The Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) grant is an Enterprise Singapore grant that funds up to 70% of eligible third-party costs when a Singapore SME expands into a new overseas market. Support is capped per new market at S$20,000 for Overseas Market Promotion, S$50,000 for Overseas Business Development and S$30,000 for Overseas Market Set-up — up to S$100,000 in total. You apply on the Business Grants Portal before starting the project.
What is the MRA grant?
Enterprise Singapore (often shortened to ESG or EnterpriseSG) is the government agency championing enterprise development, and the Market Readiness Assistance grant is its flagship programme for helping smaller Singapore companies internationalise. The idea is simple: taking a first serious step into a market like Indonesia, Vietnam or the Philippines involves real, unavoidable third-party costs — market campaigns, partner searches, entity incorporation, product registration. MRA defrays a large share of those costs so the decision to expand is driven by opportunity, not by fear of the bill.
The grant is market-based: each "new market" — a country where your overseas sales have not exceeded S$100,000 in each of the last three preceding years — gets its own set of caps. Expand into two new markets and each carries its own S$100,000 ceiling.
Who is eligible for the MRA grant?
Four tests, all of which must hold:
- Registered and operating in Singapore. The applicant is a Singapore business entity.
- At least 30% local shareholding, held directly or indirectly by Singapore citizens or permanent residents.
- SME-sized. Group annual sales turnover of not more than S$100 million, or group employment of not more than 200 employees.
- New market. Overseas sales in the target market have not exceeded S$100,000 in each of the last three preceding years.
Enterprise Singapore makes the final assessment on every application, so treat the above as the gate, not the guarantee.
The three pillars of MRA support
| Pillar | What it funds | Cap per new market |
|---|---|---|
| Overseas Market Promotion (OMP) | Marketing and PR activities adapted to the target market — in-store promotions, road shows, pop-up stores, social and online/offline media publicity — plus physical and virtual trade fairs | S$20,000 |
| Overseas Business Development (OBD) | Identification of potential overseas partners with one-to-one business matching; deployment of a full-time in-market BD employee (Overseas Marketing Presence); outsourced in-market business development | S$50,000 |
| Overseas Market Set-up (OMS) | Overseas entity incorporation, IP/trademark registration, tax structure planning, import/export licensing, trade credit insurance and drafting of market-specific agreements | S$30,000 |
A few important boundaries apply across all pillars. MRA supports third-party costs, not in-house manpower. Singapore-imposed GST and out-of-pocket costs (airfare, accommodation, transport, staff meals) are excluded. Marketing must genuinely engage the target market — reusing Singapore-market content, or activities aimed at the domestic market, will not be supported.
How much support will I actually receive?
The prevailing support level is up to 70% of eligible costs, subject to each pillar's cap. A worked example: a 90-day Indonesia market validation programme with a S$28,000 professional fee attracts an estimated S$19,600 of support under Overseas Market Promotion (70%, within the S$20,000 cap), leaving a client share from S$8,400. Support is disbursed on successful claims after project completion — you pay the vendor and are reimbursed the supported share.
How do I apply for the MRA grant?
- Scope the project. One market, one pillar, one clearly defined set of activities with deliverables and KPIs.
- Get a proper quotation. An itemised vendor quotation matching the supportable activities. Vague quotations invite clarification rounds and cuts.
- Submit on the Business Grants Portal (BGP) using CorpPass, attaching the business proposal and quotation.
- Respond to clarifications. EnterpriseSG may ask about scope, pricing reasonableness or deliverables.
- Accept the Letter of Offer — then, and only then, start the project.
- Deliver, document and claim. Submit deliverables and payment evidence for reimbursement.
The golden rule: do not sign, pay or commence the project before your application is approved. Early commencement is the most common — and most avoidable — reason support is lost.
What gets applications and claims into trouble?
- Starting early. A signed contract or deposit before approval disqualifies the project.
- Translated, not localised. Claims require evidence of new content adapted to local preferences — not translations of existing Singapore assets.
- Missing evidence. No photos of activities, no meeting notes, no analytics. If it isn't documented, it didn't happen.
- Scope drift. Activities outside the approved scope or timeline are pro-rated or rejected.
- Weak KPIs. Deliverables are assessed against the KPIs in your proposal — set them deliberately.
For the full evidence checklist per pillar, see our guide to MRA claims and documentation.
Key takeaways
- MRA funds up to 70% of eligible third-party costs, up to S$100,000 per new market across three pillars.
- Eligibility: Singapore-registered, ≥30% local shareholding, SME-sized, and under S$100,000 of sales in the target market in each of the last three years.
- Apply on the Business Grants Portal and receive approval before signing, paying or starting anything.
- Claims live or die on evidence — build the documentation trail from day one.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MRA grant?
The Market Readiness Assistance (MRA) grant is an Enterprise Singapore grant that funds up to 70% of eligible costs when a Singapore SME expands into a new overseas market, across three pillars: Overseas Market Promotion, Overseas Business Development and Overseas Market Set-up.
What is the maximum MRA grant amount?
Up to S$100,000 per new market: S$20,000 for Overseas Market Promotion, S$50,000 for Overseas Business Development and S$30,000 for Overseas Market Set-up.
How long does MRA approval take?
Plan for several weeks to a few months from submission to Letter of Offer, depending on the completeness of your proposal and Enterprise Singapore's queries. You must not start the project before approval.
Want your application done right the first time?
Indoscale prepares grant-ready proposals, quotations, deliverables and KPIs for Indonesia projects under all three pillars — then executes with our Singapore and Jakarta teams.
Book a free 1-hour discovery sessionRelated reading: How to use the MRA grant for Indonesia · MRA claims & documentation · MRA grant overview
Sources: Enterprise Singapore, MRA Supportable Activities (updated 1 April 2026); enterprisesg.gov.sg. This article is general information, not grant advice; eligibility and approval rest with Enterprise Singapore.