REI Grup Analysis – Over EUR 1.5 billion European funds for existing and future entrepreneurs this summer.

• Among the calls open or in the pipeline are schemes to increase energy efficiency, investment in innovation and technology, agriculture or the hospitality sector;
• Over €450 million available for green energy investments;
• EUR 300 million for investments in innovation and technology;
• 12,000 Start up Nation places still available, 18-30 year olds, €50,000 grants.

Micro-enterprises have more than EUR 200 million available for investment projects in Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Prahova, Prahova, Galati or Mures counties. Which investments can be undertaken?

More than €1.5 billion in grants is available to entrepreneurs this summer for investment in several key sectors of the economy – with start-ups, micro-enterprises, SMEs and large enterprises all targeted for new investment opportunities, according to a REI analysis, a group of companies specialised in attracting European funds and state aid.

Thus, business owners of micro-enterprises operating in Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Prahova, Prahova, Galati or Mures counties have more than 200 million euro allocated through the Just Transition program this summer.

According to the data analyzed by REI, the Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MEIP) is to open the project submission session on July 1, for a period of 60 days, where microenterprises can access up to 300,000 euro to develop their businesses in these six counties.

“We have a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs who own small companies in the six eligible counties – Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Prahova, Galati or Mures. The Just Transition call for micro-enterprises will run from 1 July to 1 September and offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to invest in the development of their businesses by building new production/service premises, modernizing or expanding them or equipping them with technological equipment, machinery, work facilities, furniture, IT equipment, etc”, Roxana Mircea, Managing Partner at REI Grup stated.

The objective of the Just Transition Program (JTP) is to enable the six counties to support environmentally sustainable economic diversification by generating secure jobs over an extended time horizon.

Entrepreneurs may also invest in intangible assets – such as patents, licenses, trademarks or software related to the proposed investment, event organization activities, training courses, consultancy, design, R&D-innovation, certification expenses or information and advertising activities.

The amount of non-reimbursable funding must be within the minimum and maximum limits, i.e. at least €50,000, but not more than €300,000 per investment project.

Of the more than €200 million[1] allocated under this scheme, the biggest support is given to Gorj county (over €49 million), followed by Hunedoara county – both investments in the region and dedicated to businesses in the Jiului Valley (over €48 million) and Dolj county (over €36 million). The top allocations are continued by Prahova (around €28 million), Galati (over €22 million) and Mures (€22 million) counties.

The Managing Authority for the Just Transition Program (MA JTP) published the Guide for Applicants during the month of April[2] for Interventions supporting Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Development. Processing of meat, dairy products, production of bread, pastries, construction/fitting out of medical clinics, construction of accommodation and leisure facilities are just a few examples of activities that can be financed.

“To obtain the desired funding, applicants must fall into the category of micro-enterprises – with no more than 9 employees at the level of the group of companies they own and annual turnover or total assets of up to 2 million euros, have a trading company established no later than December 31, 2023, and the turnover must have exceeded the threshold of 100,000 euro during the last year as it is aimed to double the turnover. In addition, the applicant must have made a profit from operations in 2024 and will have to commit to creating at least one job to be maintained during the project’s sustainability period – minimum 3 years. We recommend all entrepreneurs to carefully consider this program, it is one of the schemes with a generous allocation this summer and projects must be rigorously prepared with a professional consultant as the documentation is complex”, Roxana Mircea added.

The REI Grup team has successfully submitted dozens of projects through the Just Transition Program – 2023-2024 edition, where applicants requested support to finance large-scale investments in the six eligible counties. The financial support of the previous edition ranged from €200,000 to €8.4 million and the total allocation exceeded €1 billion.

What other funding programs are available to entrepreneurs this summer

In addition to the Just Transition program for micro-enterprises in Hunedoara, Gorj, Dolj, Prahova, Galati or Mures counties, entrepreneurs have at their disposal this summer numerous funding programs for investments with non-reimbursable support, including schemes for increasing energy efficiency, investment in innovation and technology, agriculture or the hotel sector and more.

1. Modernization Fund – 2 calls, with a total allocation of over € 450 million

On Thursday, May 22, the Ministry of Energy has announced the opening of the session of the program aimed at increasing energy efficiency, which has a budget of 310 million euros in non-reimbursable funds for companies that want to produce energy for their own consumption. This is the second call for projects to support investments in renewable energy production capacity for self-consumption, with funding from the Modernization Fund.

The total budget of the call exceeds €310 million and is divided as follows: around €151 million for solar power plants below 5 MW, almost €118 million for solar capacity above 5 MW, €25 million for hydro and €16.7 million for wind.

The maximum amount that can be granted per company is €20 million, in the form of reimbursement of eligible expenses.

The funding round will be open from May 22 to August 22 and projects are submitted through the MySMIS2021 platform.

➡️ Eligible beneficiaries: micro-enterprises, SMEs, large enterprises, including start-ups that have not registered and authorized in the certificate issued by the NRC main activities specific to the following NACE codes: 01, 10 and 11

➡️ Financing:

For wind energy:

• 700,000 Euro/MW – for all installed capacities

For solar energy:

• 450,000 Euro/MW – for installed capacities below 5 MW (inclusive);
• 360,000 Euro/MW – for installed capacities above 5 MW.

For hydro energy:

• 1,805.000 Euro/MW – for all installed capacities.

