Estonia is lowering the minimum investment required to qualify for its large-scale investment support scheme from €100M to €70M, opening the programme to a wider group of industrial and technology projects. The EIS large-scale investment grant guidance sets out the amended rules.
Investment support thresholds fall
The scheme now sets the threshold for priority development projects at €35M. Defence-industry projects can qualify from €20M in eligible costs. Food manufacturing has also been added to the priority categories, alongside net-zero technologies, the decarbonisation of energy-intensive industries, critical raw-material processing, strategic digital technologies, deep technology and biotechnology.
The rules also reduce the jobs requirement. A qualifying project must now create at least 20 new jobs, down from 30. The measure is intended to make Estonia more competitive when companies choose locations for a factory, development centre or production line.
What the grant offers
Projects in Harju County may receive up to 10% of the investment value, while projects elsewhere in Estonia may receive up to 15%. The maximum grant remains €20M per project, and applicants must finance at least 85% themselves.
The programme is designed for investments that increase a company’s competitiveness, export capacity and added value. That gives international companies considering production, strategic technology or energy-intensive operations a route to assess an Estonian project against a defined incentive rather than a general tax promise.
Application process
The EIS guidance requires applicants to be registered in the Estonian Commercial Register and to meet the investment, jobs and ownership conditions. Applicants must complete a preliminary consultation and preliminary assessment before submitting through the E-toetus environment. The agency evaluates the project’s economic impact, the applicant’s ability to deliver it, the level of preparation, the value of the jobs created and whether the investment is implemented outside Harju County.
For investors assessing Estonia’s energy and industrial opportunities, the amended scheme lowers the entry point while keeping the largest awards focused on projects that add capacity, exports and higher-value employment. Projects combining new production capacity with technology development can also draw on Estonia’s industrial R&D opportunities.
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