Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) calls for SME digitalisation are closed — the project implementation deadline is 30 June 2026, under Order 607/2026 of MIPE, Romania's Ministry of EU Investments and Projects. The good news: Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 funds remain active, and the regional programmes have dedicated axes for SME digitalisation. In this guide we explain honestly what you can still access in 2026 and, above all, how to prepare in advance so you can catch a call.
The situation in short in 2026: PNRR is closed for new digitalisation applications
In short: if you missed the PNRR SME digitalisation calls, you can no longer submit a new project on that funding line. The calls are closed, and companies with signed financing contracts are in full implementation mode — the deadline being 30 June 2026, under MIPE Order 607/2026. PNRR was, by design, a temporary instrument: EU recovery money with a strict calendar and a clear end date.
What does this mean for companies that did not manage to apply? Three things:
- Do not wait for a PNRR relaunch. The recovery mechanism is winding down, and the "a new session will open" promises you sometimes see in ads are, at best, speculation. Verify any such claim directly at the source: mfe.gov.ro.
- The centre of gravity has already shifted to Cohesion Policy 2021–2027. That is where the digitalisation money now sits, through the regional and national programmes.
- The time you gain can be an advantage. Companies that rushed into PNRR sometimes bought unsuitable technology just to tick the spending boxes. You can prepare a project that genuinely transforms your business.
If you have a PNRR project under implementation, your priority right now is finishing on time and properly accepting the deliverables — not this article. For everyone else, read on.
What remains available: Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 and the regional programmes
The direct answer: in 2026, the main source of EU funds for digitalising Romanian companies is Cohesion Policy 2021–2027, implemented through regional and national programmes. According to the calendar published by MIPE in May 2026, 226 calls worth approximately EUR 4.8 billion are planned across all programmes — some of them targeting SME competitiveness and digitalisation.
Unlike PNRR, where digitalisation calls were managed centrally, in the 2021–2027 period each of Romania's 8 development regions has its own Regional Programme (POR), managed by the Regional Development Agency (ADR) of that region. These programmes include, at a general level, axes and priorities dedicated to SME digitalisation — from adopting digital technologies to increasing the digital intensity of the business.
Here we must be very clear and cautious: conditions differ from region to region and from call to call. Co-financing percentages, ceilings, eligible expenditure categories, scoring criteria and submission deadlines are set by each call's applicant guide. There is no single rulebook valid everywhere, and any exact figure you read in a blog article (including ours) must be checked against the official guide. The trustworthy sources are:
- mfe.gov.ro — the website of the Ministry of EU Investments and Projects, where you find the call calendar and official announcements;
- the websites of the regional ADRs — each publishes the guides, calendars and clarifications for its own regional programme;
- an authorised funding consultant — for assessing your company's eligibility and building the application file.
Which digital expenses are typically eligible in such calls
In short: SME digitalisation calls typically finance a mix of software, development services, equipment and training. We stress again: the list below describes what is typically eligible in such calls — always check each call's official guide before building your budget.
- Website and e-commerce platforms — a professional presentation website, online shop, booking platform or client portal. If you wonder what budget to expect outside the grant, we covered the topic in our article on how much a website costs.
- Management software: CRM, ERP, invoicing — systems that bring order to your sales, inventory, production and accounting, either as licences or as custom development.
- Process automation — integrations between existing systems, automated data flows, automation with AI components. We wrote in depth about what can realistically be automated in our complete guide to AI automation.
- IT equipment and infrastructure — computers, servers, networking equipment, sometimes cloud services too, within the limits set by the guide.
- Employee training — new software is useless if the team does not use it; many calls allow digital skills training costs.
A detail many companies learn too late: evaluation committees look not only at what you buy, but at the coherence between your purchases and your digitalisation plan. A file in which the website, the CRM and the automations connect into a credible transformation story scores better than a disjointed shopping list.
Preparing an application and need technical specifications and a detailed offer from a real supplier, not a quote copied off the internet? Write to us — we will prepare the technical documentation for your funding file.
How to prepare to catch a call: the documentation that takes time
The direct answer: serious preparation of an application starts months before a call opens, because the documents that score highest are precisely the ones that take longest. Submission windows are short and budgets run out fast — whoever starts preparing after the guide is published starts at a disadvantage.
The digitalisation plan
Most calls of this type require a digitalisation plan or strategy: where you are now, where you want to get, which technologies take you there and how you measure the result. A good plan is not written over a weekend — it requires an honest analysis of the company's processes, conversations with the team and, ideally, a technical assessment of existing systems. It is also the document that gives the whole application its coherence.
