Starting or taking over a business in one of the 27 EU countries? Our catalog references more than 3,000 public support schemes — direct subsidies, honor loans, social exemptions, structured mentoring, sector-specific calls — sourced from official national and EU databases. This guide helps you identify the right categories, understand the funding levels and quickly access flagship schemes before running a personalized simulation.
EU public grants for business creation fall into five main families. Understanding this typology is the first step to ensure you don't miss several thousand euros in funding.
Non-repayable funds from regions, states or the EU (ERDF, ESF+, Horizon Europe). Strict conditions but amounts can reach hundreds of thousands of euros.
Initiative France, Réseau Entreprendre, BPI in France; KfW StartGeld in Germany; ENISA in Spain; Invitalia Resto al Sud in Italy. Unsecured zero-interest loans to strengthen equity.
ACRE in France (12-month URSSAF exemption), Gründungszuschuss in Germany, tarifa plana in Spain, R&D tax credits, Young Innovative Company status. Reduces startup costs.
NACRE in France, chamber programs (CCI/CMA equivalents) and European peers, public incubators, institutional mentoring. Often free or subsidized.
Innovation (French Tech, EXIST, NEOTEC), green transition, social economy, female entrepreneurship (Smart Start Fund Ireland), digital. Selective but high financial leverage.
An entrepreneurial project can stack grants at four administrative levels. The simulator cross-references them automatically to suggest optimized combinations.
Horizon Europe (R&D), COSME (SMEs), ERDF (regional), ESF+ (employment), European Innovation Council (EIC Accelerator).
Schemes managed by states or their agencies (BPI France, France Travail, URSSAF, KfW, Spanish ICO, Italian Invitalia, Portuguese IAPMEI).
Subsidies from French Régions, German Länder, Spanish Comunidades Autónomas, Italian Regioni, Polish voïvodies. Often sector-targeted.
Municipal, metropolitan and intermunicipal aids (third-place creation, subsidized premises, temporary CFE exemptions).
Each EU country has its flagship schemes. Our catalog references them with their criteria, average amounts and links to official forms.
Partial or full exemption of social contributions for 12 months for eligible founders/buyers.
60% capital payment of remaining unemployment benefits for unemployed founders.
Bundesagentur für Arbeit subsidy for unemployed founders (up to 15 months).
Foundation grant for innovative projects from academic environments (BMWK).
ENISA participatory loan up to €75,000 for entrepreneurs under 40.
Aid for founders in Southern Italy: 50% grant + 50% zero-interest loan.
Enterprise Ireland grant up to €250,000 for high-potential startups.
Blended financing (grant + equity) up to €17.5M for innovative deeptech.
All 27 EU member states plus EU-level programs (ERDF, ESF+, Horizon Europe, COSME, InvestEU) are covered, with daily refresh for France via the data.gouv.fr (DGE) feed.
Catalog verified 2026-06-16, daily refresh for France via data.gouv.fr (DGE).
Three common approaches to identify your grants. Here are the strengths and limits of each.
| Criterion | Manual research | Accountant | ChatGPT / Conversational AI | BoostPro IA — Simulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catalog coverage | 5-10 grants | 30-80 grants | 3-5 generic grants | more than 3,000 |
| Amount reliability | ★★ | ★★★★ | ★★ (approximate) | ★★★★★ |
| Profile personalization | — | ★★★ | ★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Cost | Free (time lost) | 200-500 € | Free | 99 € (refunded if 0 grants) |
Our catalog references more than 3,000 active public schemes across the 27 EU countries, aggregated from official national sources (BPI, URSSAF, Aides Territoires in France; KfW, BAFA, CDTI, Invitalia, IAPMEI, RVO elsewhere) and EU-level programs (ERDF, ESF+, Horizon Europe). The catalog is refreshed daily for France via the data.gouv.fr (DGE) feed.
A subsidy is a non-repayable fund granted under conditions (Horizon Europe, ERDF, regional subsidies). An honor loan is a zero-interest unsecured loan without personal guarantee (Initiative France, Réseau Entreprendre, BPI). Both can be stacked on the same project. Our simulator calculates eligible combinations for your profile.
No. Most schemes (ACRE, NACRE, regional subsidies, honor loans, EU funds) target all founders — employees, students or job seekers. Some aids specifically target the unemployed (ARCE, German Gründungszuschuss) but represent a minority of the catalog.
Yes in the vast majority of cases, except explicit non-stacking rules (e.g., ACRE FR + ARCE FR are not stackable in the same period). Our simulator automatically applies stacking rules to produce a realistic total amount, without double counting.
Very variable depending on the scheme: social exemptions (ACRE) immediate effect, honor loans 2-3 months (committee review), regional subsidies 3-6 months, EU funds 6-12 months (Horizon Europe can reach 15 months). The BoostPro IA report specifies the average timeline for each identified scheme.
ChatGPT does not have an updated grant database indexed by eligibility criteria. It can mention 3-5 generic schemes with approximate or sometimes invented amounts. BoostPro IA cross-references your profile with more than 3,000 schemes sourced from official databases and applies real eligibility criteria. Cost: €99 refunded if no significant aid is detected.
In 8 minutes, the simulator cross-references your profile against more than 3,000 schemes and produces a PDF report with eligible amounts, conditions and next steps. €99 incl. VAT fully refunded if no grant ≥ €1,500 is detected.
The simulator analyzes your profile (location, sector, company size, project) through a quick questionnaire. Our AI Nora automatically identifies all public grants you are eligible for: national subsidies, regional aid, European funds, tax exemptions and sector-specific programs. A detailed PDF report is generated with estimated amounts and steps to follow.
