EU Funding

Funding digitalization in the 2026-2027 window

The next 18 months combine two open calls, one announced national session and several programmes in preparation. Planning matters more than ever.

Northdan Soft is a software supplier, not a funding consultancy, and is not affiliated with any managing authority or development agency. Programme information is indicative — always check the conditions in the programme's official applicant guide.

Seen across the 2026-2027 horizon, digitalization funding in Romania resembles a train with carriages arriving one by one. The carriage at the platform: POCIDIF 2.1 keeps its doors open until 30 September 2026 for SMEs with an IT&C CAEN code, granting between EUR 200,000 and EUR 1,500,000 where the result is an innovative software solution, while the Swiss SME Eco-Tech scheme closes on 24 September 2026. The announced carriage: Start-Up Nation session 2, confirmed by MEDAT, with spending possible until 8 December 2027 — a sign that project execution will stretch across all of next year. The carriages still being prepared: the AFIR sessions following the official calendar. One carriage has to leave the list altogether — the PEO digital skills call, which we previously described as awaiting launch, actually closed on 23 August 2024. The winning strategy is not chasing every train but having your luggage packed: a defined project, drafted software specifications, a prepared budget. Northdan builds exactly that technical luggage and then delivers the implementation, whichever carriage you board.

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How we help

Prepare once, apply several times

The technical documentation we draft adapts from one scheme to another with minimal effort, so you never restart from zero at each launch.

A signal at every relevant launch

We follow MIPE, MEDAT and AFIR announcements and tell you when a scheme matching the project we defined together starts moving.

Execution that fits the spending window

We plan development in stages that respect each programme's spending deadlines, with reserves for the unexpected.

2026: the year of short-deadline applications

Companies eligible for POCIDIF 2.1 or SME Eco-Tech have, at the end of July 2026, roughly two months left for the application file. That is little for a project started from scratch, yet enough if the software specifications are drafted in parallel with the grant application.

2026 also carries the tail end of the PNRR C9 implementations, which ended on 30 June and 31 July 2026 under order 607/2026, with payments due by 30 October 2026 under order 963/2026 — a useful lesson in what missed deadlines mean and why a vendor should be chosen for discipline, not just for price.

2027: the year of execution and new sessions

The Start-Up Nation spending window, open until 8 December 2027, makes next year the main implementation ground for newly funded companies. A POCIDIF project submitted in September 2026 spends most of next year inside its implementation period, which may last at most 24 months and cannot run past 31 December 2029.

Nobody can guarantee today what exactly launches in 2027 — and we stay away from such promises. What we can guarantee is our side: if your project is defined, we react to any launch within days, with the specification, the itemised budget and the delivery documents the payment file requires.

Frequently asked questions

Should I wait for 2027 hoping for funding that fits my company better?

Passive waiting rarely pays off: the 2027 schemes have no guides yet, and the calls open now expire in September 2026. The rational route is double preparation — check your fit against current calls while keeping documentation ready for future launches.

Which digitalization programmes have concrete announcements for the coming period?

Three sources have communicated officially: MEDAT on Start-Up Nation session 2 (no calendar), MIPE on the Just Transition Programme in the six eligible counties, and AFIR through its own session calendar. Anything else you read online is speculation until guides are published.

How much project preparation can happen before a guide even exists?

Surprisingly much: analysing internal processes, the software architecture, functional specifications and an indicative budget depend on no guide at all. What remains to adjust at launch is cost classification and document formats — days of work, not months.