Digital Upgrade Scheme for Businesses – 3rd Call (2025)
Funding Opportunity from the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry – Budget: €14 million
The 3rd call for proposals under the Digital Upgrade Scheme with a total budget of €14 million closed on May 20, 2025, since the available budget is exhausted.
Objective of the Scheme
To support businesses in automating their processes, becoming more productive and efficient through the use of digital tools and technologies.
Eligible Applicants
- Existing SMEs (operating for more than 3 years)
- New SMEs: Must include e-commerce or the use of advanced digital technologies (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain) in their proposal.
Funding Amount
- Up to €50,000 per business (covers 50% of the total eligible budget)
- Minimum budget: €5,000
- Maximum eligible budget: €100,000
- For businesses located or relocating to mountainous or disadvantaged areas, the grant covers 70% of the total eligible budget.
Eligible Cost Categories
1. Off-the-shelf Software Licenses
Includes purchase and installation of user licenses or cloud-based access (SaaS).
Examples:
- Antivirus, Operating Systems
- Accounting Applications, CRM
- Adobe Creative Cloud, Salesforce, Slack, Zoom
2. Specialized Software, Systems & IT Services
Includes:
- ERP, HRMS, CRM, BI, ECM, DMS, BPM, RPA
- E-commerce platforms
- Custom software development
- Industrial digitization
- e-Invoicing, Data Analytics, Sales Force Automation
- Secure Payment Systems
Costs can be covered via service purchase or cloud subscription (up to 36 months).
3. Other Digital Upgrade Services (Non-IT Systems)
Eligible services include:
- Digital marketing & promotion (social media presence, product videos, content creation)
- Implementation & certification in digital security/functionality standards (e.g., ISO27001)
Digital marketing is eligible ONLY if the proposal includes an e-commerce platform. Max eligible cost: 10% of the e-shop-related budget.
Consulting fees are eligible up to €1,000.
4. Digital Equipment
Includes:
- Network Equipment (Routers, Firewalls, WAFs, Load Balancers)
- Servers, Blade Servers
- Storage Networks (SAN), Gateways, UPS
- Equipment via Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)
- Barcode Readers
Why Choose Growth Consultants Ltd
Our team specializes in preparing and submitting successful applications under this scheme.
In the 2022 and 2023 calls, Growth Consultants Ltd secured €292,070 in grants for clients, from total submitted proposals worth €584,140.
