PR North-West 222: €33 million for digitalising local public services, deadline 30 October

ADR North-West has opened call PRNV/2026/222/1, with 33 million euro for digital local public services in Bihor, Bistrița-Năsăud, Cluj, Maramureș, Satu Mare and Sălaj. Only county-level administrative-territorial units (UAT) and the Special Telecommunications Service (STS) can apply. Applications must be submitted through MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+ by 30 October 2026, 10:00. Town and commune town halls cannot apply on their own, even though the version put to public consultation included them.

In brief

• Programme: North-West Regional Programme 2021-2027, Priority 2 "A region with smart localities", call PRNV/2026/222/1
• Authority: ADR North-West, the Managing Authority for the PR North-West
• Beneficiaries: county UAT and the Special Telecommunications Service (STS)
• Total budget: €33,000,000
• Submission period: 1 September 2026, 10:00 – 30 October 2026, 10:00, in MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+
• Status: call open. The guide was published on 7 August 2026.

What does the call fund?

Call 222 follows call PRNV/2025/221/1, for setting up the North-West Regional Data Centre, which closed on 27 February 2026. If call 221 built the data centre, call 222 extends its applications to the administrations in the six counties and ensures they keep running over the long term.

For county UAT, the guide provides for:

• taking over and commissioning the applications offered through the Regional Data Centre: UAT register as new users ("tenants"), and the necessary databases are migrated;
• migrating the applications the UAT already uses, if they do not overlap with the processes prioritised under call 221;
• equipment for ICT infrastructure, panels, poles and sensors;
• project management, plus information and publicity.

For STS, the guide provides for:

• setting up and operating a Centre of Excellence in Digitalisation and Innovation (CEDI);
• IT applications for local public authorities and other public institutions;
• licences, software subscriptions and IT&C services for CEDI staff;
• support services for the digital solutions, including corrective and evolutive maintenance;
• training and administrative capacity building;
• ancillary activities, of up to 15% of the project's eligible value: fitting out the workspace and ICT equipment for CEDI staff.

The guide justifies the call by noting that in the region only 27 of 43 towns and 90 of 403 communes are registered on ghiseul.ro.

Who can apply and what has changed since the consultation?

In the public consultation of 26 September – 17 October 2025, the budget was €30 million and the beneficiaries were the local public administrations, that is, the towns and communes of the region. In the guide published on 7 August 2026, the budget rises to €33 million, and the beneficiaries are only county UAT and STS.

Town and commune town halls remain the end users of the applications, but they do not apply on their own in this call. For a town hall, the realistic route is to join the county council's project.

Projects must be consistent with the development strategy of the county or town, with the North-West Region's Regional Strategy for Sustainable Urban Mobility and Smart Cities, or with other applicable strategies, as listed in the guide.

How much is funded per project?

The official call pages do not state a minimum or maximum value per project. The co-financing rate does not appear there either; it is set in the guide, in the archive on the call page. Before budgeting, check the guide directly for the minimum own contribution and the eligible costs by category.

How and by when do you apply?

1. Download the guide (7 August 2026 version) and the editable annexes from the page of call PRNV/2026/222/1.
2. Check whether the project fits an applicable strategy and which processes it takes over from the Regional Data Centre.
3. Submit the application in MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+ by 30 October 2026, 10:00.

Questions should be sent to the Managing Authority at regio@nord-vest.ro. As of 3 October 2026, the ADR North-West calls page had announced no deadline extension.

What this means for your business

Recommendation: For the county councils in the North-West, time is short. There are four weeks left until the deadline, and a digitalisation project needs an inventory of processes, agreements with the UAT that become users, and a budget for data migration. If you have not started, prioritise the processes with a visible impact for citizens (taxes, permits, registry) and make sure you do not duplicate what has already been funded under call 221.

Town and commune town halls should ask the county council now to be included in the project, so as not to miss the migration stage. IT companies in the region cannot apply, but they will find work as suppliers, through public procurement, after contracting.

A common pitfall: equipment and fit-out costs are capped. For STS, ancillary activities cannot exceed 15% of the eligible value. A project with too much hardware and too few digital services risks losing out at evaluation.

Frequently asked questions

Can a commune town hall in the North-West apply on its own in call 222?

No. The guide published on 7 August 2026 accepts only county UAT and the Special Telecommunications Service. Communes and towns benefit as users of the Regional Data Centre's applications, through the county's project.

What is the submission deadline?

Applications are submitted in MySMIS2021/SMIS2021+ by 30 October 2026, 10:00. Submission opened on 1 September 2026, 10:00.

How does call 222 relate to the North-West Regional Data Centre?

Call 221 funded the setting up of the Regional Data Centre. Call 222 extends the centre's applications to the UAT in the region and, through STS, funds the Centre of Excellence in Digitalisation and Innovation, which ensures they run and are maintained.

What is the budget and how has it changed?

The call's budget is €33 million. The guide from the 2025 public consultation had €30 million and was aimed at towns and communes.

Official sources

• ADR North-West – Call PRNV/2026/222/1 (guide and annexes, 7 August 2026)
• ADR North-West – Applicant's Guide 222
• ADR North-West – Calls for proposals
• ADR North-West – Public consultation on Guide 222 (26 September 2025)

Information checked on 3 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.