Information about support

• Types of support

  • Pre-incubation support programme
    Suitable for idea authors — natural persons and companies who want to develop a business model and validate or test the viability of a business idea. More information on the pre-incubation support programme is available on the LIAA website.
  • Incubation support programme
    Suitable for start-ups that require support to grow faster. More information on the incubation support programme is available on the LIAA website.

• Criteria for granting support

  Requirements for applicants to the Business Incubator’s pre-incubation programme: 

  • The applicant is a natural person (the author of the business idea) who is carrying out, or is about to start economic activity, or an enterprise that meets the definition of an SME that has been registered in the Commercial Register of the Republic of Latvia for no more than 3 years, and that does not have the state or a municipality as a shareholder. 
  • The applicant for the Creative Industries Incubator is active in the creative industries. 
  • The applicant has justified the need for support to improve or start economic activity, has defined the problems, the actions to be carried out and the indicators to be achieved. 
  • The applicant is eligible for support if they ensure that the objectives outlined during the pre-incubation period can be achieved. 
  • The applicant has justified the operational territory of the selected business incubator (not applicable to applicants to the Creative Industries Incubator). 
  • The applicant (merchant) is eligible for support if they do not have any tax or fee debts, including mandatory state social insurance payment debt, exceeding EUR 1,000 in total. 
  • The applicant (merchant) is eligible for support if they do not receive support under Activity 3.1.2.2 “Technology Accelerator” in the following accelerators: Buildit Latvia, Komercializācijas Reaktors, Overkill Ventures. 

  Requirements for applicants to the Business Incubator’s incubation programme: 

  • The applicant is an enterprise that meets the definition of a small and medium-sized enterprise (SME), has been registered in the Commercial Register of the Republic of Latvia for no more than 3 years, and does not have the state or a municipality as a shareholder. 
  • Merchants working in the creative industries can apply for support from the Creative Industries Incubator. 
  • The applicant has justified the need for support to improve or start economic activity, has defined the problems, the actions to be carried out and the indicators to be achieved. 
  • The applicant is eligible for support if they ensure that the objectives set during the incubation period will be achieved. 
  • An applicant is eligible for support if they have justified their link to the operational territory of the business incubator (the applicant’s actual or registered office is located in the territory of the business incubator). This criterion is not applicable if applying for the Creative Industries Incubator. 
  • The applicant (merchant) is eligible for support if they do not have any tax or fee debts, including mandatory state social insurance payment debt, exceeding EUR 1,000 in total. 
  • An applicant (merchant) is eligible for support if a natural person has not committed a criminal offence in their interests that has affected the financial interests of the Republic of Latvia or the European Union and the applicant (merchant) is not subject to coercive measures under the Criminal Law. 
  • The applicant (merchant) is eligible for support if they do not receive support under Activity 3.1.2.2 “Technology Accelerator” in the following accelerators: Buildit Latvia, Komercializācijas Reaktors, Overkill Ventures. 

• Evaluation

  The applicant must apply to the incubator whose territory of operation corresponds to the actual activity or registered address of the natural person (in the pre-incubation stage) or company (in the pre-incubation and incubation stages). The Creative Industries Incubator is an exception; it is open to creative companies and business idea developers from all over Latvia. In order to apply to a business incubator, you can use our interactive map of Latvia to find the relevant incubator for your business or company. The applicant then can contact the incubator’s staff to find out more about the process of preparing the application, as well as the procedures and the deadlines

  The six-month pre-incubation programme is free and co-financing from members is not necessary. 

  Support that the pre-incubation programme provides for its members: 

  • Initial assessment of the business idea;
  • Individual consultations;
  • Three day-long business school training to learn the basics of business from experienced trainers;
  • PINK School — a series of classes to develop the business idea model together with the business incubator team;
  • Co-working space and office equipment;
  • Learning about the business environment — entrepreneurs will share their experience and visit the programme;
  • Participation in Latvia’s largest community of start-up entrepreneurs.

  Support that the incubation programme provides for its members:

  • Consultations from industry experts and mentors;
  • In-depth training and seminars;
  • Co-working space and office equipment;
  • Participation in Latvia’s largest community of start-up entrepreneurs;
  • 50% co-financing for different services and equipment;
  • 30% co-financing for the purchase of raw materials and supplies;
  • Free participation in the joint displays of LIAA business incubators at industry exhibitions, pop-up displays, etc.

  Incubation members can receive financing in two ways:

  • co-financed services;
  • grants.

  Financial support can be given for:

  • rent of premises;
  • accounting;
  • marketing;
  • design;
  • IT services (e.g. website, e-shop development, etc.);
  • prototyping;
  • legal services;
  • testing and certification;
  • participation fees for exhibitions in Latvia;
  • logistics;
  • purchase of machines;
  • purchase of raw materials;
  • aprīkojuma iegādie;
  • purchase of equipment and other specific services.

Additional information

• Programme description

  On 5 October 2016, the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) and the Central Finance and Contracting Agency signed agreement No. 3.1.1.6/16/I/001 on the implementation of the project “Regional Business Incubators and Creative Industries Incubator” under the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment” until 31 December 2023. 

  The project has estimated financing of EUR 28 million, made up of EUR 23,900,000 from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and EUR 4,217,648 from the national budget.

  The aim of the project is to support the creation and development of new viable and competitive merchants throughout Latvia and to provide natural persons (business idea authors), who are carrying out or intend to carry out economic activity, as well as micro, small and medium-sized entrepreneurs with the necessary business advice, training and activities on general business issues, mentoring support, premises and co-financing through grants for merchants’ operating costs. 

  12 regional business incubators, 5 support units and a Creative Industries Incubator have been created in Riga as part of the project.

• Regulation and documentation

  Regulation for the implementation of Operational Activity 3.1.1.6 “Regional business incubators and Creative Industries incubator” of the Operational Programme “Growth and Employment”, Specific Objective 3.1.1 “To promote the establishment and development of SMEs, especially in the manufacturing industry and RIS3 priority sectors”.

  Application for support, documents, summary of project implementation results.

• Useful websites

  • Applying for support
  • Documents
  • Summary of project implementation results

• support
  Dalība inkubācijas programmā
  • Business networking
  • Product development, business incubators
  • Public events, trainings
• fees
  Dalība kopstendā
  • Business networking
  • Grants and funding