Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

A business plan is a strategic document that outlines the financial and operational roadmap of a start-up. It acts as a blueprint for business growth, guiding entrepreneurs through critical decisions while attracting potential investors and financial institutions. A well-crafted business plan highlights revenue projections, market strategies, and operational objectives, ensuring long-term sustainability and success.

The primary goal of this plan is to demonstrate how the business will operate, generate revenue, and achieve its objectives. It provides insights into market trends, competition, and risk factors, while outlining strategies to navigate challenges and seize opportunities. Key sections include:

• Executive Summary — A concise overview of the business plan.
• Company Description & Management — Business structure and leadership team.
• Market Analysis & Strategy — Industry landscape, target audience, and competitive positioning.
• Business Model & Financial Plan — Revenue streams, cost estimates, and financial projections.
• Operational & Growth Strategy — Key milestones, risk assessment, and long-term vision.

By clearly defining goals and strategies, this business plan becomes a vital tool for securing investment and driving the entity’s success in a dynamic market.

Eligibility Requirement

To apply for the Business Plan Voucher, you must already hold an approved Xjenza Malta applied research grant.

This programme is designed specifically for researchers and innovators who have successfully reached the prototype stage (TRL 5+) with Xjenza Malta’s support.

 Required Forms

Forms and declarations required for submission, as outlined in the Rules for Participation, can be found on the resource page.

Applicants must submit the following:

• • De Minimis Declaration Form

N.B.: All applicants must fill in the additional declarations form found within the application.

Submission Process

Completed application forms should be submitted electronically to voucher.xjenzamalta@gov.mt, keeping Kyle Bonnici (kyle.bonnici.4@gov.mt) in copy. Please use the subject line: “Business Plan – Voucher Submission.”

Important: It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that a confirmation of receipt is obtained.

Programme Closure Periods

The Voucher Programme will close once all funds have been allocated. Additionally, the programme will temporarily close during the following periods:

• 30 June 2025 to 31 August 2025
• 1 December 2025 to 9 January 2026

Applications submitted during these times will not be processed. If you submit an application during these periods, you may be required to resubmit after the programme reopens, incorporating any updates to the call documentation.

Contact Information

For further assistance, please contact:

Mr. Kyle Bonnici
Email: kyle.bonnici.4@gov.mt Phone: (+356) 2360 2209

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Source of Funding: Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)

The FCT Mobility Programme, launched by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) in Portugal, supports the international mobility of PhD researchers through medium- and long-term research stays. The programme funds research and/or fieldwork activities to strengthen international scientific cooperation.

Programme Structure

The programme offers two funding modalities:

• FCT Mobility Outgoing
  For researchers affiliated with Portuguese institutions to undertake research in foreign institutions, for 2 to 11 consecutive months.
• FCT Mobility Incoming
  For foreign researchers (including Malta-based researchers) to conduct joint scientific activities in Portugal, for 1 to 3 consecutive months.
  Applications for this stream must be submitted by the Portuguese hosting researcher.

Eligibility

Applications must be submitted by researchers who:

• Are integrated members of Portuguese Research Units, or
• Have a contractual relationship with an Associated Laboratory in Portugal.

Foreign researchers (e.g. Malta-based researchers) can participate as visiting researchers under the incoming modality, but cannot submit the application themselves. The Portuguese partner must act as the applicant.

How to Apply

• Applications are open from 7 November 2024 until 31 December 2025, 17:00 (Portugal time), or until the allocated funds are exhausted.
• Submissions must be made in English via the online application form by the Portuguese Researcher:
  FCT Mobility Application Form

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals are evaluated by international experts based on the following criteria:

Outgoing Applications:
A) Merit of the applicant researcher
B) Merit of the work plan
C) Career development impact
D) Merit of host conditions

Incoming Applications:
A) Merit of the Portuguese applicant researcher
B) Merit of the work plan
C) Career development impact
E) Merit of the visiting researcher

Final Score Formula:
FC = 0.35 A + 0.25 B + 0.15 C + 0.25 (D or E)

Evaluations occur at least every three months. Provisional results are communicated within one month of each evaluation round.

Funding Details

• Maximum funding per mobility: €27,027
• Total programme budget: €5,000,000 (funded under Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan - RRP)
• Funding rate: 100% of eligible costs
• Disbursed as a single payment at the start of the mobility
• At least 185 mobilities are expected to be supported

Further Information

Questions about the programme can be directed to fct.mobility@fct.pt and more information can be found on the website: FCT Mobility Call - FCT

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Source of Funding: European Cooperation in Science & Technology (COST)

A COST Action is an interdisciplinary research network that brings researchers and innovators together to investigate a topic for four years. Open to all science and technology fields, including new and emerging ones, COST Actions are also bottom-up meaning you can propose a network based on your own interests or ideas.

The funding a COST Action receives covers the expenses of networking activities and can be used to fund events, Short-Term Scientific Missions, Training Schools, communication activities, and virtual networking tools. A COST Action has an estimate budget of €125,000 in its first year and €150,000 per year for the other three years.

Participants are invited to submit a proposals that contributes to the scientific, technological, economic, cultural or societal knowledge advancement and development of Europe. Multi- and interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged.

The Open Call Action proposal submission, evaluation, selection and approval (SESA) procedure is fully science and technology-driven and will ensure a simple, transparent and competitive proposal evaluation and selection process, reflecting the bottom-up, open and inclusive principles of COST.

Visit the below link to read further.

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Visit the below link to view the 19 funding opportunities under Cascade Funding, an instrument by the European Commission. 

Please note that these calls have different deadlines within the month of May 2025.

