The Access to Finance: Soft Loan is a financial instrument designed to support undertakings engaged in a manufacturing or service activity, accelerate their plans in establishing new products or entering a new geographic market, addressing environmental concerns and digitise processes.
Support Measures and Other Services
In order to help our clients further improve their competitive edge, Malta Enterprise has developed various incentives for the promotion and expansion of industry and the development of innovative enterprises.
Malta Enterprise provides incentives for enterprises demonstrating commitment towards growth, an increase in value added and employment. Enterprises engaged in manufacturing, ICT development activities, call centers, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, aviation and maritime services, education and training, logistics and more may benefit from these incentives.
Application for the allocation of industrial spaces larger than 300 sqm
Application for Industrial Space for Small Business Activities
This measure facilitates value added projects, including new business initiatives, expansions and transformation activities that shall contribute to the regional development of Malta.
The scope of the scheme is to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to realign their business activity, restructure their employees, product and / or service portfolio, optimise the use of technology and embrace green technology and practices.
Business START offers seed and growth funding for small start-ups. Start-ups undertakings that are still in their early development phase may receive an initial grant of up to ten thousand euro (€10,000) to help them develop their business proposal and undergo a Feasibility Study that will help them determine the frasibility of their business idea. Start-ups that present a viable business plan may receive additional support linked to full time employment which may reach up to twenty thousand euro (€20,000) per quarter up to a maximum of €200,000.
EUREKA supports the development of rapidly marketable innovative products, processes and services that help improve the daily life of everyday people.
Participation in Network projects, European Partnership on Innovative SMEs / Eurostars and Innowwide, Clusters amongst other EUREKA instruments raises participants’ international profiles through EUREKA label award, facilitates access to finance for companies involved, offers high degree of flexibility and bottom-up approach to project generation with greater chance of project proposal success.
Through this measure, Malta Enterprise aims to support businesses carrying out feasibility studies to determine the technical and commercial challenges and carrying out preliminary activities that will enable businesses to make more knowledgeable decisions in the development of the intended research and development project.
People with disabilities continue to face extensive challenges and a wide range of barriers in their place of work. However, today’s technological developments contribute significantly towards inclusion and reduce certain barriers in the field of employment.
The purpose of the incentive is to assist and facilitate family businesses to transfer their business from one generation to the next by providing benefits including governance and fiscal benefits for the better management and organisation within the family and the business.
The Family Businesses Grant shall support family businesses to address transitionary issues by facilitating access to advisory and mediation services. The maximum grant that can be awarded under these guidelines is capped at €15,000 per family business in any rolling three (3) year period.
GET QUALIFIED is an initiative that supports the personal development of individuals for the achievement of qualifications and certifications required by industry. The incentive is applicable to individuals following a course of studies leading to a certification, diploma, degree or post-graduate degree courses.
This scheme supports manufacturing undertakings operating from Gozo by reducing their inter-island transport costs.
Innovate aims to facilitate the creation of Business Research Partnership betwee SMEs and Research Knowledge-Dissemination Organisations to carry out projects leading to product, process and organisational innovation.
Invest aims to sustain the regional industrial and economic development of Malta by facilitating initial investments through the setting up of new establishments, expansion of existing facilities and diversification of existing businesses. Support may be awarded through loan guarantees, interest rate subsidies, cash grants and tax credits. The support is aimed at facilitating access to funding and accelerating the return on investment.
Malta Enterprise Corporation in collaboration with the Energy and Water Agency shall be supporting undertakings in carrying out investments leading to improved energy-efficiency. The assistance is intended to facilitate investments in technological solutions that provide higher energy efficiency and contribute directly towards a reduction in the energy requirements of the beneficiaries.
The aid awarded through this measure shall be in the form of a cash grant or a tax credit (which can be utilised against tax payable by the beneficiary) or a combination of both.
Kick START supports Start-up undertakings (including spin-offs from established enterprises) in financing participation in accelerator programmes recognised by Malta Enterprise.
The scheme encourages undertakings (including Start-ups, family businesses and self-employed) to invest in their business, so as to innovate, expand and develop their operations. Undertakings benefitting from this measure will be supported through a tax credit calculated as a percentage of eligible expenditure, which also covers increased in wage costs.
The Patent Box Deduction Rules, 2019 establishes a fiscal regime for income arising from patents, similar intellectual property (IP) Rights and copyrighted software. The rules additionally provide that small companies may utilise the patent box rules on income from any intellectual property based on an invention that could be patented.
This measure facilitates employment of non-residents in roles which are currently not addressed by the local labour market by temporarily easing the tax expenses incurred by such individuals through a fiscal incentive. Potential beneficiaries may contact Business 1st on 144 for guidance and information about this measure.
This scheme supports undertakings that require industrial space as a temporary, or permanent, solution to support their business activity. The scheme is applicable to businesses engaged in Manufacturing, Maintenance and Repairs of Motor Vehicles, Repair of Machinery & Equipment and other industrial activities related to these sectors.
These guidelines provide a framework for individuals seeking a determination of eligibility for the option provided by S.L Repatriation of Persons Established in a Field of Excellence Rules, as Subsidiary Legislation to the Income Tax Act (CAP. 123) of the Laws of Malta.
The aim of this incentive is to assist Industrial Research and Experimental Development activities required by industry for the acquisition of knowledge leading to the development of innovative products and solutions. The measure also encourages cooperation between undertakings by providing additional assistance for Industrial Research and/or Experimental Development projects.
The Smart and Sustainable Investment Grant provides business funding to support the undertaking of investments that lead to more sustainable processes leading to the enhancement of competitiveness of the enterprise through the optimisation of the use of resources in their activities.
The aim of this measure is to support Small Start-up Undertakings that demonstrate a viable business concept and that exhibit commitment to expand and further develop their economic activity. Malta Enterprise may provide support up to €400,000.
The impacts of construction activities on environment are various. This measure aims to support investments that reduce the negative impact of construction activities by facilitating the reduction in volume of construction waste, control of dust emission and replacement of equipment. This measure is open to businesses engaged in construction activities, including the processing and disposal of
In the budget speech for 2018, a measure was announced which provides for a tax benefit to individuals who were not yet forty years of age on the date of the commencement of the course, and who graduate with a PhD, Masters Degree or Postgraduate Diploma (minimum 60 credits) (MQF level 8 or 7).