Entrepreneurship Action for Young People Aged 18–29, with Emphasis on Women, the Digital & Green Economy

DYPA announces a new entrepreneurship action for young people aged 18–29, aiming to promote self-employment and the creation of new small and medium-sized enterprises. The program targets 2,114 unemployed individuals who are Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEETs) and places particular emphasis on unemployed women, as well as on businesses operating in the digital and green economy sectors. Through this action, participants will have the opportunity to acquire the necessary tools and support to implement sustainable and innovative business ideas.

Eligible Beneficiaries

Potential beneficiaries must cumulatively meet the following criteria on the date of submission of the funding application:

Registered unemployed individuals in the DYPA digital registry, aged 18 to 29.
Completion of the individualized approach process and possession of a Digital Individual Action Plan.
Not in employment, education or training (NEET).
Greek citizens, citizens of another EU Member State, persons of Greek origin with the right to reside and work in Greece, or third-country nationals holding a valid residence permit or renewal application at the date of submission.
Male applicants must have fulfilled or been legally exempted from their military obligations.
Establish and legally operate their business within Greek territory, in forms such as sole proprietorships, General Partnerships (OE), Limited Partnerships (EE), Limited Liability Companies (EPE), Single-Member EPE, Civil Cooperatives, Private Capital Companies (IKE), Single-Member IKE (the exact legal forms will be defined in the Call for Proposals).
The business activity must operate in an independent professional space. The use of a suitably configured area within the residence is permitted only in the following cases: (a) parents with a child up to 6 years old, or (b) individuals caring for a spouse or first-degree relative with a disability of 80% or more.

Non-eligible Activities

The following business activities are not eligible under the action:

Activities requiring the existence of a vacant position, such as notaries or court bailiffs.
Activities related to the operation of passenger or freight public-use vehicles.
Seasonal businesses and businesses such as kiosks, canteens, newsstands, itinerant businesses, gambling or electronic gambling activities, as well as non-eligible NACE codes.
Businesses operating exclusively in home food delivery services (delivery).
Businesses engaged in short-term rental of properties and accommodation.
Businesses with a composite object, where part of the activity falls under the exclusions.
Activities belonging to organized distribution networks or intellectual property exploitation systems (franchising, shop-in-shop).
Businesses operating exclusively between 22:00 and 06:00.
Activities not covered by Regulation (EU) 2023/2831.
Businesses with the same activity operating in a space where another business operated within the previous six months.
Businesses resulting from transfer, change of legal form, dissolution, or reactivation of existing businesses in the same space and with the same object.
Individuals who participated in previous New Self-Employed Professionals (NEE) programs from 01/01/2019 onwards.
Individuals who terminate a business activity from the date of publication of the program onwards.
Individuals who terminated an activity from 01/01/2022 and wish to reopen with the same object or NACE code.
Co-located businesses, unless operating within business support structures (incubators, technology parks, co-working spaces) with clearly defined independent premises.

Application and Implementation Process

Funding applications are submitted electronically through the Integrated State Aid Information System (OPSKE), according to the procedure defined in the Detailed Call for Proposals. Applications are evaluated comparatively by DYPA in two main stages:

Stage A: Completeness and Eligibility Check

Verification of compliance with all participation requirements, including age, registration in the digital registry, completion of the Digital Individual Action Plan, compliance with NACE codes, and absence of overlap with other funding schemes.

Stage B: Evaluation of Proposals by Criterion Group

Evaluation is carried out across four groups of criteria:

1st Criterion Group: Completeness of Proposal Content

(A1) Clarity and completeness of the proposal’s physical object
(A2) Realism of the timetable and risk assessment

2nd Criterion Group: Compliance with Institutional Framework and Horizontal Policies

(B1) Compliance with competition rules, gender equality, non-discrimination and accessibility for persons with disabilities, and institutional framework requirements
(B2) Compliance with the institutional framework excluding public procurement, taking into account the Charter of Fundamental Rights
(B3) Ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities

3rd Criterion Group: Purposefulness of the Project

(C1) Necessity of implementation and relevance to the beneficiary’s skills and experience (1–10)
(C2) Effectiveness (1–10)
(C3) Efficiency (1–10)
(C4) Sustainability and utilization of results for labor market integration (1–10)

4th Criterion Group: Project Maturity (1–10)

(D1) Stage of preparatory actions, securing licenses, and implementation progress

Proposals belonging to priority groups (women, digital and/or green economy NACE codes) receive an additional 10 points.

Budget – Project Duration

The action is co-financed by the Greek State and the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) under the program “Human Resources and Social Cohesion” 2021–2027, with a total public budget of €37,000,000. Each new entrepreneur/beneficiary will receive a grant of €17,500, paid in three installments based on the following milestones:

Milestone A: 1st installment of €4,700 after the start of business activity.
Milestone B: 2nd installment of €6,400 after completion of the first six months of operation, subject to verification of continued activity.
Milestone C: 3rd installment of €6,400 after completion of the second six months of operation, subject to corresponding verification.

The total duration of the grant is set at 12 months from the business start date.

Subscribe to our Newsletter to receive immediate updates on every new program.

We are at your disposal for any information or clarification you may require.