Sprint Grant for small companies seeking rapid international growth

Application Period

Fixed-term call from 2 March to 31 August 2026. Business Finland processes applications and makes decisions continuously while the call is open. This call is organized to pilot the funding service, and based on the experience obtained, the application period may be extended, or the call may be reopened later.

Target Group / Who Can Apply

The funding is targeted at Finnish small companies that are developing a new, innovative solution for international markets.

A small company refers to an enterprise defined by the EU as employing fewer than 50 people and having an annual turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 10 million. Note that if the company is not independent, its group relationships and ownership ties may affect its size classification.

Type and Amount of Funding

The funding is de minimis grant that does not need to be repaid. The maximum amount of funding is EUR 100,000. The funding covers 75% of the project’s approved total costs, which may therefore amount to a maximum of EUR 133,333.

An advance payment of 70% of the funding is paid if the recipient company is less than five years old and no companies older than five years belong to the same group. The remainder is paid to the company after the project has been completed, based on the actual eligible costs incurred and reported to Business Finland.

No advance payment is made to companies older than five years or to companies that belong to the same group as a company older than five years; in such cases, the entire funding is paid only after the project has been completed.

Total Amount of Funding Available under the Call

The funding available for the call varies annually and depends on the size of other calls using the same budget authorisation.

Additional Information

By registering to the My Business Finland service and providing basic company information, innovative companies seeking international growth can discuss their business plans with an expert and assess the suitability of the Sprint Grant and other Business Finland funding services for their current needs.

In the discussion, the company’s situation, goals and the suitability of the funding call are reviewed. Based on this sparring and feedback, the company may then proceed to submit a funding application in Business Finland’s funding e-service.

Description of the Call

The Sprint Grant is intended for projects by companies seeking international growth and developing a new innovative solution. The funding is intended for the early development phase to determine the solution’s technical feasibility, customer need, and market potential before larger R&D investments. The solution must have significant international competitive advantage and market potential as well as the conditions for rapid, scalable growth.

The aim of the funding is to encourage promising companies to undertake bold and impactful development projects, help them demonstrate the solution’s feasibility and business potential, and support their readiness to raise private investment and implement larger R&D projects.

The funding is also suitable for companies already in operation that are seeking a fundamental business pivot by developing a new innovation clearly different from their earlier offering. The Sprint Grant does not fund the further development of an existing solution or expanding it to a new customer segment.

The funding is discretionary. First, it is assessed whether the basic eligibility criteria are met or whether any obstacles prevent funding. After this, the application is evaluated based on the evaluation criteria described below.

Intended use of the funding

The funding must be used for a project whose content consists primarily of research and development (R&D) activities. Based on the project plan, at least two thirds of the project costs must be R&D measures. R&D activities may include, for example:

• development of the solution and research required for it
• implementation of a prototype or MVP version and verification of technical feasibility
• piloting the solution with customers and gathering feedback for further development
• preparing research and development plans for further development of the solution
• studies, plans and initial applications related to intellectual property rights

Research and development activities are defined in section 2 of the Finnish R&D Decree 1444/2014.

In addition to R&D, the project must include measures related to market assessment and business planning, which are not counted as R&D activities. These may include, for example:

• testing customer demand for the solution
• market studies, competitive analysis, and market validation
• developing leadership, operating models, and organisation to support international growth
• exploring and planning follow on financing, and preparing an investment round

Funding cannot be used for:

• company’s operational activities, sales or marketing
• production investments
• drafting commercial contracts
• staff training
• measures prohibited under the de minimis regulation, such as export volume support or costs related to establishing or maintaining distribution networks

Eligible Costs

The following costs may be approved for the project:

• Salaries
  • • The portion of total working-time salary allocated to the project can be accepted based on time tracking.
    • For individuals owning more than 10 % of the company, a maximum salary of EUR 4,000/month may be accepted, from which the project share may be allocated.
• Indirect Personnel Costs
  • • Indirect personnel costs are accepted at 30 % of salaries.
• Purchases and Rentals
  • • Purchased expert services
    • Materials and supplies
    • Equipment rentals (including SaaS and cloud services)
• Other Costs
  • • Other costs are accepted at 10 % of the sum of salaries, purchases and rental services. These do not need to be itemised.
    • Other costs include general, travel and freight costs, space rentals, and equipment purchases and depreciation.

Only work and purchases for which a written contract or order has been made after submitting the funding application may be accepted. A binding agreement must not be made before submission.

The project may include purchases from companies belonging to the same group, but not from companies with an interest relationship. Read more about purchases from an associated company

The funding recipient must comply with the Act on Public Procurement and Concession Contracts (1397/2016). The procurement must be tendered as a public procurement procedure when its total value excluding VAT is at least EUR 60,000.

