TAKEOFF Seed Fund Award 2026 launched with increased funding pot for entrepreneurs and researchers

The Ministry for the Economy, Enterprise and Strategic Projects, together with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, Malta University Holding Company and University of Malta, has launched the TAKEOFF Seed Fund Award (TOSFA) 2026, with this year’s funding allocation increasing by €5,000 to a total of €155,000.

The programme aims to support entrepreneurs and researchers in taking their ventures from concept stage to commercialisation and is run with the support of the University’s Knowledge Transfer Office (KTO), TAKEOFF Business Incubator and the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation (CEBI).

Researchers at the University of Malta can apply for Proof of Concept (POC) funding, aimed at helping move research closer to commercial viability, while Seed Funding (SF) is available to entrepreneurs seeking to secure their first customer or investment.

This year’s edition also continues the involvement of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority in supporting research projects focused on artificial intelligence.

The programme has been running since 2014 and has supported several local ventures over the years, including craft beer producer Huskie, wedding service platform Get Hitched, and meal plan provider Fortify.

Applicants are required to attend a mandatory online information session before submitting their final applications. The Proof of Concept workshop will take place on Friday 22nd May at 11am, while the Seed Fund workshop will be held on the same day at 2pm.

Applicants unable to attend the sessions must instead hold alternative meetings directly with the Knowledge Transfer Office for POC applications or TAKEOFF for Seed Funding applications.

The deadline for written submissions is Friday 12th June 2026 at noon.

BusinessNow.mt previously sat down with Joseph Bartolo, Manager of TAKEOFF, and Professor Russell Smith, Director of CEBI and Professor of Entrepreneurship, to discuss Malta’s start-up incubator ecosystem and the role TAKEOFF plays in supporting local ventures. Read more here.