MVP Grants and Startup Funding in Europe, Country by Country

20 October 20267 min read

A euro banknote under a magnifying glass

Public money for building an MVP exists in most European countries, but it rarely looks like the free grant founders hope for. On the rules as published on 20 October 2026, it is usually a loan, an equity investment, or a grant for part of the cost (often 50% to 70%), paid after you spend, and often with conditions about who may do the work and where. A handful of schemes fit an MVP build well; many more are closed, aimed at research, or built for established companies.

This hub summarises what we found in each country and links to the full guide. Each guide sets out the schemes from their official sources and answers the question most guides skip: can the money pay an outside development team, or one in another country? This is orientation, not financial or legal advice.

At a glance

Country	Best realistic route for an MVP build	Type	Outside or foreign team?	Full guide
Ireland	Enterprise Ireland Pre-Seed Start Fund; LEO Feasibility and Priming grants	Convertible loan; partial grants	PSSF: overseas contractors explicitly allowed. LEO: outside teams allowed; some offices require VAT-registered suppliers	LEO grants, Enterprise Ireland
United Kingdom	Money raised under SEIS or EIS; a Start Up Loan up to £25,000	Equity with investor tax relief; personal loan	SEIS and EIS set no supplier-location rule; R&D relief excludes most overseas contractor costs	UK funding
Germany	KfW start-up loans; Länder grants such as Berlin's GründungsBONUS Plus; EXIST for research teams	Loans; partial grants	Berlin names IT development as eligible; Bavaria's BayTOU wants the work done substantially in Bavaria	Germany funding
Austria	aws Preseed (Innovative Solutions or Deep Tech); FFG Kleinprojekt	Grants for part of the cost	Third-party IT services eligible, but value creation must be mainly in Austria; Forschungsprämie needs an EU or EEA contractor	Austria funding
Netherlands	Vroegefasefinanciering (VFF); regional proof-of-concept loans	Loans	VFF silent; Innovatiekrediet caps outflow abroad at 50%; WBSO excludes outsourced work	Netherlands funding
Hungary	Hiventures early-stage fund; DIMOP Plusz digital startup fund	Equity	Money must be used at the Hungarian site; no supplier-location rule stated	Hungary funding
Spain	ENISA participative loans	Loan, matched by own funds	ENISA silent; Kit Digital (closed) only paid EU-based registered agents	Spain funding
France	Bourse French Tech (up to €30,000); prêts d'honneur	Grant for part of the cost; personal loans	BFT silent on location; CIR and JEI exclude non-EU subcontractors	France funding
Italy	Smart&Start Italia	Zero-interest loan, part grant in the South	Third-party software development eligible; turnkey contracts excluded	Italy funding
Portugal	None open for founders today			Portugal funding
Poland	PARP Platformy startowe (Eastern Poland)	Grants	External services eligible; competitive procedure above 80,000 zł	Poland funding
EU-wide	EIC Accelerator, only for validated deep tech	Grant and equity	Subcontracting allowed only where justified; some calls restrict countries	EU funding

If you were looking for Ireland's Trading Online Voucher for a website or online shop, it closed in December 2024; its replacement, Grow Digital, is explained here.

The honest summary

Few schemes pay for a simple MVP. In Portugal nothing aimed at founders is open today, in Hungary the open money is equity rather than grants, and in the Netherlands it is loans and tax reductions. EU-level programmes are built for deep tech that needs millions. If your product is a straightforward web or mobile app, expect to fund most of it yourself or from investors, and treat public money as a contribution rather than the plan.

The schemes that fit well have conditions. Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund and Italy's Smart&Start are the clearest fits we found, and both still expect you to put in money of your own and meet eligibility rules on company stage, location and innovation.

Partial grants pay after you spend. Ireland's LEO grants, Austria's aws Preseed and France's Bourse French Tech cover part of the cost, typically reimbursed against invoices. You need the cash to pay the developer first.

The rules that catch an outsourced build

Most founders who hire an outside team for their MVP run into one of these. Each is set out with its source on the country page.

Rule	Where we found it	What it means for you
Apply before you spend	Ireland LEO, France Bourse French Tech, Berlin GründungsBONUS Plus, KfW loans	Do not sign a development contract or pay a deposit before the application is in, or the cost may not count
Supplier must be in the EU or EEA	France CIR and JEI, Austria Forschungsprämie; the UK's R&D relief excludes most overseas work	A team invoicing from outside the EU, including ours from India, does not count for these tax incentives
Work or value creation must be in the country	Austria aws and FFG, Vienna, Bavaria BayTOU, Hungary's Hiventures and DIMOP funds	A mainly outsourced build may score lower or be ineligible; ask how the programme treats it
No turnkey contracts	Italy Smart&Start	A single fixed-price "deliver the whole product" contract may be excluded; structure the work as defined services
Supplier must be VAT-registered	LEO Dublin City	An invoice from outside the EU under the reverse charge carries no Irish VAT, so ask whether it is accepted
Several quotes above a threshold	Ireland (some LEOs), Austria FFG, Spain Neotec, Poland	Get comparable quotes early; a written scope makes them comparable
Outsourced R&D excluded	Netherlands WBSO	Only your own staff's hours count

Flowchart of five checks before grant money pays a development team: apply before you spend, then check whether the scheme requires an EU or EEA supplier, work done in the country, no turnkey contracts or a VAT-registered supplier. Failing any check means asking the programme in writing because you may not qualify; passing all five means likely fine, confirmed in writing.