Read more about the eligible costs in the funding terms (pdf)

Eligibility Requirements for Funding

The following requirements must be met when applying for funding:

• The applicant must be a limited liability company operating in Finland and holding a Finnish Business ID.
• The applicant must qualify as a small or micro‑enterprise (fewer than 50 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of less than EUR 10 million).
• The applicant must have sufficient cash resources to carry out the project and to pay other costs arising during the project period:
  • • The minimum requirement to carry out a full-size project is EUR 67,000 for companies under 5 years old that receive an advance payment, and EUR 134,000 for other companies
    • In addition to the minimum requirement, the applicant must have sufficient cash resources to cover other expenses during the project period.
• The applicant must have an equity investment of at least EUR 50,000 in the balance sheet, paid to the company in cash. Previously received investments are also considered, even if already used. Acceptable forms of equity financing include, for example:
  • • investments in share capital or in the invested unrestricted equity fund (SVOP)
    • capital loans in accordance with Chapter 12 of the Limited Liability Companies Act
• The applicant must have sufficient human resources to implement the project.
• The minimum requirement is a committed team of 2 people working in Finland. The working contribution of one of these persons may consist of part‑time work carried out by several individuals.
• The entrepreneur's own work may also be considered as part of the human resources, even if the entrepreneur does not draw a salary from the company and no salary costs are reported as project expenses.

The above‑mentioned requirements must already be met at the time of applying for funding. When assessing equity financing and the sufficiency of cash resources, investments agreed between the applicant and an investor may also be taken into account, provided that a signed investment commitment or term sheet from the investor is attached to the application.

Obstacles to Granting Funding

General obstacles to granting and paying funding

Other obstacles to granting funding include:

• The applicant is a company under 5 years old and has previously received one of the following Business Finland funding instruments: Sprint, Tempo (or equivalent funding for business incubator participation, e.g. ESA-BIC), R&D Funding, Young Innovative Companies, or Deep Tech Accelerator.
• The applicant, a company belonging to the same group, or another company has previously received any of the above-mentioned funding for the development or commercialisation of the same solution.
• The applicant exceeds the de minimis limit. De minimis aid granted to companies within the same group or under the same control is counted together (Information about de minimis aid).
• The applicant is a company in difficulty according to the EU definition. The definition of a company in difficulty is presented on the page Funding Obstacles.
• The project relates to a sector for which de minimis–based funding cannot be granted (primary production in agriculture, fisheries, and aquaculture).
• The applicant is a private entrepreneur, sole trader, general partnership, limited partnership, cooperative, public or non-profit organisation, foundation, or association.
• The applicant is a company registered in Åland that does not have a fixed establishment and operations in mainland Finland.

The above-mentioned obstacles to granting funding are assessed according to the situation at the time of submitting the funding application. Funding will not be granted if one of the obstacles is met at the time of submitting the funding application.

Evaluation Criteria for Granting Funding

The evaluation criteria are applied if the eligibility requirements for funding are met and no obstacles prevent funding:

• Innovativeness and Competitive Advantage of the Solution
  • • The solution to be developed is new, innovative, and concrete.
    • The solution has credible competitive advantage in international markets.
    • The applicant has identified the customer segment and customer need for the solution and defined its preliminary revenue model.
    • The applicant has sufficient intellectual property rights for commercialising the solution and a plan for protecting them.
• International Market Potential
  • • The solution has significant international business potential.
    • The applicant has a realistic understanding of market size and the requirements for entering the market.
• Project Plan
  • • The project plan is sufficiently clear and detailed for making a funding decision and for monitoring the project.
    • The project plan, resources, and schedule are credible and appropriate.
    • At least two‑thirds of the project costs are allocated to R&D activities.
    • The project has clearly defined, measurable objectives on the basis of which project success can be evaluated.
• Project Impact and Continuation Plan
  • • The applicant has a realistic plan for R&D activities to further develop the solution after the project.
    • The project generates new knowledge necessary to refine and implement the continuation plan.
• Team Competence and Commitment
  • • The team has diverse, broad, and complementary expertise and experience related to the solution’s technology, industry, and international business.
    • The applicant has a clear understanding of skill needs and a plan for strengthening the team.
    • The company’s founders, investors, board, and team are credibly committed to the solution and to international growth.
• Financial Resources and Follow‑on Funding Plan
  • • The applicant has sufficient financial resources to implement the project.
    • The applicant has a credible follow‑on funding plan for further development and commercialisation of the solution.
    • The company has realistic prerequisites for raising private investment.

For companies older than 5 years, the credibility and significance of the business pivot are also assessed:

• The new solution and business are based on a new innovation and differ clearly from the previous offering. The Sprint Grant does not fund the further development of an existing solution or its application to a new customer segment or use case.
• The company and its owners are committed to the business pivot and to the investments required if the project succeeds and its objectives are achieved.
• The company has sufficient evidence, resources, and competence to develop and commercialise the new solution.

Standard Terms of Funding

The funding terms (pdf)

Instructions for Applying for Funding

First register to the My Business Finland service and provide basic company information in order to discuss with our advisor.

My Business Finland

The application is submitted via the online service of Business Finland (Innovation Funding Agency Business Finland). Business Finland may accept costs only from the date on which it has received all the information required for a compliant application, including the attachments listed below.

Attach the following documents to the application:

• Project plan (docx)
• Shareholder register. If the applicant is a subsidiary, also the parent company’s shareholder register
• Income statement and balance sheet no older than 2 months
• Business plan, pitch deck or equivalent

The application template can be created only by a person listed in the Trade Register as an authorised representative of the company with the right to represent the company alone, or by a person who has been granted Suomi.fi authorisation. Go to the Suomi.fi authorisations page, where you can grant or request the authorisation "Applying for corporate funding".

Applications must be submitted to Business Finland no later than Monday, 31 August 2026 at 23:59. Through the funding e-service, you can also follow the processing status of your application.

Funding e-service