EU Funding

The electronic signature as a cost inside funded projects

It is the digital cost with a double role: a mandatory instrument for filing the dossier and, at the same time, an eligible category inside the project budget.

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.

The applicant guide for POCIDIF Action 2.1, approved by Order MIPE no. 965 of 23 June 2026, requires both the application and its annexes to be submitted as PDF under an advanced electronic signature based on a valid qualified certificate, neither suspended nor revoked. For the application certification section the same guide adds a technical condition few pages mention: the legal representative signature must be generated with a secure signature creation device. An electronic signature did appear as a distinct eligible cost line on the PNRR C9 I3.1 call, closed for applications on 30 June 2023, whose payment requests can still be filed until 30 October 2026 under Order MIPE no. 963/2026 — which is where the widespread and inexact idea comes from that it is eligible on any call. Mandatory at submission and eligible in the budget are two different things, and the second is checked call by call. Checked on 30 July 2026 in the open call guide itself, across the submission, contracting and payment sections. Northdan Soft issues no certificates and is not a trust service provider: we build the signing flows inside the company applications and the technical documents that describe them.

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How we help

Signing workflows, not just certificates

The value difference lies in the processes that use the signature: contracts closed in minutes rather than in days of courier traffic.

Integration into existing applications

We connect electronic signing to the ERP, the CRM or the customer portal, so documents circulate without a printer and a scanner.

A small budget line, impeccably documented

Even modest costs are only reimbursed with correct paperwork; we deliver the invoice, the activation proof and the acceptance report.

Where the guide requires a signature, and from whom

At submission, the application and its annexes travel as PDF under an advanced electronic signature based on a valid qualified certificate, belonging to the legal representative or to a person expressly empowered by them. The application certification section and the personal declarations that bind the organisation towards third parties are signed by the legal representative alone; the empowered person signs afterwards, only so the files can be uploaded into the information system.

At contracting, the financing contract is signed electronically by both parties, and the signing date is the date of the last signature on it. At payment, prefinancing, payment and reimbursement requests are uploaded signed electronically by the authorised persons, together with the supporting documents, likewise transmitted under an advanced electronic signature certified in line with the legislation in force.

Mandatory at submission does not mean eligible in the budget

On the PNRR C9 I3.1 call the electronic signature sat on the eligible cost list next to the website and online store, ERP and CRM, licences, cloud, automation, cybersecurity and staff training. That closed call is the origin of the sentence, repeated today as a general rule, that the signature is reimbursed from the project.

In the guide of the call that is open now, POCIDIF Action 2.1, the electronic signature appears as a procedural requirement — at submission, at contracting and at every payment request — not as a named budget line. The prudent rule is unchanged: if you want it reimbursed, it must appear explicitly in the budget from submission, classified the way that specific guide classifies it.

Frequently asked questions

Is an electronic signature mandatory in order to file an EU project?

In practice yes: electronic submission platforms require the application to be signed with a qualified certificate by the legal representative. The certificate is obtained from accredited providers, and the procedure takes anywhere from a few hours to a few days — do not leave it to the last minute.

Can I reimburse the electronic signature from the project budget?

It depends on the call, and the answer comes from its guide. On the PNRR call closed in 2023 it was a distinct eligible cost line; in the POCIDIF 2.1 guide it appears as a procedural requirement rather than a named budget line. If you want it reimbursed, provide for it explicitly in the budget from submission onwards.

What does the company gain from integrated signing flows, beyond the project?

Time and traceability: contracts close the same day, every document carries a verifiable signing history, and the archive becomes searchable. For companies with high contract volumes, the saving quickly exceeds the cost of the whole implementation.