EU start-up grants in Türkiye
- The ENHANCER PRO Start-Up Grant Scheme offers up to €30,000 per applicant in Türkiye to support new businesses. - The programme, run by ICMPD, covers Syrians under Temporary Protection, Turkish citizens and other eligible groups. - These grants expand the early-stage founder funnel but are not a substitute for venture capital. (www2.fundsforngos.org)
A European Union-backed grant program in Türkiye is offering would-be founders up to €30,000 to start businesses in 18 provinces, with applications open until June 19, 2026. (icmpd.org) The call was published on April 9 by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, or ICMPD, under the ENHANCER PRO project it runs with Türkiye’s Ministry of Industry and Technology and with European Union funding. The official applicant page says the grants are meant to help potential entrepreneurs cover early business setup costs. (icmpd.org) (enhancerpro.com.tr) Eligible groups include Syrians under Temporary Protection, people under International Protection, and host-community applicants, including Turkish citizens, according to ICMPD’s project description and notices circulated by regional development bodies. The grants are aimed at new businesses that can operate for 9 to 12 months under the scheme. (icmpd.org) (denizticaretodasi.org.tr) The program sits inside a larger four-year project that started on December 1, 2024 and runs through December 2028 with a total budget of €70 million. ENHANCER PRO covers Adana, Adıyaman, Ankara, Bursa, Elazığ, Gaziantep, Hatay, Istanbul, İzmir, Kahramanmaraş, Kayseri, Kilis, Kocaeli, Konya, Malatya, Mersin, Osmaniye and Şanlıurfa. (enhancerproject.com) That structure matters because the grant is designed as entry-stage support, not as venture capital. The program page lists business establishment costs, equipment and materials, rent, personnel, accounting, marketing and branding among the expenses it can support. (enhancerpro.com.tr) Türkiye has run earlier ENHANCER programs with European Union support focused on livelihoods, entrepreneurship and job creation for refugees and host communities. ICMPD says the new ENHANCER PRO project is a follow-on effort built around socio-economic inclusion through entrepreneurship. (icmpd.org 1) (icmpd.org 2) The application process is fully electronic and ICMPD says only documents on its own application platform have legal validity. A regional development agency notice said ICMPD also held an online information session on April 16, 2026 to explain the support, conditions and implementation process. (icmpd.org) (dogaka.gov.tr) For founders, the offer is straightforward: non-dilutive seed money for getting a company off the ground in a defined set of Turkish cities, with a fixed deadline and a public rulebook. For the institutions behind it, the target is broader — more formal businesses, more jobs and more durable income for mixed communities. (icmpd.org) (enhancerpro.com.tr)