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Xjenza Malta, in collaboration with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) of the People’s Republic of China, has launched the SINO-MALTA 2025 Joint Call for R&I Proposals. The aim of this Science and Technology Cooperation – SINO-MALTA Fund, is to intensify scientific collaboration between the two countries to strengthen R&D activities, technology transfer and to carry out comprehensive, steady, and long-term cooperation through support of researchers’ mobility and the networking of industries, universities and research institutions to generate mutual-beneficial and win-win research.

For the SINO-MALTA Fund 2025 Joint Call, the eligible thematic areas are:

• Health
• Green and Blue Transitions
• Digital Technologies

Funding & Project Details for the SINO-MALTA 2025 Call

• Call Budget: €1,200,000
• Funding: Up to €200,000 for the Malta-based consortium (at least one Malta-based partner).
• Project Duration: Up to 24 months
• Application Deadline: 30th June 2025, 23:59 PM CET
• Technology Readiness Levels (TRL): 1–7

Who Can Apply?

Each consortium must include:

• At least one eligible Malta-based Private Entity. Public entities and Research and Knowledge Dissemination Organisations (RKDOs) are also eligible to apply as lead or partner, provided that at least one eligible Malta-based private entity is involved.
• At least one eligible China-based entity

Projects should be balanced in terms of workload and funding distribution between the two partners.

Visit the below link to read further and download the application forms and guidelines.

Online Information Session

Xjenza Malta will be hosting an online information session on 13th May 2025 from 10:00 to 11:00 AM CET. This session is dedicated to interested Malta-based entities and will cover key details about the call, eligibility criteria, and the application process.

Interested participants can register here: SINO-MALTA Fund 2025 Call – Virtual Information Session

Still looking for a partner? Use the plumtri matchmaking tool to find your partners by registering your interest here: https://bit.ly/3EYhBkR, you can also use the partner search tool by registering here: https://bit.ly/4hhLcrc

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Following the successful launch of the 1st call of the Digital Technologies Programme in collaboration with Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA), this year the 2nd call for this programme is now open!

The Digital Technologies Programme is designed to support research that will drive us towards a safer and more trustworthy development, adoption and use of digital technologies

The Digital Technologies Programme will primarily focus on the following high-level priority areas:

Visit the below link to view the 22 funding opportunities under Cascade Funding, an instrument by the European Commission. 

Please note that these calls have different deadlines within the month of April 2025.

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta and Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)

Xjenza Malta and the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) have launched the 2025 Joint Call for Research Proposals under the SPIRE Programme. This initiative aims to strengthen research collaborations between Malta-based and CNR researchers by providing seed grants for small-scale projects that pave the way for larger future research efforts.

The SPIRE: Seed Grants for International Research Programme enhances Malta’s international research collaboration by facilitating joint calls with international partners. Through multi-annual calls, SPIRE supports projects that foster research partnerships, promote knowledge exchange, and serve as a foundation for larger-scale initiatives.

Funding & Project Details for the Xjenza Malta-CNR Joint Call

• Funding: Up to €6,000 for the Malta-based consortium (at least one Malta-based partner). The financial contribution to Malta-based entities shall be 100% of the eligible costs incurred.
• Project Duration: 24 months (1 January 2026 – 31 December 2027)
• Application Deadline: 29th May 2025, 12:00 PM CET
• Technology Readiness Levels (TRL): 1–7

Thematic Areas

Proposals must align with at least one of the following focus areas:

• Marine and Maritime
• Digital Technologies
• Health
• Sustainable Use of Resources
• Smart Manufacturing
• Aerospace, Aviation, and Space
• Cultural Heritage

Who Can Apply?

Each consortium must include:

• At least one eligible Malta-based entity
• At least one CNR researcher

Projects should be balanced in terms of workload and funding distribution between the two partners.

Download the guidelines on eligibility and application forms from the below link.

Online Information Session

Xjenza Malta will be hosting an online information session on 27 March from 10:00 to 11:00 AM CET to introduce the SPIRE Programme and the Xjenza Malta – CNR 2025 Joint Call for Research Proposals. This session will cover key details about the call, eligibility criteria, and the application process. Interested participants can register here.

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Source of Funding: Xjenza Malta

Xjenza Malta is receiving proposals under the Technology Development Programme Lite (TDP Lite).

The TDP Lite is a national funding programme aimed at providing support for the development of innovative projects proposed by public entities or industry players. The programme is designed to provide Maltese innovators with an expedited route to develop and demonstrate their novel technologies.

TDP Lite provides financial support of up to €200,000 for sole entities to carry out research, development and innovation, with the SMART Specialisation Areas:

• Aviation and Aerospace
• Future Digital Technology
• Health and Well-being
• Marine and Maritime Technology
• Smart Manufacturing
• Sustainable Use of Resources

In order to be an eligible applicant under this funding programme, the technology must be at a minimum Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 4 and must increase to a maximum of 7 by the end of the project. The TDP Lite covers a duration of 12 or 18 months.

Interested applicants are to submit their application form electronically to rtdi.xjenzamalta@gov.mt keeping in copy Ms Mariah Vella at mariah.vella.5@gov.mt and Mr Kyle Bonnici at kyle.bonnici.4@gov.mt with ‘TDP Lite 2025 Application’ as the subject heading. The application must be dated and signed by the applicant and the legal representative. All received applications shall be acknowledged by email.

The deadline for submission is Friday 23 May 2025 at 11:59 p.m. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

An online information session will be held on Friday 14 March 2025 at 10:00a.m. This information session is intended to provide further information on the call. Any interested parties are encouraged to click here to access the registration form.

Further information can be found in the guidelines documents found on the below link. Alternatively, interested parties may contact Ms Mariah Vella on 23602114.

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Visit the below link to view the 21 funding opportunities under Cascade Funding, an instrument by the European Commission. 

Please note that these calls have different deadlines within the month of March 2025.

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