Development voucher grant 2026: up to €20,000 for developing new products and technologies
| Key grant indicators | Conditions |
|---|---|
| Grant up to | 20 000 € |
| Funding rate | Up to 90% of eligible costs |
| Self-financing | At least 10% when the maximum funding rate applies |
| Project duration | 4–18 months |
| Applicant | Eligible agricultural, forestry or processing businesses and certain associations |
| Innovation partner | Mandatory |
| Payment | Reimbursement of costs actually incurred and paid |
What is the purpose of the development voucher grant?
The development voucher grant is intended for businesses in agriculture, forestry and related processing industries that wish to develop or test new products, technologies and working methods.
The grant aims to increase business competitiveness and encourage the development of energy-efficient, resource-efficient and environmentally sustainable solutions.
The supported innovation project must address a practical problem faced by the business and develop a solution that is new to the applicant.
Cooperation with experts and research and development institutions is also important, enabling their knowledge and skills to be used in implementing the project.
Who is the development voucher grant intended for?
Businesses may apply if their principal activity in the previous financial year falls within the activities listed in the regulation.
The main eligible sectors are:
- Growing crops and perennial plants.
- Plant propagation.
- Animal production and mixed farming.
- Support activities for agriculture.
- Silviculture and forest management.
- Gathering natural products other than wood.
- Food manufacturing, excluding fish processing activities excluded by the regulation.
- Beverage manufacturing.
Non-profit associations, commercial cooperatives and land improvement associations may also apply if at least three of their members meet the activity and financial requirements set out in the regulation.
The applicant’s principal activity is checked against the business register.
What requirements must the applicant meet?
To receive the grant, the business must meet specific financial and legal requirements.
The main financial requirements are:
- Sales revenue from marketing products and produce manufactured or processed by the business must exceed €20,000.
- The debt ratio, meaning liabilities divided by assets, must not exceed 0.70.
- The liquidity ratio, meaning current assets divided by current liabilities, must exceed 1.00.
The indicators are assessed using data from the earlier financial years specified in the regulation.
The applicant must also have duly fulfilled its tax obligations and repayment obligations relating to previous grants. The business must not be subject to the bankruptcy, liquidation or compulsory dissolution proceedings specified in the regulation.
What activities does the development voucher grant cover?
The development voucher grant can fund seven main innovation activities.
1. Product and technology trials
The grant can be used for trials and experiments to assess the performance of new products and technological solutions. Feasibility studies may also be carried out.
2. Testing and adapting working methods
Support is available for testing working methods that are new or adapted for the business, to assess their suitability in practical production or processing activities.
3. Preliminary studies for development projects
The grant can be used for preliminary studies needed to prepare larger and smaller projects.
4. Creating prototypes
Funding is available for producing a prototype of a new product or technological solution and testing its practical performance.
5. Information technology development
Information technology development that addresses the business’s practical innovation needs may be eligible.
6. Product and service development consultancy
The grant can be used to involve experts in solving problems related to product development.
Product and service development consultancy may account for up to 20% of the project’s eligible costs.
7. Preparing a literature review
A review of relevant scientific or technical literature may be prepared as part of the project.
The costs of this activity may account for up to 10% of the project’s eligible costs.
Feasibility and cost-benefit studies based solely on literature or databases are not supported.
What costs are eligible?
The development voucher grant covers necessary and justified costs of implementing the innovation project.
Eligible costs include:
- Personnel costs of the employee implementing the project, including under an employment contract, contract for services or authorisation agreement.
- Costs of disseminating the results of the innovation project.
- Costs of materials, services and work necessary for implementing the project.
- Travel costs necessary for implementing the project.
Costs must be directly related to innovation project activities and incurred for their intended purpose, reasonably and in the most economically advantageous manner.
What activities and costs are not supported?
The development voucher grant is not intended to cover ordinary business operating costs or general production investments.
For example, support is not available for:
- Creating or maintaining websites and online shops.
- Creating, changing or supplementing a business model.
- Marketing activities.
- Ordinary consultancy on production organisation, quality standards and management.
- Training and training trips.
- Investments in production or processing equipment and buildings.
- Purchasing used machinery and equipment.
- Standalone research with no practical outcome for the applicant.
Costs arising from transactions between related parties, recoverable VAT and other ineligible costs specified in the regulation are also excluded.
Involving an innovation partner is mandatory
To receive the development voucher grant, the business must engage at least one innovation partner under a contract.
