European funds for SME digitalisation in Romania 2026 — what you can access and how

In 2026 there are non-reimbursable grants of €15,000–200,000 for SME digitalisation in Romania, through PNRR, PoCIDIF, Regional Programmes and EDIH.

Romania has, in 2026, one of the richest European funding calendars in recent years. The Ministry of Investments and European Projects published an updated calendar covering 226 project calls with a total value of over €4.8 billion — of which around €3.6 billion comes from Cohesion Policy 2021–2027. A significant share goes directly to small and medium enterprise digitalisation.

Yet most Romanian SMEs access none of this funding. Not for lack of eligibility — but for lack of clear information on what exists, how it works and where to start.

This article covers exactly those gaps. You will find the complete map of programmes active or launching in 2026, with amounts, eligibility criteria and concrete application steps — without useless jargon or exaggerated promises.

EU funding programmes are dynamic. Guidelines change, deadlines are extended or shortened, calls open and close. Information in this article is correct at publication date, but before any decision always verify official documents on mfe.gov.ro and the relevant managing authority website.

Why 2026 is an important year for digitalisation funding

There are three reasons why 2026 is a particular moment, different from previous years.

First: PNRR enters the final stretch. SME digitalisation grants under Component 9 are in the final implementation phase — new registration calls have closed, but companies with signed contracts must complete spending and supporting documents by 30 June 2026. If you are in an active PNRR project, priority number one is to close purchases before that date.

Second: Regional Programmes 2021–2027 open new calls. Replacing the old regional operational programmes, all eight regional programmes have their own budgets for SME digitalisation and launch calls throughout 2026. Available amounts per project can reach €200,000.

Third: The PoCIDIF scheme for European Digital Innovation Hubs was extended in March 2026 and now also covers mid-cap enterprises, not just classic SMEs. Aid payments can continue until 2029, so the window is longer than it appears for other programmes.

Programme 1: PNRR — SME digitalisation (grants €20,000–100,000)

What it is

Component 9, Investment 3.1 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan — the best-known and most accessed SME digitalisation programme in recent years. It offered non-reimbursable grants between €20,000 and €100,000 per company, with 10–30% own contribution on the eligible value.

Status in 2026

Registration calls are closed. Approximately 4,500 beneficiaries with signed contracts are in implementation. The deadline for completing projects and cost eligibility is 30 June 2026, under MIPE Order no. 607/2026.

If your company has an active PNRR contract: purchases, acceptances and supporting documents must be completed before that date. Extension is possible through a notification in the PNRR platform, submitted before the current period expires.

If your company did not apply: this specific programme no longer has open calls for new beneficiaries. Read on — active alternatives exist.

What costs were eligible

The PNRR C9 eligible cost list is representative for other digitalisation programmes too:

• Software licences — ERP, CRM, BI, DMS, WMS, RPA, AI and IoT tools;
• Implementation, configuration, integration and testing services;
• IT equipment — servers, workstations, professional mobile devices, network equipment;
• Cybersecurity and data protection solutions;
• Electronic signature and document management platforms;
• Employee training for using new technologies;
• Consultancy for funding application preparation and digital maturity audit.

Programme 2: Regional Programmes 2021–2027 — grants €15,000–200,000

What it is

Each of Romania's eight development regions has its own Regional Programme 2021–2027, with calls dedicated to SME digitalisation. These are managed by Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) and are the main funding source for companies that missed PNRR.

Available amounts per project vary by region and call, but generally range between €15,000 and €200,000, with a minimum 10% own contribution.

Bucharest-Ilfov region — Call 1.7

Regional Programme Bucharest-Ilfov 2021–2027, Priority 1, Action 1.7 — „Advanced digital transformation of SMEs" offers grants between €25,000 and €200,000 per project.

Essential condition: advanced digitalisation activities must represent at least 50% of the eligible project value.

Eligible costs specific to this call:

• IT equipment and tangible assets (servers, graphics workstations, network equipment, mobile devices, scanners);
• Software applications — ERP, CRM, RPA, BI, DMS, WMS, AI, IoT, blockchain;
• Customisation, installation, configuration and testing costs;
• Production or service process automation;
• Cybersecurity.

Who can apply: SMEs in Bucharest and Ilfov county from non-IT sectors (the company's CAEN code must not be in IT — these are excluded from Call 1.7). Check the full list of eligible CAEN codes in the official guide before submitting.

Own contribution: minimum 10%, with additional scoring for contribution up to 20%.

Centru region — call in preparation

Regional Programme Centru 2021–2027 is preparing a new call for non-IT companies in Alba, Brașov, Covasna, Harghita, Mureș and Sibiu, with grants between €15,000 and €200,000 for investments in artificial intelligence, virtual reality and other digitalisation technologies.

