INVEST MTEP (call No. 02-118-K) is a €40.8M Lithuanian grant call for R&D projects in health technologies and biotechnology, open to SMEs, large companies working with SMEs and foreign investors. Grants range from €100,000 to €1.5M per project. Applications close on 8 February 2027, 17:00 (Vilnius time). Below: who can apply, what is funded, aid intensity and how projects are scored.
This summary is based on the INVEST MTEP call description (published 6 October 2026, administered by the Innovation Agency Lithuania) and the description of progress measure No. 05-001-01-05-07 as amended by Order No. 4-419 of the Minister of the Economy and Innovation of 2 October 2026. Section numbers in brackets refer to those documents. The official documents are in Lithuanian.
| Purpose | R&D projects in health technologies and biotechnology that end with a prototype of a product, service or process |
|---|---|
| Form of support | Grant. R&D: state aid under GBER (Regulation (EU) No 651/2014) Art. 25; patenting and market preparation: de minimis aid |
| Grant per project | €100,000 to €1,500,000; up to €300,000 extra for projects with an EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy (EUSBSR) foreign partner (Strand 1 only) |
| Budget | €40,773,375 (ERDF): Strand 1 (innovation supply) €31,489,778 + up to €625,000 for EUSBSR projects; Strand 2 (foreign direct investment) €8,658,597. Funds are not transferred between strands. |
| Location | Central and Western Lithuania region only: all of Lithuania except Vilnius county (the Capital region) |
| Selection | Competitive; at least 40 out of 100 priority points required |
| Application window | 7 October 2026, 14:00 – 8 February 2027, 17:00, via the DMS portal (dms.investis.lt) |
| Project duration | Up to 24 months from signing the grant agreement; work must start within 1 month and end by 1 September 2029 |
INVEST MTEP: who can apply
The call has two supported activities with separate budgets (measure description 5.1.1.1 and 5.1.1.2):
- Strand 1: innovation supply. Applicants: micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), or large companies cooperating with SMEs. The target group covers both Lithuanian and foreign SMEs.
- Strand 2: high value-added foreign direct investment (FDI). Applicants: foreign investors (as defined in point 4.2.9 of the measure description) that are SMEs, or large companies cooperating with SMEs. Supports R&D, cooperation and technology transfer between large companies and SMEs.
In both strands the applicant must meet every special criterion:
- At least 3 financial years in operation before submitting the application. For a Lithuanian company this is checked in the Register of Legal Entities; for a foreign company, by a registration certificate or an extract from the home-country register.
- Sales revenue of at least €300,000 over the last 3 financial years combined. Only the applicant’s own revenue counts; group revenue is not included. For foreign investors, revenue is checked against publicly available or submitted financial statements.
- R&D expenditure of at least €60,000 over the last 3 financial years. Lithuanian companies prove this with R&D expenditure declared to the State Data Agency; foreign companies with a document from the relevant home-country authority or tax returns.
- Large companies only in cooperation with an SME, proven by a joint activity (partnership) agreement.
- The project fits Lithuania’s smart specialisation priority “Health technologies and biotechnology” and at least one of its themes: (1) molecular technologies for medicine and biopharmaceuticals; (2) advanced medical engineering for early diagnosis and treatment; (3) safe food and sustainable agro-biological resources. The Innovation Agency makes the final call on thematic fit during evaluation.
Partners: SMEs or large companies, research and higher education institutions, and an EUSBSR foreign partner from Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany (Berlin, Brandenburg, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schleswig-Holstein), Latvia or Poland, where the project fits the EUSBSR policy area “Innovation”. All Lithuanian activities must take place in the Central and Western Lithuania region; an EUSBSR foreign partner may carry out its part at home and contributes its own funds.
Eligible activities
- R&D: industrial research and experimental development as defined in GBER Art. 2(85)–(86). R&D must end with a prototype of a product, service or process.
- Employing researchers in the company’s R&D (Strand 1).
- Early pilot production: a pilot batch or tested final version of the product developed in the project (Strand 1).
- Patenting the products developed: applicant only, only when linked to the project’s R&D; up to €30,000 of funding (11.20).
- Market preparation of the product: applicant only, only after a prototype exists; up to €50,000 of funding. Product design and buying production equipment or tools are not eligible (11.21).
The project must not start before the application is registered; otherwise the whole project becomes ineligible. Costs incurred between registration and the funding decision are at the applicant’s own risk.
Eligible costs
R&D part (GBER Art. 25, measure description 11.5):
- project staff costs, paid at a fixed unit rate of €28.85 per hour;
- staff business travel;
- depreciation of instruments and equipment, pro rata to project use: max 50% of eligible costs;
- contract research, knowledge and patents bought or licensed from outside sources, and consultancy used exclusively for the project: max 50% of R&D costs; software licence purchases are not eligible;
- materials, supplies and other operating costs directly linked to R&D;
- equipment rental (pro rata) and premises rental, the latter max 10% of eligible costs;
- indirect costs at a 7% flat rate.
Patenting and market preparation (de minimis, 11.23): patent attorney services, patent fees and market-preparation services (each set as an individual lump sum based on the lowest-price quote), plus 7% indirect costs. Total de minimis aid per single undertaking is capped at €300,000 over 3 years.
Not eligible: costs incurred at technology readiness levels below the level established at evaluation; cross-financing does not apply.
