The Ministry of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism (MEDAT) reopens registration for the free entrepreneurial training courses within the Start-Up Nation program, dedicated to young people aged between 18 and 29.
The 17,600 available places can be accessed starting October 6, 2026, at 10:00 a.m., on the minimis.imm.gov.ro platform. The courses last 40 hours, and upon completion the participants will receive a graduation certificate accredited by the Ministry of Labour, Family, Youth and Social Solidarity. Graduation from the courses is a mandatory condition for accessing, in the next stage of the program, funding of up to 250,000 lei.
“Start-Up Nation must mean more than a financing instrument for future entrepreneurs. We want young people who enter the program to have the necessary tools to build businesses that endure and grow. That is why the first step is entrepreneurial training, and then we provide funding of up to 250,000 lei for the transformation of good ideas into real businesses. For me, the measure of the success of this program is not how many contracts we sign or how much money we spend, but how many of these companies operate, create jobs and produce value in the economy. We have 17,600 places available and I encourage young people who have an idea and are ready to turn it into a serious project to sign up,” said Irineu Darău, Minister of Economy, Digitalization, Entrepreneurship and Tourism.
For this session, registration is open for four categories of beneficiaries, each having allocated a maximum number of places and a program indicator:
- 950 places for people aged between 18 and 30, residing in Bucharest-Ilfov; the program indicator is 700 registrations;
- 300 places for people aged between 18 and 30, belonging to the Roma minority, residing in Bucharest-Ilfov; the program indicator is 220 registrations;
- 13,500 places for people aged between 18 and 30, residing in less developed regions, excluding Bucharest-Ilfov; the program indicator is 10,000 registrations;
- 2,850 places for people aged between 18 and 30, belonging to the Roma minority, residing in less developed regions, without Bucharest-Ilfov; The program indicator is 2,100 registrations.
The program is aimed at young people regardless of their status on the labor market, including people who have returned to the country. The condition regarding the level of schooling is the graduation of secondary education (ISCED level 2).
People who enrolled in the first stage of training, were declared eligible, but did not graduate the courses, can re-enroll by updating the initial application. Before opening the new session, they must verify access to their personal account using the email address they originally signed up with. If they have access issues, they can request a change in their email address.
In the computer application, future entrepreneurs can select their professional training provider and can choose to conduct courses online or in physical format, in one of the locations provided by the organizers. The full list of providers contracted by MEDAT, as well as information on the locations and modalities of the courses are available on the minimis.imm.gov.ro.
- The app’s user guide is available here.
The registration session for the entrepreneurial training courses will remain open for 30 days, on the minimis.imm.gov.ro platform, with the possibility of extension until the available places are exhausted and a reserve list is established.
In the second stage of the Start-Up Nation program, the newly established companies of the graduates of the courses can benefit from a funding of a maximum of 250,000 lei, the equivalent of almost 50,000 euros, which can cover a maximum of 90% of the value of the eligible expenses related to the project, under the conditions provided by the program’s implementation procedure, available here.
In the event that the program’s indicators cannot be reached for reasons independent of the actions of MEDAT, the Agencies for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and Tourism and the Ministry of European Investments and Projects (MIPE), the registration stage can be closed and resumed later.