The innovation partner may be an expert or a research and development institution that meets the requirements.
An expert must generally have at least secondary education and at least three years of professional experience within the last ten years. Holding a doctorate in the relevant field or studying for a doctorate is deemed equivalent to the work experience requirement.
The innovation partner must also meet the conflict-of-interest and other requirements set out in the regulation.
Involving an innovation partner brings the necessary knowledge, experience and expertise to the business’s development project.
One applicant may receive support for up to two innovation projects during 2023–2027. A second grant may be applied for after completing the first project supported under the same measure.
How much is the development voucher grant?
The maximum development voucher grant is €20,000 per innovation project.
The funding rate is up to 90% of eligible costs.
For example, a project with €20,000 in eligible costs may receive a grant of €18,000, with the business contributing €2,000 in self-financing.
The actual funding rate depends, among other things, on the applicable state aid rules.
Certain activities receive support as de minimis aid, subject to a ceiling of €300,000 over three years per undertaking. If another legal basis for state aid applies, the permitted funding rate may be lower.
The grant is paid as reimbursement of eligible costs actually incurred and duly paid.
How do you apply for the grant?
Applications for the development voucher grant are submitted through PRIA’s e-service environment.
The application must include an innovation project plan describing:
- The problem underlying the project.
- Project objectives and expected results.
- Planned activities and schedule.
- Total project cost, eligible costs and the amount of support requested.
- The plan for disseminating project results.
- The project team and innovation partner.
The project title, objectives and expected results must be submitted in both Estonian and English.
When are quotations required?
If the expected cost excluding VAT of work, a service or an asset purchased for the project exceeds €10,000, at least three independent and comparable quotations must generally be requested.
If obtaining three quotations is objectively impossible, this must be justified.
Documents demonstrating compliance with procurement requirements and the reasonableness of costs must be submitted with the application. For purchases costing up to €10,000, a description of the cost must be provided.
When requesting quotations, the prohibition on transactions between related parties and on artificially splitting purchases into smaller parts must also be observed.
When can project activities begin?
Supported activities must not begin, and binding commitments relating to them must not be made, before the day following the date of application submission.
After the decision to approve the grant, implementation of the project must begin within 30 calendar days.
How are applications assessed?
PRIA assesses innovation projects against three main criteria.
| Assessment criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Impact of the innovation project on the objectives of the measure | 40% |
| Competence and capability of the project team | 40% |
| Quality of the innovation project | 20% |
Scores are awarded on a scale of 0–4.
To receive support, the project must achieve an overall score of at least 2.5 points and at least 2.0 points for each assessment criterion.
The assessment also considers how novel and distinctive the project is compared with projects submitted and funded under the same measure.
Applications are funded in accordance with the applicable procedure and within the budget available for the application round.
PRIA generally makes a decision to approve or reject the application within 75 working days of submission of a compliant application.
How long can the project last?
The innovation project must last at least four months and no more than 18 months.
For a valid reason, the beneficiary may request a one-off extension of the project’s eligibility period by up to two months.
All supported activities must be completed by 30 June 2029 at the latest.
During the project, the beneficiary must keep separate records of costs and fulfil the project’s information and reporting obligations.
If the project lasts more than 12 months, an interim report must be submitted. At the end of the project, a final report must be submitted along with a short summary of the results in Estonian and English.
Up to two payment applications may be submitted for disbursement of the grant.
When can you apply for the development voucher grant?
PRIA opened the 2026 development voucher grant application round on 13 May 2026.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until the round’s budget is exhausted.
Before preparing and submitting an application, it is therefore important to check PRIA’s website to confirm that the application round is still open and funding remains available.
Summary
The development voucher grant is an opportunity for businesses in agriculture, the food industry and forestry that wish to develop new products, test technologies or create solutions that are new and practical for their business.
The maximum grant is €20,000 per project, and the funding rate may reach up to 90% of eligible costs.
To receive the grant, the business must meet the requirements set out in the regulation, involve an innovation partner and prepare a well-considered and clearly justified innovation project.
Does your business have an idea for a new product or technology?
WISECONSULT helps assess whether your project meets the grant conditions, prepare an innovation project plan and develop the PRIA grant application.
Contact us to discuss whether your business’s development idea could be suitable for the development voucher grant.
Legal basis: Regulation No. 60 of the Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of 04.09.2024, “Conditions and procedure for granting development voucher support for the period 2023–2027”, together with the 2026 amendments.
Application round information: PRIA “Development voucher grant 2026”.