EU funding for digitalisation in 2026: which programmes are open to SMEs

If you have heard that “there is EU money for digitalisation” and don’t know where to start, you are not alone. In 2026 the landscape looks different from previous years: the big PNRR (Romania’s Recovery and Resilience Plan) scheme for SME digitalisation is no longer accepting new applications, and money for businesses now comes mainly through the 2021–2027 regional programmes and the services of digital innovation hubs.

In the guide below you will find which EU funding programmes for digitalisation exist for SMEs in Romania in 2026, what you can include in a project, which conditions come up often and how to prepare so you don’t miss the call in your region. The information was checked at the time of writing (October 2026), but guides change often, so for any decision check the guide for the current call.

In short: what changed in 2026

• PNRR – SME digitalisation: the €20,000–100,000 grants are no longer accepting new applications. Businesses already funded had their implementation deadline extended by MIPE Order no. 607/2026 to 30 June 2026, and a further extension of no more than one month, to 31 July 2026, was announced later.
• The 2021–2027 regional programmes are now the main source of grants for business digitalisation. Each of Romania’s eight development regions has its own programme, its own timetable and its own rules.
• European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH), funded through PoCIDIF, offer subsidised services (testing, consultancy, training), not money for purchases.

The Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE) publishes an indicative calendar of calls. The version updated in May 2026 covered around 226 calls, with allocations of over €4.8 billion, of which about €3.6 billion came from 2021–2027 cohesion policy. Digitalisation is among the priority areas, but most concrete calls for businesses are at regional level.

Regional programmes: where the money for businesses is

Each Regional Development Agency (ADR) manages a regional programme. Some have already closed their calls, others are preparing new ones, and in some regions the digitalisation money for this period goes to public administration, not businesses. Here is the situation for the calls we were able to verify.

Centre Region (Alba, Brașov, Covasna, Harghita, Mureș, Sibiu)

ADR Centru is preparing call 2, “Digital enterprises for an advanced economy” (“Întreprinderi digitale pentru o economie avansată”, Action 2.2 of the Centre Region Programme). According to the official call sheet, not yet launched when it was published:

• the grant is between €15,000 and €200,000 per project, as de minimis aid;
• the total budget of the call is €14,113,032;
• micro, small and medium-sized enterprises can apply, without partners;
• eligible activities include digital technologies for internal processes, simple or complex AI solutions (including chatbots), digital communication with suppliers and customers, digital maturity audits and staff training.

The guide put out for public consultation in April 2026 explicitly mentioned ERP, CRM and RPA systems, software licences (including temporary subscription-based licences), a list of excluded CAEN activity codes (including IT activities) and conditions such as an operating profit in the previous financial year. The exact co-financing rate and submission timetable need to be confirmed in the final guide.

North-West Region (Bihor, Bistrița-Năsăud, Cluj, Maramureș, Satu Mare, Sălaj)

The call for businesses “Digitalisation of SMEs in the North-West Development Region” closed on 25 November 2024. At the time of checking, the programme’s official calls page showed no new digitalisation call dedicated to businesses. Instead, a call for local public administrations is open until 30 October 2026, which we cover in our article on AI in town halls.

Bucharest-Ilfov Region

The Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Programme is preparing Action 1.7, “Advanced digital transformation of SMEs”, with announced grants of €25,000 to €200,000, an indicative budget of around €25 million and the condition that advanced digitalisation activities make up at least 50% of the eligible value. The launch has been postponed several times and was expected in autumn 2026. Check the current call guide on the ADR Bucharest-Ilfov website.

The other regions

For the North-East, South-East, South-Muntenia, South-West Oltenia and West regions, the situation varies: some calls for businesses have already closed, others are being prepared. Don’t judge by the title: some calls with “digitalisation” in their name are open only to public authorities. The safe route is the launch calendar published by your region’s ADR.

Digital innovation hubs: services, not money

Through Action 2.4 of PoCIDIF, the European Digital Innovation Hubs in Romania can offer SMEs subsidised services. The four types of service are “test before invest”, innovation consultancy, training and support in finding funding. Aid intensity can reach 100% of eligible costs for consultancy services. One of the hubs, DIH4Society, is coordinated by the Cluj IT Association.

For a business that doesn’t yet know what to digitalise, an audit or a test through a hub can be a good first step before applying to a regional programme.

What you can usually include in a digitalisation project

Every guide has its own list of eligible costs, but the categories that come up often are:

• software and licences: ERP, CRM, RPA, BI, document management, electronic signature, AI tools;
• implementation, configuration, integration and testing;
• IT equipment, where it is needed for the digitalisation plan;
• cyber security and data protection;
• staff training;
• digital maturity audits and, sometimes, consultancy for writing and managing the project.

In practice, a project can include an ERP or CRM built around your business processes, a customer chatbot or an AI voice agent that takes calls. Whether the solution falls within an eligible category in your guide is decided by the authority, based on the description in your funding application.

Conditions that come up often and rule many businesses out

• The CAEN code: the lists of excluded activity codes are long and usually include IT activities. Check your authorised codes too, not just your main code.
• Trading history and results: many guides require at least one completed financial year, employees and an operating profit.
• The de minimis ceiling: under Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, de minimis aid for a single undertaking cannot exceed €300,000 over three years. If you have already received de minimis aid, work out how much you have left.
• Co-financing: varies from call to call. On top of co-financing, factor in VAT and the fact that the grant is usually paid after you have spent the money.
• Place of implementation: the project must be implemented in the programme’s region.

How to prepare in 6 steps

1. Find out which programme applies to you. The region is determined by where the project is implemented. Sign up for your regional ADR’s announcements.
2. Check eligibility before anything else. CAEN code, trading history, profit, employees, de minimis aid received. If you fail a single criterion, the rest is pointless.
3. Write down on one page the problem you want to solve. For example: “we lose orders because we don’t answer the phone at peak times” or “invoices and stock are kept in three Excel files”.
4. Ask for a detailed technical quote. A technology supplier can describe the solution, the modules, the stages and the costs, so your consultant can classify them correctly in the application.
5. Work with an EU funding consultant. They know the guide, the scoring grid and the MySMIS2021 platform. Your technology supplier shouldn’t be writing your funding application.
6. Set aside the money for co-financing and for the period until reimbursement. An approved project you can’t implement is a problem, not a success.

Mistakes to avoid

• Buying software before the funding contract is signed without checking in the guide which costs are eligible and from what date.
• Choosing technology because it “looks good” in the application, not because you need it. A system nobody uses after implementation is money wasted, even if it was non-repayable.
• Forgetting the costs after the project: hosting, usage, maintenance. They depend on volume and stay with you once the funding ends.
• Waiting for the call to open before you start preparing. Submission windows are short, and quotes and company documents take time.

Where Neurotech comes in

Neurotech AI is a technology supplier, not an EU funding consultancy. We don’t write funding applications and we don’t promise that a project will be approved. What we do: we build the systems that can form part of a digitalisation project (AI voice agents, chatbots, process automation, custom ERP and CRM, websites) and we work alongside your consultant so the technical quote is clear, realistic and easy to classify.

As a reference, our public implementation prices start from €800 for a WhatsApp chatbot, €1,200 for an automation, €1,500 for an AI voice agent and €2,500 for a custom ERP or CRM, excluding VAT, paid in instalments tied to deliverables.

If you want to find out what would make sense to digitalise in your business before the call in your region opens, book a free 30-minute call. We start from your problem, not from the guide.