SMEs and midcap-sized companies that manufacture foods, beverages, dietary supplements, novel foods, or pet foods (definitions of size categories). At least four domestic SME or midcap companies aiming at new markets must apply for Food Exhibition Explorer funding for the same foreign B-2-B trade fairs.
Type and amount of funding
The funding is a de minimis grant that the recipient does not have to repay. For an individual company’s trade fair project, funding of EUR 1.000–10.000 is granted. The funding covers 50% of the approved total costs of the trade fair participation, which can thus be at least EUR 2.000 and at most EUR 20.000. The funding is paid to the company after the trade fair participation based on the approved costs that have materialized and have been reported and accounted to Business Finland.
Total amount of funding to be awarded in the call
The total amount of funding to be awarded in the call is up to EUR 400.000 per year in 2026 and 2027.
Description of the call
The funding is intended for joint international trade fair projects by Finnish companies that manufacture food, beverages, dietary supplements, novel foods or pet foods, in which at least one of the following is fulfilled:
- improve the capabilities of companies beginning exports to internationalize into new markets, or
- promote the start of new export activities or the opening of a new market area, or
- promote the entry of existing products and new innovations into new markets.
With the funding, a group of companies manufacturing food, beverages, dietary supplements, novel foods or pet foods may participate in a significant business-to-business (B-2-B) trade fair event outside Finland within their industry. The funding is discretionary. First, it is assessed whether the general conditions for funding are met and whether any general obstacles prevent funding. The application is then evaluated in accordance with the assessment criteria.
Purpose of the funding
The funding is intended only for purchased service costs arising from trade fair participation and the exhibition stand.
Eligible purchased service costs arising from the exhibition stand:
- Registration, reservation and participation costs
- Floor area/space costs
- Design costs
- Stand installation/construction costs
- Decoration costs
- Technical orders, such as electricity and cleaning
- Rented structures
- Rented furniture
- Rented machines and equipment
- Other exhibition stand cost
Other costs:
Other trade fair-related costs may be accepted using a coefficient of up to 20% of the total amount of the above exhibition stand costs.
The calculated item for other costs may include, for example: travel and interpreter costs, costs of a possible consultant/administrator, all freight costs, and marketing costs related to the trade fair.
Read more about eligible costs in the funding terms (pdf)
General conditions for granting the funding
The following general conditions must be met at the time of application:
- The applicant must be a company with a Finnish Business ID and a permanent establishment in Mainland Finland, and the funding applied for must relate to business carried out in Mainland Finland.
In addition, for Food Exhibition Explorer funding, the following call-specific general conditions apply:
- The applicant must be a company that manufactures food, beverages, dietary supplements, novel foods or pet foods.
- The product to be presented at the fair must be an edible or drinkable product.
- The applicant must be an SME or a midcap company (definitions of size categories).
- At least four mutually independent domestic SMEs or midcap companies aiming at new markets must apply for Food Exhibition Explorer funding for the same fair.
- The applicant’s Rating Alfa by Suomen Asiakastieto Ltd must be at least A, based on financial statement data.
- The applicant must have at least one full financial year for which an approved financial statement has been filed with the Trade Register.
- The application with attachments must be submitted via Business Finland’s online service no later than the day before the official starting date of the fair, Finnish time. The official starting date of the fair is the starting date of the overall event, even if the overall event consists of several sub-events.
General obstacles to granting and paying funding
The items in the list that opens from the following link are obstacles to funding (with the exception of the item concerning a "company in difficulty"):
In addition to the above, funding is not granted if:
- The applicant’s de minimis quota is exceeded. De minimis aid granted to companies belonging to the same group or under common control is aggregated (information about de minimis aid).
- The project concerns a sector to which de minimis-type funding cannot be granted (primary production in agriculture, fishing, and aquaculture).
- The applicant is a sole trader, a public or non-profit organization, a foundation, an association, or an Åland company that does not have a fixed place of business and operations in mainland Finland.
- The applicant has an ongoing Business Finland's Young Innovative Company or DeepTech Accelerator project.
- The applicant receives other public support for the same trade fair participation.
- Participation in the trade fair takes place virtually.
- The requested funding is less than EUR 1.000.
- The target is a consumer event.
- The trade fair is held in Finland.
- The target is a side event that is not officially linked to the actual trade fair event.
Assessment criteria for granting the funding
The assessment criteria are applied if the general conditions are met and there are no general obstacles to funding:
- The applicant’s capabilities to conduct continuous, profitable export operations.
- How participation in the fair will promote the company’s export of new or existing products to a new market area (target country) or customer segment.
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- A market area or customer segment is considered new if the company does not yet have established export operations targeting it.
- Individual completed export deliveries are not considered established export operations.
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- Acceptable project content: Participation in a trade fair event abroad and the booth-related costs arising from participation.
- Suitability of the event for funding:
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- the fair must be a significant and company-relevant international B-2-B trade fair in the food sector.
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- Suitability of the project for funding. How the project:
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- improves the capabilities of companies beginning exports to internationalize into new markets, or
- promotes the start of new export activities or the opening of a new market area, or
- promotes the access of existing products and new innovations to new markets.
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Standard funding terms
Funding terms and conditions for the de minimis funding (pdf)
Instructions for applying for funding
The application must be submitted via the Innovation Funding Agency Business Finland's e-service.
The application template can be created only by a person responsible for the company registered in the Trade Register who has the right to represent the company alone, or by a person who has been granted a Suomi.fi authorization. Go to the Suomi.fi Authorizations page where you can grant or request the authorization matter "Applying for corporate financing". Read more
The application can be submitted as soon as the company has decided to participate in the trade fair and made an estimate of the costs of the services to be purchased.
Each company submits its own application in the e-service. The application must be carefully completed in all parts.
Applications are processed in chronological order of the trade fair events when at least four applications have been received relating to the same trade fair event.
You can follow the processing of the application via the e-service.