Startups and technology projects in the Republic of Moldova now have access to a new non-reimbursable financing mechanism. The Moldova Innovation Fund has been officially launched with an initial budget of over €1 million, four funding rounds planned over the next 24 months, and grants designed for projects at the pre-seed and early-stage levels. The first funding call opens on 1 October, immediately following the Fund’s launch.
The new mechanism is operated by the Moldova Innovation Technology Park (MITP), with funding from the European Union through the EU4Innovation East programme, co-funded by the Government of France and implemented by Expertise France. It addresses one of the most challenging stages in the development of a technology product: moving from an idea to validation, prototyping and testing, and ultimately to a market-ready product. Limited access to early-stage capital is also widely recognised as one of the major challenges facing startup ecosystems across Eastern Europe.
What the Moldova Innovation Fund offers
The Fund introduces a competitive grant mechanism designed for projects with technological and commercial potential. Depending on the stage of development, funding can reach €20,000 for pre-seed projects and €40,000 for early-stage projects.
Funding can support activities such as idea validation, demonstrating proof of concept, prototype development, technology testing, product improvement, market validation, and preparing a project for a subsequent investment stage.
The Fund is not limited to software products. It targets innovative products and technologies, including digital solutions, software, and physical or hardware-based products, allowing technology projects to receive support whether the innovation takes the form of an application, an algorithm, a device, or a combination of software and hardware.
The Fund’s areas of intervention include, among others, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, govtech, agritech, biotechnology, big data, cloud technologies, robotics, and other emerging technologies.
Claudiu Năsui, Minister of Economic Development and Digitalization: “For Moldova, innovation is not only about developing new technologies. It is about creating the conditions for ideas and talent to become tangible products, companies and economic value. By supporting entrepreneurs at the stage when strong ideas need resources to be tested, validated and brought closer to the market, we are investing in a more competitive economy and strengthening Moldova’s capacity to create products and companies that can succeed on European and international markets.”
The first call opens on October 1, 2026
Alongside the launch of the Fund, the fond.mitp.md platform is now live and will serve as the application portal for the first Moldova Innovation Fund call. The platform provides all the information applicants need, including eligibility criteria, funding conditions, required documentation and the stages of the selection process.
The first round marks the beginning of a series of four funding calls planned over the next two years, giving projects at different stages of development multiple opportunities to access financing.
Michelle Iliev, State Secretary at the Ministry of Economic Development and Digitalization: “Too often, energy that should have gone into development has instead been spent searching for funding. Through the Moldova Innovation Fund, we are helping address that first critical step by providing early capital, allowing teams to focus on what truly matters: building their own product.”
From application to funding: a competitive and transparent process
The funding process consists of six clear stages: opening the call, submitting applications, project evaluation, the pitch session, beneficiary selection, and progress monitoring. After the eligibility check, projects are assessed competitively according to the criteria established for each call. Applicants selected for the next stage present their projects during a pitch session and answer questions from the evaluators.
Selected projects receive non-reimbursable funding to achieve clearly defined development objectives, while their progress is monitored throughout implementation.
The winning projects and the value of the grants awarded are approved by the Moldova Innovation Fund Coordination Committee, based on the evaluation process established for each call.
Marina Bzovîi, Administrator of Moldova Innovation Technology Park: „For us, the Moldova Innovation Fund is not simply another grant programme. We are building a mechanism that we want to see grow from one round to the next. We are starting with more than €1 million and four calls, but our ambition goes further: to create a predictable pathway through which a technology idea developed in the Republic of Moldova can move through validation, prototyping and testing and get closer to the market and to investment. At the same time, we want the Fund to be able to attract new partners and additional resources for the ecosystem in the future.”
The European Union, the Fund’s first partner
The Moldova Innovation Fund is launched with the support of the European Union through the EU4Innovation East project. The partnership provides financing for the Fund’s initial 24-month implementation period and lays the foundation for its further development.
Julda Kielyte, Team Leader for Competitive and Inclusive Growth, Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova: “We want to contribute to establishing a mechanism that can, over time, become a sustainable component of Moldova’s innovation financing system and help build a strong pipeline of companies ready to attract private capital. The combination of European support and local ownership is essential for ensuring that this mechanism responds to the needs of Moldova’s market and can continue to develop and strengthen over time. For the European Union, supporting innovation means investing in the people of Moldova and in the country’s economic future.”
Julien Schmitt, Director, EU4Innovation East: “Access to financing at the earliest stages of development can make the difference between an idea that remains only a concept and one that is tested, validated and transformed into a product. Through the Moldova Innovation Fund, the European Union is helping create a mechanism that enables founders in the Republic of Moldova to access the resources they need to take these steps here, within their own ecosystem. At the same time, it is an investment in the ecosystem’s capacity to generate competitive technology products, attract investment and build stronger connections with European and international markets. We want this Fund to become a starting point for more ideas to be transformed into products and for a startup ecosystem that is increasingly connected to growth opportunities across the region and Europe.”
The framework for the Moldova Innovation Fund was established through Government Decision No. 527/2025, approving the Regulation on the Fund for Supporting Digital Innovation and Technology Start-ups and amending Government Decision No. 1144/2017 on the establishment of Moldova IT Park.
Full information on funding opportunities, eligibility criteria, evaluation stages and required documentation is available at fond.mitp.md.