What Business Finland pays a games company, and what it does not
Finland runs its support through Business Finland rather than through tax credits. A small or medium company gets 50% of a research-oriented project funded and 35% of a development-oriented one, rising to 60% for pure industrial research. Larger companies get loans instead of grants for development work. None of it reaches user acquisition.
Türkiye refunds half of what a software company or game studio spends on advertising, app store commissions and hosting when it sells to customers abroad, and up to 70% when those customers are in one of twenty target markets. It is paid in cash, against invoices you have already settled. Try it with your own numbers.
01What can a software company in Finland claim?
| Programme | Type | What it pays | How long it takes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Finland research and development grants | Competitive grant | 35% to 60% of eligible project costs, depending on size and project type | Application and assessment. Plan in months. |
| Business Finland loans | Loan | 50% of eligible costs, and up to 70% with justification | Same application track as the grants |
02Which grants can you apply for in Finland?
2 of the 2 are competitive. You apply, you wait, and you might not get it. The upside is that the money is not tied to your tax position.
Business Finland research and development grants
Competitive grantRun by Business Finland
The main route for a Finnish company, and the reason so many small Finnish studios survive their first product.
| Small and medium companies | 50% of eligible costs for research-oriented projects and 35% for development-oriented projectssource |
|---|---|
| Midcap companies | 40% for research-oriented projects and 25% for development-oriented projectssource |
| Pure industrial research | 60% of total eligible costs for small and medium companies, and 50% for midcap and large companiessource |
| What counts as an SME | Fewer than 250 employees and turnover of no more than 50 million euro, or a balance sheet total of no more than 43 million eurosource |
Watch out. It funds projects, which means a defined plan with a beginning and an end. Continuous live operations work does not fit the shape.
Business Finland loans
LoanRun by Business Finland
For larger companies and for development-oriented work, the funding arrives as a loan rather than a grant.
| Standard share | The loan can cover 50% of total eligible project costssource |
|---|---|
| With justification | Up to 70% of costssource |
| Large companies | For development-oriented projects, large companies receive a loan of at most 50% rather than a grantsource |
Watch out. A loan is money you repay. It is cheaper than equity and it is not free, which changes the comparison with a reimbursement scheme.
03Which credits can you claim through your tax return?
These are not competitive. If the spend qualifies and the paperwork holds up, the money is yours.
04What will none of them pay for?
All four schemes pay for work done on the product itself. None of them covers what you spend getting people to play it or buy it.
What the four routes pay for
- Research and development projects with a defined plan
- Product development work, at a lower share
- Internationalisation projects
- Staff costs inside a funded project
What none of them touch
- Buying installs and paid media
- App store and platform commissions
- Hosting and live operations
- Ordinary running costs outside a project
Finland is on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target country list, so activity aimed at Finnish players is supported at the higher rate. If the commercial side of the business runs through a Turkish company, that spend comes back at 50% to 70%, paid in cash against invoices you have already settled.
| What you spend it on | Programme item | Paid back | Annual cap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ads and player acquisition | Digital product promotion: ads & marketing (up to 10 products/yr) | 50% to 70% | 50 000 000 ₺ ≈ $1,043,841 |
| App store and platform commissions | App store & platform commissions (up to 10 products/yr) | 50% | 20 000 000 ₺ ≈ $417,537 |
| Hosting and servers | Hosting costs | 50% | 5 000 000 ₺ ≈ $104,384 |
Caps are revalued upward every year, so these figures grow with inflation rather than erode. Rates and caps come from the same file as our calculator, so the two can never disagree.
What Türkiye would pay back on your spending
Türkiye runs a government programme that refunds part of what a software company or game studio spends on reaching customers abroad. It covers advertising, app store and platform commissions, and hosting. The refund is paid in cash against invoices the company has already settled, so it does not depend on the company making a profit. The standard rate is 50%, and it rises to 70% when the customers being targeted are in one of the twenty countries on the Turkish Ministry of Trade's target list.
Put your own yearly figures in below. The rates and the annual caps come from the same file as our full calculator, and the total updates as you type.
05Questions we get asked
Grant or loan, which will we get?
It depends on company size and on whether the project is research-oriented or development-oriented. Smaller companies and more research-heavy projects get grants, larger companies and development work tend to get loans.
Does Business Finland fund marketing under internationalisation?
Its instruments target the work of entering a market rather than the media spend of acquiring users. Install buying is treated as a commercial cost.
Is the funding dilutive?
No. Grants and loans do not take equity, which is why Finnish studios use them ahead of raising. The Turkish reimbursement works the same way and does not need an application round.
Why we track other countries' schemes
CyberScope Solutions is an Istanbul consultancy that manages Türkiye's IT export incentive claims for software companies and game studios. Founders ask us what they would be giving up by moving activity here, so we read the schemes they already use. That is why this page exists and why the figures on it are dated.
- Every figure is sourced. Each number links to the page it came from and carries the date we last checked it.
- We do the filing. Claims run through DYS, the ministry's own system, and we handle the evidence pack, the deadlines and the follow-up questions.
- You find out early if it is not for you. The first call is thirty minutes and we will say plainly if your spend pattern does not suit the programme.
Turn that number into money
Send us the rough shape of your spend. You get back what it is worth, what setting it up involves, and how fast the first claim can go in. Companies already operating here treat this as routine, and the six month window means the clock is running on invoices you have already paid.
- A reply from a person within one working day
- No mailing list, no drip sequence
- Thirty minutes, and you keep the numbers either way
Got it.
We will read it properly and reply within a working day. If you would rather get it over with now, pick a time that suits you.
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