The call was in public consultation when this article was written. Check the updated calendar on the ADR Centru website.

The other six regions

Each regional RDA manages its own call calendar. Nord-Est, Nord-Vest, Sud-Est, Sud Muntenia, Sud-Vest Oltenia and Vest regions have similar programmes with slightly different budgets and criteria. Check your regional RDA website or inforegio.ro for the updated calendar.

Programme 3: PoCIDIF — digitalisation through EDIH hubs

What it is and how it works differently

PoCIDIF (Intelligent Growth, Digitalisation and Financial Instruments Programme 2021–2027) has a total allocation of over €2.1 billion from ERDF. For SMEs, the most accessible mechanism is Action 2.4 — digitalisation through European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH).

Unlike classic grants — where you receive money for purchases — the EDIH model works differently: you do not receive cash in your account, but free or subsidised access to concrete digitalisation services, delivered by hub specialists. Funding intensity can reach 100% for innovation consultancy services, with a cap of up to €220,000 per enterprise over three fiscal years.

The scheme was extended in March 2026 (MIPE Order 440/2026) and now also covers mid-cap enterprises, not just classic SMEs. Aid payments can continue until end of 2029.

What services an EDIH offers

European Digital Innovation Hubs offer four main service categories:

1. Test Before Invest
You can test a digital technology in real conditions before spending money on implementation. Want to know if an AI document recognition system works for your processes? You test it free at the EDIH, with your real data, before any purchase.

2. Innovation consultancy
Experts who analyse your company's digital maturity, identify digitalisation opportunities and help you build a strategy. In practice, you receive a digital audit and action plan — free or mostly subsidised.

3. Professional training
Courses and workshops for your team on digitalisation, AI, cybersecurity, industry-specific tools.

4. Funding support
EDIHs help you identify suitable funding programmes and prepare the required documentation.

Active EDIHs in Romania in 2026

Romania has several accredited or launching hubs, with different geographic coverage and sector specialisation:

TEDIHT (Transilvania EDIH) — coordinated by Transilvania IT in Cluj, worked with over 103 beneficiaries (70 SMEs and 33 public institutions) in the first phase. Specialisation: IT, manufacturing, smart city.

FIT EDIH 2.0 — launched May 2026, coordinated by Iceberg+ in Brașov. Coverage: Centru region (Alba, Brașov, Covasna, Harghita, Mureș, Sibiu) and partially Bucharest-Ilfov. Specialisation: artificial intelligence, digital health, creative industries, smart city. Duration: May 2026 – April 2029.

Other regional EDIHs exist in various stages. Check the full list on edih.eu or contact your regional RDA.

How to access EDIH services

The process is deliberately simpler than classic grants:

1. Contact the relevant regional EDIH;
2. Complete a digital maturity assessment (free);
3. The EDIH verifies eligibility and proposes suitable services;
4. Sign a service agreement contract;
5. Receive consultancy, training or testing — directly from hub specialists.

There is no complex funding application, no scoring grid, no months-long wait for approvals.

Programme 4: PoCIDIF Action 2.1 — for innovative IT companies

What it is

PoCIDIF Action 2.1 funds industrial research and experimental development, with a total budget of €48.8 million. It targets companies with ICT CAEN codes developing innovative products, services or applications based on AI, IoT, AR/VR, robotics.

Amounts: grants of €500,000–3,000,000, with aid intensity of 60–80% depending on region and company size.

Who is eligible: SMEs with IT sector CAEN codes, with a clear innovation element in the project. Not for implementing existing solutions — it requires evidence of technical or market novelty.

The guide went through two rounds of public consultation (September 2025 and December 2025–January 2026) and is due to be published officially. Check status on mfe.gov.ro.

Programme 5: Start-Up Nation 2026 (up to €50,000)

What it is

Start-Up Nation is one of the best-known programmes for newly founded companies in Romania. The 2026 edition offers grants of up to €50,000 (approximately 200,000 RON) for companies up to 2 years old.

The digital component is eligible — you can include in the project:

• Computers, laptops, tablets and peripherals;
• Software licences and annual subscriptions;
• Creating a website or application;
• Activity-specific equipment with a digital component.

Important: Start-Up Nation is not a programme dedicated exclusively to digitalisation — it funds general business start-up investments, including equipment, premises, advertising. The digital component is one of the eligible categories, not the sole purpose of the programme.

