The government will pay up to 60% of your digital upgrade. Here’s how.
The Digitalise your SME scheme part-funds new software, e-commerce, hardware and AI for Maltese SMEs, with up to 60% in Gozo. It runs on rolling cut-offs until the end of 2026. Here’s what you need to know.
- Digitalise your SME is a government scheme, co-financed by EU funds, that part-pays for SMEs going digital.
- It can cover up to 50% of eligible costs in Malta and 60% in Gozo, with an extra top-up for projects that include AI.
- Call 2 runs on rolling cut-offs roughly every 15 days until the end of 2026, while budget lasts. The scheme sits under EU funding that runs to 2027, so more calls are likely, but none is confirmed yet.
- The winners will be the businesses that turn up with a clear, well-scoped project. Start planning now.
Budget 2027 landed yesterday with little new for businesses going digital. The good news: this grant is still open, and it’s the one worth your time right now.
Most grant news reads like a tax form. This one’s worth five minutes, because it can fund the exact upgrade your business keeps putting off: new systems, online sales, automation and AI.
What is Digitalise your SME?
It’s a grant scheme run by the Measures and Support Division within the Office of the Prime Minister, co-financed by EU funds. The idea is simple: help small and medium businesses invest in tech that makes them faster, leaner and easier to buy from.
In May 2026 the government announced Call 2, with its budget raised to €15 million. It’s described as the first part of the AI and innovation measures announced in the last Budget.
What can it pay for?
The scheme supports investment in digital solutions that improve how you work and how customers deal with you. Depending on the call rules, that has included:
- Software: off-the-shelf or custom-built systems.
- E-commerce platforms: selling online, properly.
- Automation: fewer spreadsheets, fewer manual steps.
- Cyber security and cloud.
- Hardware that goes with it.
- AI: projects with AI can get an extra top-up, paid a year after the project ends once you report on the results.
Every call has its own rules on what counts. Always check the latest guidance notes on fondi.eu before you plan around a grant.
How much can you get?
| What | Call 2 | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Aid in Malta | up to 50% | of eligible costs |
| Aid in Gozo | up to 60% | of eligible costs |
| Max grant | €128,400 | for eligible actions |
| AI top-up | up to €107,000 | paid after a results report |
When the scheme launched in 2025, it also had a minimum grant and checks on your company’s finances, so this is built for real projects, not a quick logo refresh.
Who should look at this?
- Shops that still sell mostly in person and want a proper online store.
- Hotels, restaurants and tour operators drowning in emails and manual bookings.
- Service businesses running on spreadsheets and WhatsApp.
- Anyone who’s been saying “we should really use AI for this” for a year.
How to give your application a real shot
- Start with the problem, not the tech. “We lose bookings after 6pm” beats “we want a chatbot”.
- Scope it properly. Clear features, clear outcomes, clear quotes. Vague projects are hard to approve and harder to deliver.
- Talk to an advisor. Grant consultants and accountants handle the paperwork and the eligibility checks.
- Pick a team that can actually build it. The grant pays part of it; the result is still yours to live with.
This is a plain-English overview, not financial or legal advice. Eligibility, amounts and dates can change, so confirm everything with the Measures and Support Division, fondi.eu or your advisor.
Where we come in
We don’t do grant paperwork. We do the part that makes the project worth funding: we help you scope the build, write a clear spec and quote, then design and build the e-commerce, custom system or AI feature to a level that actually moves your numbers. Big-agency quality, without the big-agency bill.