Yes, the EU grants simulator is entirely free: you get your results and a PDF recap with no payment and no credit card. The dossier-building service (pre-filled forms + documents) is optional, offered after the simulation and never mandatory — you can submit your applications yourself. The aid simulators for individuals (housing, automotive, training) are free as well.
The simulator covers all European public grants: direct subsidies, zero-interest loans, bank guarantees, tax credits, social charge exemptions, hiring aid, innovation aid (R&D tax credits), ERDF/ESF funds, regional aid and sector-specific programs. Over 3,000 programs are referenced in our database.
Yes, the simulator covers all 27 European Union countries. It integrates country-specific national aid, main regional aid and all European programs (ERDF, ESF, Horizon Europe, COSME, InvestEU). Results are adapted to your country of residence and exact location.
The questionnaire takes about 5 to 10 minutes. Preliminary results (list of identified grants) are displayed immediately. The complete PDF report with detailed analysis is generated within minutes after payment validation, if applicable.
Yes, in most EU countries startup tax exemptions (such as ACRE in France, Gründungszuschuss in Germany, tarifa plana in Spain) and honor loans (BPI France Création, KfW StartGeld, ENISA in Spain, Invitalia Resto al Sud in Italy) are independent and cumulable. The exemption reduces social charges in the first 12 months; the honor loan provides interest-free capital that counts as personal contribution for the bank. Typical leverage: €1 of honor loan unlocks €7-10 in complementary bank financing. The BoostPro AI simulator detects both schemes and indicates the optimal chronological order to avoid losing one aid by applying for another too early or too late.
These three categories target different needs. (1) Tax exemptions on social charges (ACRE in France, similar schemes in DE/ES/IT) cut your contributions for 12 months when transitioning to self-employment. (2) Unemployment-to-business aids (ARCE in France, Gründungszuschuss in Germany, capitalización del paro in Spain, NASpI in Italy) let unemployed founders convert their remaining benefits into upfront startup capital. (3) Honor loans are zero-interest loans for the founder (not the company), accorded by national networks (Initiative France, KfW, ENISA, Invitalia, AEB in Greece). All three are combinable in most EU countries — the BoostPro AI simulator detects your eligibility for each and clarifies application steps.
Legal structure conditions grant eligibility. Sole traders / freelancers benefit from simplified schemes: startup tax exemption (ACRE/Gründungszuschuss), unemployment-to-business aid (ARCE/NASpI), regional aids with low ceilings, and flat-rate social charge regimes (micro-entreprise FR, Kleinunternehmer DE, autónomo ES). Limited companies (SAS, GmbH, SL, Srl) unlock additional doors: larger honor loans, regional venture capital co-financing, Innovation Tax Credits (CIR FR, F&E-Zulage DE, deducción I+D+i ES), Young Innovative Company status (JEI FR, JEI/JEC IT), and grants reserved for commercial companies. SAS/GmbH/SL pay corporate tax but allow dividend optimization; sole traders pay flat-rate but cannot deduct charges. The BoostPro AI simulator cross-references status × sector × location for precise eligibility.
Honor loans are zero-interest loans without personal collateral, granted to the founder rather than the company. Main EU networks: BPI France Création and Initiative France (France, 220 local platforms), KfW StartGeld (Germany), ENISA Empresas Jóvenes (Spain), Invitalia Resto al Sud (Italy), Microcredit Foundation (Hungary), Estonian Development Fund. Process: (1) book a meeting with the local platform nearest your business location, (2) build a dossier with business plan + financial forecast + legal status, (3) present at the validation committee that approves or rejects, (4) sign the agreement and release funds. Amounts: €3,000 to €50,000 depending on network and profile. Average delay: 6 to 12 weeks. The honor loan counts as personal contribution for the bank, multiplying borrowing capacity.
Several schemes specifically target women-led startups. France: Garantie ÉGALITÉ Femmes (France Active, covers up to 80% of a bank loan under €50,000), honor loan tracks dedicated to women (Wilco, Force Femmes, Les Premières incubator network), Femmes Business Angels. Germany: EXIST-Women, Frauen unternehmen network. Spain: ENISA Línea Mujeres Empresarias, Programa Mujer Empresaria. Italy: Imprenditoria Femminile (Invitalia, up to €80,000 grant + €120,000 loan). EU-level: WEgate platform of the European Commission, EIF Women in Entrepreneurship fund, FEDER women-targeted regional programs. See our dedicated page /aides-femmes-entrepreneures for the full FR breakdown.
Delays vary significantly by scheme. Startup tax exemptions (ACRE/Gründungszuschuss): nearly automatic, tacit approval within 30 days of business registration. Honor loans: 6 to 12 weeks (dossier preparation + validation committee + signature). Regional subsidies: 2 to 6 months depending on the Regional Council / Land / Comunidad Autónoma. EU FEDER funds: 6 to 18 months (project calls with submission deadlines). R&D tax credits (CIR/CII/F&E-Zulage): annual via tax declaration, with possible post-control. The BoostPro AI simulator provides the recommended chronological order to avoid losing a grant by applying for another too early or too late.
Most startup grants are combinable, but with precise stacking rules. General principles: (1) de minimis aids (subsidies capped at €300,000 per company over 3 rolling years) share a common European ceiling per beneficiary; (2) certain schemes are mutually exclusive (e.g. capital payment of unemployment vs. monthly maintenance of unemployment benefits); (3) EU funds often exclude co-financing by other EU funds (anti double-funding rule). However, startup tax exemption + honor loan + regional subsidy + R&D tax credit are combinable without issue in most EU countries. The BoostPro AI simulator automatically detects incompatibilities and proposes the combination maximizing the total amount, not just the count of aids.
Yes, in addition to the eligibility analysis, BoostPro AI will soon offer a complete file preparation service: pre-filled forms, listed supporting documents, and a ZIP export ready to submit. This service will be available soon as an option.