None of these rules is about Easify specifically. We include them because a founder who learns them after signing a contract can lose the funding, and because it is better to know before you choose any supplier.

How to plan your MVP budget around funding

Read the scheme's eligible-cost and supplier rules first, then ask the programme in writing whether the team you have in mind qualifies. Our country pages name who to ask.
Get a written scope and a fixed price before you apply. Many applications ask for quotes or a project plan, and a vague estimate is hard to fund. Our €900 MVP Scoping Sprint produces a written scope, a fixed build price and a timeline in about two weeks, and the €900 is credited in full against the build if you build with us. No scheme requires or endorses our document; it is simply the kind of evidence that helps.
Time the contract after the application, for any scheme that requires it.
Plan the cash flow for partial grants paid in arrears.
Budget the whole build, not only the funded share. Most MVPs we build come to €5,000 to €25,000 over four to twelve weeks; the MVP cost calculator gives a rough range for your scope, and what an MVP costs in Europe compares it with local agency prices.

One of our clients in Ireland is using Local Enterprise Office support towards the MVP we are building with them now.

Where Easify fits, and where it may not

We are based in Budapest, with engineering in India, and we host client products in the EU. Invoices are in euros from our registered entity in India. That makes us a supplier outside the EU for tax purposes, which matters for the schemes in the table above that require an EU or EEA supplier or work done in the country. For those, we are the wrong choice, and we would rather say so now. For schemes that allow outside or overseas contractors, or that fund the company rather than specific suppliers (equity, most loans), the question does not arise.

If you are not sure which applies to you, ask the programme first, then talk to us about the build.

Scheme details checked against official sources on 20 October 2026. Schemes change; confirm with the programme before applying.

From Budapest, for teams in Europe

Applying for funding and need a written scope and a fixed price to put in it?

Many grant and loan applications ask for quotes and a project plan. Our €900 MVP Scoping Sprint gives you a written scope, a fixed build price and a timeline in about two weeks, credited in full if you build with us. Check your scheme's supplier rules first, and we reply within one business day.

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Frequently asked

Is there a grant that pays for my whole MVP?

Almost never. Across the countries we checked on 20 October 2026, public money for an early-stage build is usually a loan, an equity investment, or a grant covering part of the cost (often 50% to 70%), paid after you have spent the money. Plan to fund the rest yourself or from investors.

Which countries have the best public funding for an MVP build?

On the rules as published today: Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund (a €50,000 or €100,000 convertible loan that explicitly allows overseas contractors), Italy's Smart&Start Italia (a zero-interest loan for 80% to 90% of a plan, with third-party software development named as eligible), France's Bourse French Tech (up to €30,000), Spain's ENISA loans, Berlin's GründungsBONUS Plus (IT development named as eligible), and in the UK, money raised under SEIS or EIS. Each has conditions; read the country page before planning around it.

Can grant money pay a development agency in another country?

Sometimes. A few schemes say yes outright, such as Ireland's Pre-Seed Start Fund. Several R&D tax incentives say no for suppliers outside the EU or EEA, including France's CIR and JEI rules, Austria's Forschungsprämie and the UK's R&D relief for overseas work. Many grants simply do not say, which means you should ask the programme in writing before you sign a contract.

Do I have to apply before I spend the money?

For most grants, yes. Ireland's LEO grants, France's Bourse French Tech, Berlin's GründungsBONUS Plus and KfW loans all require the application before the project starts or before costs are committed. Signing a development contract first is one of the most common ways to lose eligibility.

What is the EU's own funding for startups?

The European Innovation Council Accelerator, Horizon Europe and loans or equity backed by InvestEU and the European Investment Fund through local banks and funds. None is designed for a simple MVP build; the EIC Accelerator suits validated deep tech that needs millions to scale.

How current is this information?

Every scheme fact on the country pages was checked against official sources on 20 October 2026. Calls open and close, especially in Hungary, Portugal and Spain, so confirm with the programme before you apply.

Can Easify help with a funding application?

We are a development team, not grant advisers, so we do not write applications. What we can provide is what many applications ask for: a written scope, a fixed price and a timeline. The MVP Scoping Sprint produces exactly that for €900, credited in full against the build if you build with us.