What you can fund concretely: common eligible costs

Regardless of programme, there is a list of costs consistently eligible in almost all digitalisation calls. It is useful to know it before evaluating whether a programme fits you:

Software and licences
ERP (resource planning), CRM (customer relations), BI (business intelligence), DMS (document management), WMS (warehouse management), RPA (robotic process automation), artificial intelligence tools, IoT platforms, electronic signature solutions, content management systems.

Implementation services
Configuration, customisation, system integration, testing, data migration, commissioning — usually covered within a percentage of total eligible value.

IT equipment
Servers, workstations, professional laptops and tablets, network and storage equipment, scanners and peripherals, videoconferencing equipment.

Cybersecurity
Hardware and software security solutions, security audits, GDPR-compliant data protection.

Training
Training for using newly implemented systems — usually within 10–15% of total eligible value.

Consultancy
Funding application preparation and project management — usually within 10% of eligible value.

Who is NOT eligible — frequent eligibility mistakes

Before investing time preparing an application, check whether you fall into one of these frequent exclusion situations:

Wrong CAEN code. Each programme has a list of eligible CAEN codes and sometimes excluded codes. Bucharest-Ilfov Call 1.7, for example, excludes IT companies (because other programmes exist for them). Always check the CAEN list in the specific call guide.

Company in financial difficulty. Companies with significant losses, state budget debts or ongoing insolvency proceedings are excluded from almost all programmes.

Activity too recent or too old. Some programmes require minimum 1–2 years of activity (to demonstrate viability). Others (Start-Up Nation) are exclusively for new companies. Check the age criterion.

Double funding. You cannot fund the same costs from two European sources simultaneously. If you have an active PNRR project, you cannot include the same purchases in a Regional Programme project.

Exceeded de minimis aid ceiling. The de minimis rule limits state aid received by a company to €300,000 over three fiscal years. If you already received significant aid from other sources, check whether you exceeded the cap.

Concrete steps to apply — from zero to submitted application

Step 1: Basic eligibility check (1–2 days)

Before anything else, verify whether your company meets basic criteria:

• Primary (or secondary, if accepted) CAEN code is on the programme's eligible list;
• Company has no state budget debts and is not in insolvency;
• Company age matches programme requirements;
• You have not exceeded the de minimis cap.

You can do these checks yourself in a few hours, with the applicant guide and ANAF extract.

Step 2: Digital maturity audit (1–2 weeks)

Many programmes require or award extra points for a digital maturity audit — an assessment of the company's current digitalisation level and improvement needs. This document justifies why you need the proposed investments.

If you access EDIH services, the audit is free and delivered by hub experts. If you apply directly for grants, you can commission the audit from a consultant or specialised firm.

Whichever path you take, do the audit earlier than you think necessary — it is the document that will underpin the entire investment plan.

Step 3: Digitalisation plan and purchase list (2–4 weeks)

Based on the audit, you build the concrete plan: what to buy, from whom, at what price, with what expected impact on business activity. You need:

• At least 2–3 price quotes from suppliers for each major purchase;
• Technical justification for each solution (why that software, not another);
• Implementation plan with realistic deadlines;
• Detailed budget with funding sources (grant + own contribution).

Practical tip: Do not build the purchase list starting from what you can buy — start from your company's real problems. Which process is most inefficient? What data is missing for good decisions? What takes unjustifiably long? Only after you have answers do you identify technical solutions that solve them. An application built backwards — „I saw I can buy an ERP, so I put an ERP in the project" — risks rejection or, worse, delivering a system nobody uses.

Step 4: Administrative documentation (1–2 weeks)

The funding application includes a standard set of administrative documents:

• Tax registration certificate and updated articles of association;
• Financial statements and accounts for the last 2 years;
• Tax clearance certificate (no state debts);
• Self-declarations on eligibility and avoiding double funding;
• Updated trade register extract;
• Digital maturity report (if required).

Most of these documents are obtained online from ANAF, ONRC or MySMIS portals.

Step 5: Submitting the application (MySMIS2021)

European funding applications are submitted through the MySMIS2021 platform (mysmis2021.mfe.gov.ro). Create an account if you do not have one, familiarise yourself with the platform before the call opens and do not leave submission to the last days — online platforms overload at session end.

Step 6: Evaluation and contracting (2–6 months)

Application evaluation takes, depending on programme and volume, between 2 and 6 months. If approved, negotiation and signing of the funding contract follow.

Remember: you receive money after you make and document expenses — not before. You will need own financing or a bridge loan to cover costs until reimbursement.

Step 7: Implementation and reimbursement (12 months)

The implementation period is usually 12 months from contract signing. During this period: make purchases, implement solutions, train the team and document everything. At the end, submit the reimbursement request with all supporting documents — invoices, contracts, acceptance minutes, payment proofs.

