SME digitisation grants in Romania 2026: what is open, what qualifies, how to prepare

The PNRR "SME digitisation" call (€20,000-100,000) has closed for applications; the 2021-2027 Regional Programmes take over with new calls. What to know before planning your digitisation project. This is not funding advice.

SME digitisation grants in Romania in 2026: where things stand

• PNRR, "SME digitisation" (grants of €20,000-100,000): applications closed in 2023; contracted projects were implemented through 2026. No longer a source for new projects.
• Bucharest-Ilfov Regional Programme, call 1.7 "Advanced digital transformation of SMEs": grants of €25,000-200,000, own co-financing of at least 10%, provided that advanced digitisation activities (RPA, AI, ERP, CRM, IoT) make up at least 50% of the eligible value.
• Centre Regional Programme: new call for non-IT companies, grants of €15,000-200,000 for AI and digitisation technologies, in public consultation in 2026.
• Other regions have similar calls under the digitisation priority; check the ghidul solicitantului (the applicant guide) for your region - deadlines and conditions change.
• Beyond grants, the network of European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH), funded through the Digital Europe Programme, offers SMEs testing services, digital maturity assessments and training, usually without a grant paid into your account.

The figures above are thresholds from the call guides cited at the end, not project prices. They change from one version of a guide to the next and differ between regions, so the only correct approach is to read the applicant guide in force on the date you apply.

What qualifies

The calls fund, in essence, software that changes how a process runs: approval flows, document management, integrations with the existing ERP, automation with AI or RPA, training for the people who use them. They do not fund a brochure website or hardware without an operational purpose. A project digitising the material approval process, quoting or tenant reporting usually fits this definition exactly - but whether it qualifies is decided by the call guide, not by us and not by the supplier.

Read the list of eligible costs before you build the budget. It usually covers software licences and development, implementation and integration services, user training and, within limits, equipment strictly needed for the solution to run. It usually does not cover day-to-day operating costs, nor purchases unconnected to the process described in the application. The word "usually" is deliberate: every call has its own list, and the differences between regions are real.

How to prepare

• Map the process before the call. The application requires a clear scope; "digitisation" without a process neither passes evaluation nor produces a result.
• Ask for a fixed-scope offer with a measurable success criterion - it is what the evaluator asks for and what protects you during implementation.
• Plan in phases: the first phase produces a visible result within weeks, the rest follows once you see the value.
• The durability period favours a fixed-price purchase over per-user subscriptions.
• Get the company paperwork ready early - financial statements, tax certificates and, where the call runs under a de minimis scheme, the de minimis declaration. A missing document is the most banal reason for rejection.

The order matters more than it seems. If you wait for the call to open before thinking about the process, you write the application under pressure and describe a project you have not thought through. If the process is mapped in advance, the application becomes the translation of a document you already have - and if the call is postponed, you are still left with a project worth doing.

How we help

We do not write grant applications - we work with your consultant. What we do: a one-week process assessment that produces the scope document, the estimate and the success criterion - exactly the pieces the application needs. Then the implementation, at a fixed price per scope. See how the platform is built, or write to us about the process you want to digitise.

Frequently asked questions

Does my company qualify?

That answer comes neither from us nor from your consultant, but from the call guide. As a rule, calls require the applicant to be an SME, with a minimum trading history and activity in eligible sectors, with no outstanding tax debts, and to put up its own co-financing. The exact conditions, including the eligible activity codes and the eligibility thresholds, are in the applicant guide for the call you intend to apply to - check them there, in the version in force.

Can I claim costs for a project already under way?

As a rule, no. Costs incurred before the eligibility date set in the guide are not reimbursed, and signing a supplier contract before that date can affect eligibility. Check in the call guide from which date costs are eligible and what counts as "starting the project" for that scheme.

How long from application to the first euro?

It depends on the call and on how many applications are filed: between submission, evaluation, contracting and the first payment claim, expect months rather than weeks. Plan so that the first phase produces something useful even without funding - otherwise the process stays blocked waiting for the contract.

Do I need a funding consultant?

Not compulsory, but the application has a form and a language of its own, and a consultant who knows the call saves you rounds of clarifications. We stay on the process and implementation side: describing what gets digitised, with what measurable result, and in what time.

Sources: MIPE (orders 606 and 607/2026), the Bucharest-Ilfov and Centre Regional Programme guides, the Digital Europe Programme for the EDIH network, StartupCafe. Always check the official call guide.