Supplier offers
The project budget must be grounded in real offers, detailed enough for the evaluator to understand what you are buying and why it costs what it costs. A one-page offer reading "web platform development — lump sum" raises questions; an offer with described features, phases, deliverables and warranty terms inspires confidence. Obtaining such offers from serious suppliers takes weeks, not days.
Financial statements and company documents
Balance sheets, trial balances, tax certificates, ownership or lease documents — the bureaucratic part usually handled by the funding consultant, but which depends on you: a company with debts to the state or unclear financials is disqualified before technical evaluation even starts.
Why good technical specifications make the difference
Here we speak from direct experience, as a technical supplier. The difference between a funded project that delivers real value and one that exists only "on paper" is decided in the technical specifications. A vague brief ("modern web platform with administration features") lets anyone deliver anything — and that is exactly what happens: companies that end up with a generic, unusable product that is nevertheless perfectly reimbursable. Good specifications describe the business's real workflows, the integrations with existing systems, the acceptance criteria and the performance and security requirements. They protect you twice: at evaluation, where the project looks (and is) well thought out, and at implementation, where the supplier can no longer deliver the reimbursable minimum.
Our honest role: technical supplier, not funding consultant
Let this be clear from the start: WebForge is not an EU funding consultancy. We do not write your grant application, we do not submit your file and we do not promise scores. For that you need an authorised funding consultant, and a good one is worth every penny.
What we do is the other half of the equation — the technical part:
- Technical specifications for the digital component of the project: website, platform, web application, automation — written to describe your business's real need and to hold up under evaluation;
- A detailed offer, compliant with the call's requirements: features, phases, deliverables, timelines and substantiated costs, in the format your consultant needs for the budget;
- The implementation itself, if the project is funded: we build what we specified, with documented deliverables that make acceptance and reimbursement straightforward;
- Collaboration with your consultant: we own the technical side, they own the procedure — and we have found that applications turn out best when the two sides talk from the start, instead of meeting for the first time at submission.
Why do we insist on this separation? Because the market is full of "all-in-one" offers where the same actor writes the file, nominates itself as supplier and evaluates its own delivery. The conflict of interest is visible from a distance — and you pay for it at implementation.
Frequent mistakes in EU-funded digitalisation projects
In short: the most expensive mistakes are not bureaucratic, but rushed business decisions. These are the ones we see most often:
- Generic purchases that do not help the business. Companies buy "an ERP" or "a platform" because it sounds good in the application, without analysing their real processes. The result: software that is paid for, installed and unused. Start from the business problem, not from the list of eligible expenses.
- Suppliers chosen solely because they "handle the paperwork". If the supplier's only argument is that they "know their way around grants", not that they ship good products, you have chosen a reimbursement expert, not a technical partner. Ask for a portfolio, references and access to live projects before signing.
- Underestimating post-project maintenance. Funding typically covers the initial investment, not its long-term operation: hosting, security updates, support, annual licences. Many calls also impose a durability period during which the project must stay functional. Budget the maintenance from your own funds before signing the financing contract, not after.
- Passively waiting for the "perfect call". The companies that win funding are the ones with the digitalisation plan, the offers and the documents ready before the call opens — not the ones that start looking for suppliers two weeks before the deadline.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still apply to PNRR for company digitalisation in 2026?
No. The PNRR SME digitalisation calls are closed, and contracted projects must be implemented by 30 June 2026, under MIPE Order 607/2026. For new funding, turn to Cohesion Policy 2021–2027 and the regional programmes, and check official announcements at mfe.gov.ro.
Which EU funds for digitalisation are still available in 2026?
The main source is Cohesion Policy 2021–2027: according to the calendar published by MIPE in May 2026, 226 calls worth approximately EUR 4.8 billion are planned across all programmes. The Regional Programmes of the 8 regions include axes for SME digitalisation; the exact conditions are set by each call's guide, published by your region's ADR.
Can WebForge help me obtain the funding?
Not directly — we are not funding consultants and we do not write grant applications. We help with the technical side of the file: specifications, a detailed offer compliant with the call's requirements, and the implementation of the project if it is funded. For the submission procedure, work with an authorised funding consultant; we collaborate with them.
How long does it take to prepare an application for a digitalisation call?
Realistically, a few months: the digitalisation plan, the detailed supplier offers and the company's financial documents take the longest. That is why we recommend starting preparation before the call opens, based on the indicative calendars published by MIPE and the ADRs.
Want to enter the next call prepared? Contact us and we will prepare the technical specifications and the detailed offer for your funding file — technical documentation your funding consultant can use directly.