The maximum amount of funding is EUR 20 million / enterprise per investment project.

➡️ Session: May 22 – August 22, 2025

➡️ Allocation: EUR 310 M (2025)

A second program aimed at producing energy for self-consumption will be launched by the Ministry of Agriculture in the coming months, with an allocation of €150 million, strictly for enterprises in the agricultural and agro-processing sectors. 

• EU-ETS – Industrial energy efficiency

Another funding program is dedicated to energy efficiency in industrial installations (steel, cement, oil, natural gas, etc.), where the contracting authority is the Ministry of Energy as well.

➡️ Eligible beneficiaries: companies and Autonomous Entities that provide proof of eligibility for the greenhouse gas emission allowance trading scheme (EU-ETS)

➡️ Financing: max. EUR 30 M / project

➡️ Allocation: EUR 150 M (2025)

➡️ Status: call to be opened soon

➡️ Contracting authority: European Commission

➡️ Eligible beneficiaries: SMEs

➡️ Financing: between 10 – EUR 30 M / project

➡️ Allocation: EUR 300 M (2025)

➡️ Status: open call until 16.12.2025

Companies with SME status can apply for funding for technology investment projects between €10 million and up to €30 million[3].

The Horizon Europe program was launched at the end of last year in Romania and has a budget of €300 million for investment in:

• Digital technologies and technological innovations: semiconductors, AI, quantum technologies, robotics, etc.;
• Net-zero technologies: solar, onshore wind and offshore renewable technologies, energy storage, heat pumps, alternative fuels, circular economy technologies, etc;
• Biotechnology – including DNA/RNA, cell engineering, bioinformatics and nanobiotechnology.

The submission period runs throughout the year 2025, but no later than 17.00 on 16.12.2025.

• South-East Regional Programme  – Investing in innovation and boosting SME competitiveness

➡️ Call status: final Guidelines – June, project submission – August

➡️ Allocation: EUR 87 M

➡️ Eligible investments: HoReCa in Constanța, Tulcea, Brăila, Galați, Buzău or Vrancea counties

➡️ Eligible beneficiaries: SMEs (urban micro-enterprises, urban and rural small and medium enterprises)

• RD 16 – Investments in the vegetable and/or potato sector

➡️ Call status: final Guidelines – June, project submission – September

➡️ Allocation: EUR 151 M

➡️ Financing: max. EUR 2 M / project

➡️ Eligible applicants: farmers, excluding individuals, etc.

• RD 23 – Investiții în domeniul panificației, produse agricole, procesare

➡️ Call status: final Guidelines – June, project submission – September

➡️ Allocation: EUR 151 M

➡️ Financing: max. EUR 10 M / project

➡️ Eligible applicants: SMEs, large enterprises

• Start-up Nation 2025

About 12,000 spots are still available today on entrepreneurship courses for aspiring entrepreneurs aged 18-30, who will be able to apply for grants of up to €50,000.

Of the total €446 million the program was allocated when it opened, around €200 million would still be available, REI estimates.

“The Start-up Nation 2025 program has been divided into two sub-programs – one dedicated to young people under 30 and the second – for people aged between 30 and 35 or job seekers, with the total allocation of the program being €446 million. The condition for enrolment was that young entrepreneurs wishing to access the funds made available by the Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism must attend 40 hours of entrepreneurship courses offered by specialized firms, which will be paid by the state. Only after completing the mandatory courses will applicants be able to apply for funding. Start-up Nation requires a minimum co-financing of €12,500 and the creation of two jobs to be maintained for three years”, Roxana Mircea added.

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About REI Grup

REI Finance Advisors S.R.L., REI International Consulting S.R.L. and Touched Marketing S.R.L., part of REI Grup,are companies specialized in the elaboration, implementation and monitoring of investment projects both through non-reimbursable European funds (Regional Operational Programme, Large Infrastructure Operational Programme, PNDR) and state aid schemes (GD 959/2022, GD 495/2014, GD 807/2014, GD 332/2014, GEO 81/2019, GEO 130/2020).   

According to 2024 data, REI ranks among the top consultancy companies in Romania, specialized in attracting financing through European funds and state aid.  

The REI team currently has over 80 specialized consultants, in 8 offices nationwide, with extensive experience in attracting grant funding for local and international companies.

REI has successfully attracted funding for over 1,500 clients nationwide, with over 1,000 projects implemented and an industry-leading 99% success rate.    

With over 10 years of experience, REI’s experts are easily adaptable to market requirements, with a good knowledge about the mechanisms of non-reimbursable funds and identify opportunities to obtain funding from internal and external sources. They efficiently manage project activities, relations with public authorities and with private companies, both multinationals and Romanian entrepreneurial companies. More details about REI’s activity, here.

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[1] https://oportunitati-ue.gov.ro/apel/ghidul-solicitantului-pentru-interventii-care-sprijina-dezvoltarea-intreprinderilor-si-a-antreprenoriatului/

[2] https://mfe.gov.ro/ptj-ghidul-solicitantului-pentru-interventii-care-sprijina-dezvoltarea-intreprinderilor-si-a-antreprenoriatului/

[3] https://eic.ec.europa.eu/news/european-innovation-council-new-eu300-million-step-facility-open-submissions-eu30-million-2024-11-26_en

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