Whether to use a European funds consultant

The question almost every entrepreneur asks: is it worth paying a consultant or should I submit alone?

Arguments for a consultant:

Applicant guides are complex documents of dozens or hundreds of pages, with specific terminology and strict technical requirements. An application rejected for administrative reasons costs you months lost and sometimes the chance to apply again to that call. An experienced consultant knows what evaluators look for, how to phrase justifications and how to avoid frequent mistakes.

Consultant fees usually range between 3% and 8% of the grant value, paid partly on submission and partly on contract signing. For an €80,000 grant, that is €2,400–6,400 — justified if the alternative is rejection or wrong implementation.

Arguments for submitting alone:

If you have previous European funds experience, if the programme is simple (as some PNRR calls were with clear criteria) or if you are willing to spend 2–4 weeks reading the guide and preparing documentation, you can submit alone. You save the consultant fee and have full control over the process.

Practical conclusion: for a first European funds project, especially if the grant value is significant (€50,000+), a consultant with verifiable references in the field and specific programme is worth serious consideration. Do not hire someone who promises 100% evaluation success — nobody can guarantee that, and whoever promises either lies or does not understand the process.

How European funds integrate with your company's digitalisation plan

European funds are a tool, not an end in itself. The most frequent mistake digitalisation consultants see is companies building the project around what is eligible, not around what they actually need.

The result? They implement a €60,000 ERP because „it is eligible", but nobody in the company actually uses it. Or they buy IT equipment because it is easy to justify, without defining what problem it solves.

The correct order is reversed:

First: identify the most painful efficiency, visibility or scalability problems in your company. Not what you think you should digitalise — what costs you time and money now.

Then: identify technical solutions that solve them. Custom software, SaaS, equipment — depending on the problem.

Then: check whether these solutions fit eligible categories of an active or upcoming programme.

Only then: build the funding application, with an investment plan based on real needs.

European funds do not change what you need — they reduce the cost of getting what you need anyway. That is an important difference.

Recommended calendar: what to do in the coming months

If you are at the start of the process and want to apply for a programme opening in the second half of 2026, here is a realistic timeline:

Now — month 1: Check basic company eligibility (CAEN code, tax debts, age, de minimis). Identify relevant programme(s) for your region and size. Subscribe to regional RDA and MIPE newsletters for updates.

Months 1–2: Do the digital maturity audit — contact an EDIH for a free audit or hire a consultant. Define the real problems you want to solve through digitalisation.

Months 2–3: Build the digitalisation plan and purchase list. Request price quotes from suppliers. Calculate total budget and identify own contribution source.

Months 3–4: Prepare administrative documentation (accounts, certificates, declarations). Create or update your MySMIS2021 account.

When the call opens: Submit the application as early as possible — not in the last days.

Ongoing preparation (regardless of calls): If you want EDIH services, contact the regional hub now — you do not need to wait for a specific call to open.

Where to verify official information

Information sources to follow constantly:

• mfe.gov.ro — Ministry of Investments and European Projects. All official guides, call calendar, amendment orders;
• inforegio.ro — central portal for Regional Programmes, with news and updates per region;
• Regional RDA websites — ADR Nord-Est, Nord-Vest, Centru, Sud-Est, Sud Muntenia, Sud-Vest Oltenia, Vest, Bucharest-Ilfov. Each publishes its own call calendar;
• mysmis2021.mfe.gov.ro — official funding application submission platform;
• edih.eu — European map of Digital Innovation Hubs, with Romania's list;
• startupcafe.ro — the best Romanian-language journalistic source for monitoring new calls, guide changes and funding ecosystem news.

Conclusion: the money exists — preparation is missing

Romania has, in 2026, a wider digitalisation funding window than in any previous year. Grants between €15,000 and €200,000 for software, IT equipment and automation investments — accessible to SMEs in all regions, from all activity sectors (with exceptions noted in guides).

Most of this money will remain unaccessed — not because eligible companies do not exist, but because eligible companies do not know about it, lack time to prepare or postpone preparation until the call is already open with a deadline in days.

Preparation does not mean writing the application now. It means doing the digital maturity audit, clarifying what you want to solve through digitalisation and keeping administrative documents up to date. The rest follows naturally when the right call opens.

If you want to discuss which software solutions could fit your funding project and what implementation would look like, we are available — we bring the technical perspective that European funds consultants usually lack.

Update note: Information in this article reflects the funding programme situation as of June 2026. Guidelines change frequently. Before any investment or application decision, verify official documents on mfe.gov.ro and the relevant regional RDA website.