Aid intensity
| Cost type | Base | Maximum |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial research | 50% | 80% |
| Experimental development | 25% | 80% |
| Patenting and market preparation | up to 85% (de minimis) | |
R&D intensity rises by +10 percentage points for medium-sized and +20 points for micro and small enterprises, and by up to +15 points where the condition of GBER Art. 25(6)(b)(iv) is met, up to a total of 80%. For a large company the base rate for experimental development is only 25%, so its own contribution is higher. The applicant covers the rest of the eligible costs from its own funds.
Priority criteria and scoring
Each criterion gets 0–5 points, multiplied by a weight (P = Y1×8 + Y2×5 + Y3×4 + Y4×3). The maximum is 100 points; the minimum is 40 points, and applications below it are rejected (measure description, point 12).
| Criterion | Max | How it is scored |
|---|---|---|
| Commercialisation potential of the products (5×8) | 40 | Based on technology readiness (R&D stages under Government Resolution No. 650 of 6 June 2012). Before the project: stage 4 = 0.5; 5 = 1; 6 = 1.5; 7 = 2.5 points. After the project: stage 6 = 1.5; 7 = 2; 8–9 = 2.5 points. With several products, the average is used. |
| Research jobs created (5×5) | 25 | Research jobs created (full-time equivalents) and kept for at least 1 year after funding ends. Scored relative to other applicants: the top 20% of projects get 5 points, the next 20% get 4, and so on. |
| Applicant’s R&D experience (5×4) | 20 | R&D expenditure declared over 3 years: over €140,000 = 5; €120,001–140,000 = 4; €100,001–120,000 = 3; €80,001–100,000 = 2; €60,001–80,000 = 1 point. |
| Experience in international R&D projects (5×3) | 15 | Over the last 3 years: took part in a completed project (e.g. Horizon Europe) = 5; taking part in an ongoing one = 3; submitted an application (including one rejected for lack of funds) = 1; none = 0 points. |
Ties are broken by the first criterion (commercialisation potential), then the next ones in order, and finally by submission time. In practice, two things decide most of the score: how far the product has already advanced (TRL) and how many research jobs you commit to create.
What to submit with the application
- completed and signed Annex 4 (information for assessing the selection criteria);
- an R&D business plan with its annexes (1A, 1B, financial plan);
- a DNSH (“do no significant harm”) declaration (Annex 5);
- a joint activity (partnership) agreement, partner declaration and budget split, if there are partners;
- documents proving the sources of the own contribution;
- for foreign investors: a declaration that tax and social security obligations are met, 3 years of financial statements and documents proving R&D expenditure.
An application without Annex 4, the R&D business plan or (where there are partners) the partnership agreement is rejected without a request for further documents.
What to check before applying
- Thematic fit. Only health technologies and biotechnology projects qualify, including safe food and agro-biological resources. This is the first gate and the most common reason to stop early.
- Location. The R&D has to happen outside Vilnius county. Foreign investors should plan where and through which entity the work will be carried out in Lithuania.
- Track record. Three years of operation, €300K revenue and €60K R&D spend must be provable with documents, including from home-country authorities.
- Own contribution. You need to show how the part not covered by the grant will be financed.
- Preparation time. An R&D business plan with annexes typically takes 4–6 weeks to prepare properly.
How ProBaltic can help
Since 2007 we have helped clients secure €90M+ in non-dilutive funding across 220+ funded projects. For this call we cover the full cycle: an eligibility assessment within 1–2 working days, project concept and budget, the application and R&D business plan with annexes, support during evaluation and project administration until the final payment. Pricing is a fixed preparation fee plus a success fee on the awarded grant.
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FAQ
Can a foreign company that is not registered in Lithuania apply?
The call description provides that the applicant may be a legal entity registered outside Lithuania, i.e. a foreign investor as defined in point 4.2.9 of the measure description. Its years of operation, revenue and R&D spend are then proven with home-country registry and authority documents, and compliance with tax and social security obligations with a declaration. The project activities themselves must still take place in the Central and Western Lithuania region, so plan in advance where and through which structure the R&D will be carried out in Lithuania.
Can the project be carried out in Vilnius?
No. Both strands are limited to the Central and Western Lithuania region, i.e. all of Lithuania except Vilnius county (the Capital region). Allocation of costs to a region follows the CPVA recommendations on territorial allocation of project costs.
Does group revenue count towards the €300,000 threshold?
No. Only the applicant’s own sales revenue over the last 3 financial years (combined) is assessed; group revenue is not included.
Is €60,000 of R&D spend over 3 years mandatory?
Yes. It is a special selection criterion, and applicants that do not meet it are ineligible. Higher R&D spend also earns priority points: over €140,000 in 3 years gets the maximum score for that criterion (20 out of 100).
Are projects outside health technologies and biotechnology eligible?
No. Only projects matching at least one theme of the “Health technologies and biotechnology” priority are eligible: molecular technologies for medicine and biopharmaceuticals; advanced medical engineering for early diagnosis and treatment; safe food and sustainable agro-biological resources. Food safety is part of this priority, so food-industry R&D can qualify if it fits that theme.
Can a large company apply?
Yes, but only in cooperation with an SME, proven by a partnership agreement. Large companies start from lower base rates of 50% for industrial research and 25% for experimental development, which can be raised by up to 15 percentage points where GBER Art. 25(6)(b)(iv) applies.
Where are the official call conditions?
On esinvesticijos.lt (in Lithuanian), together with the call description and forms. Always rely on the version in force when applying.
This page is for information only and summarises the official call documents as of 19 October 2026; decisions should be based on the call description in force. Lithuanian version: Invest MTEP (LT). Other open calls: funding calls.