PoCIDIF EDIH: €20.9 million for digitalisation services offered to SMEs and town halls

Under Action 6.1 of the Smart Growth, Digitalisation and Financial Instruments Programme (PoCIDIF), the Ministry of Investments and European Projects has allocated EUR 20,918,624.37 from the ERDF to the seven European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) in Romania. The money does not reach companies as a grant paid into their account. It is turned into digitalisation services that the hubs offer to SMEs, mid-cap companies, local public authorities and other public institutions. For SMEs, the aid can cover up to 100% of the cost of the services, with a ceiling of EUR 220,000 per enterprise over a period of three years.

The call was launched on 30 April 2026 and has two deadlines. For six of the hubs, the submission deadline was 30 June 2026. For DIGIVEST, the call is open until 30 December 2026, 17:00.

In brief

• Programme: PoCIDIF 2021-2027, Priority 6, Action 6.1: digitalisation of SMEs, mid-cap companies and public administration institutions through EDIHs holding the STEP Sovereignty Seal
• Authority: Ministry of Investments and European Projects (PoCIDIF Managing Authority). The state aid scheme is administered by the Authority for the Digitalisation of Romania (OIPSI).
• Beneficiaries: the 7 EDIHs with the “Seal of STEP”. The final beneficiaries of the services are SMEs, mid-cap companies, local public authorities and other public institutions.
• Total budget: EUR 20,918,624.37 from the ERDF (106,634,779.59 lei)
• Value per project / intensity: between EUR 1,550,162.50 and EUR 5,731,096.55 for each EDIH. For SMEs, state aid can reach 100%, with a maximum of EUR 220,000 per enterprise over 3 years.
• Submission period: 30 April – 30 June 2026 for six EDIHs, and until 30 December 2026 for DIGIVEST
• Status: non-competitive call, open only for DIGIVEST

Who can apply and who actually receives the support?

Funding applications in MySMIS2021 can be submitted only by the EDIHs that received the “Seal of STEP” from the European Commission in the call DIGITAL-2025-EDIH-EU-EEA-08-CONSOLIDATION-STEP. The applicant's guide lists them:

• FIT EDIH, led by Iceberg Plus SRL;
• DIH4Society, led by Asociația Cluj IT;
• CiTyInnoHub, led by Ovidius University of Constanța;
• Digital Innovation Zone EDIH, led by “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University of Iași;
• Wallachia eHub, led by Spiru Haret University;
• Transilvania Digital Innovation Hub, led by Asociația Transilvania IT;
• DIGIVEST, led by ADR Vest.

Companies and town halls do not submit projects to the ministry. They register for the calls organised by each hub. The guide provides that each EDIH publishes on its website the list of services, the prices, the allocated budget and how applications are to be submitted. It then signs a service provision contract with each selected beneficiary.

Five hubs receive 50% of eligible costs from PoCIDIF, while the other half comes from the Digital Europe Programme. Transilvania Digital Innovation Hub and DIGIVEST are funded 100% from PoCIDIF, because the Digital Europe budget has been exhausted. Beneficiaries from Bucharest-Ilfov can be supported only within the allocation for the more developed region, of EUR 2,497,194.37.

What services can a company or a town hall receive?

The guide defines four types of services that each EDIH must offer:

• “test before invest”: technical expertise, access to testing environments for artificial intelligence and support for pilot projects;
• training and skills development: courses for employees, including on adopting artificial intelligence technologies;
• support in finding the funding needed for digital transformation;
• access to the innovation ecosystem and to networking opportunities.

The call also tracks a separate indicator: digital maturity audits, both for SMEs and mid-cap companies and for local public authorities.

Which state aid rules apply?

SMEs receive state aid in the form of consultancy and innovation support services. The intensity can reach 100% of eligible costs, provided that the total value of such aid does not exceed EUR 220,000 per enterprise in any period of three years. Mid-cap companies, meaning those with up to 3,000 employees that are not SMEs, receive de minimis aid, with a ceiling of EUR 300,000 per single undertaking over three years.

The value of the aid is equal to the value of the services provided, calculated according to the hub's price list. Before granting it, the EDIH checks in the State Aid Register (RegAS) that the ceiling is respected.

How does selection work and what documents are required?

When registering, the company submits the service application and several statements on its own responsibility. These concern classification as an SME or mid-cap company, eligibility for aid, avoidance of double funding, and aid received in the current fiscal year and the previous two years. The hub may select beneficiaries according to one or more of these criteria: maturity of the proposal, fit with its priority areas, the digital technologies targeted, or the “first come, first served” rule.

Companies that have already received services through the call under Action 2.4 can benefit again. The condition is that the new services have a different technical content, different objectives or different results and fall within the state aid ceiling.

What has changed compared with the original guide?

MIPE Order no. 1098 of 9 July 2026 amended the section on the eligibility of expenditure. Costs incurred before the funding contract are eligible if they were incurred after the actual start date of the project declared in the agreement signed with Digital Europe. The amendment concerns the hubs, not the conditions for companies. Project activities cannot extend beyond 31 December 2029.

What this means for your business

Our recommendation is to treat the EDIH in your region as a provider of subsidised services, not as a classic call for proposals. There is no funding application to write, but places are limited by each hub's budget. Some hubs may apply the “first come, first served” rule.

• Follow the website of the hub in your area for the list of services, prices and the registration calendar.
• Check in RegAS the aid you have received over the last three years, so that you do not exceed the EUR 220,000 ceiling or, for mid-cap companies, the de minimis ceiling.
• Start with the digital maturity audit, then request “test before invest” before you buy software or equipment. The result can help you with an investment project under another programme.
• Town halls and public institutions are an explicit target group. The services can prepare a future e-government project.

Quickly check whether your company qualifies for the active programmes with the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can an SME submit a project directly in this PoCIDIF call?

No. In MySMIS2021, only the seven EDIHs with the “Seal of STEP” can submit projects. SMEs, mid-cap companies and public institutions register for the calls organised by the hubs and receive services, not money.

How much do the services cost a company?

For SMEs, the guide provides that the aid intensity can reach 100% of eligible costs. The ceiling is EUR 220,000 per enterprise over three years. The exact value of each service follows from the price list published by the hub.

Is the call still open?

The call for hubs closed on 30 June 2026 for FIT EDIH, DIH4Society, CiTyInnoHub, Digital Innovation Zone EDIH, Wallachia eHub and Transilvania Digital Innovation Hub. For DIGIVEST, submission is possible until 30 December 2026, 17:00. The registration calendar for companies is set separately by each EDIH.

Can town halls take part too?

Yes. Local public authorities and other public institutions are explicit final beneficiaries of Action 6.1. They can receive, for example, digital maturity audits and support for new or improved digital public services.

I have already received services from an EDIH under Action 2.4. Can I benefit again?

Yes, if the new services have a different technical content, different objectives or different results from those received previously. The activities and costs must not overlap, and the state aid ceiling for innovation must be respected.

Official sources

• MIPE: call page “Digitalisation of SMEs through European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIH) in Romania”
• MIPE Order no. 611/28.04.2026 and the Applicant's Guide, Action 6.1
• MIPE Order no. 1098/09.07.2026 amending the guide

Information checked on 26 September 2026. Conditions may be amended by the managing authority — check the guide in force before submitting.