EU Funding

The ERP system as an eligible cost in funding programmes

ERP is one of the most frequent software costs in Romanian companies' funded projects — and one of the most poorly specified in budgets.

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.

An ERP system for EUR 40,000 is a budget line that immediately raises questions at evaluation: which modules, how many users, which integrations, why this amount? A serious ERP is specified by component — stock management, finance, production, sales, reporting — each with a clear role in the company's operations and its own price. Historically, the now-closed C9 SME digitalization call under PNRR, Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, listed ERP/CRM explicitly among eligible categories, and its payment claims run until 30 October 2026. In SME Eco-Tech — open until 24 September 2026 and, since the July 2026 amendment, no longer restricted to manufacturing — the line for software needed to run the business is capped at 15,000 lei excluding VAT, below the cost of a real ERP implementation. POCIDIF Action 2.1 does not fund buying an ERP for internal use: it funds the development of an innovative product, application or service by an IT SME. Everywhere the formula is the same: read the guide of the specific call before fixing an amount. Northdan implements ERP systems for SMEs and writes budgets by module — this page shows what one has to look like to pass both evaluation and reimbursement.

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A budget by module, not a lump sum

We break the ERP into components with individual prices and their own justification, so the evaluator can validate the budget without clarification requests.

Configuration around your company's processes

We adapt the ERP flows to how the company actually works — intake, production, dispatch, collections — rather than the reverse, which shows in real adoption.

Documented acceptance in stages

Every module put into service receives a protocol and evidence of use, so reimbursement can flow at the pace of implementation.

The programmes where ERP finds its place

The historical reference stays the PNRR C9 call for SMEs, where ERP/CRM appeared expressly on the eligible list — its beneficiaries are now at the reimbursement stage. SME Eco-Tech remains open until 24 September 2026, but caps the business-software line at 15,000 lei excluding VAT, while Comert and Microindustrializare 2026 are announced without a published procedure or a submission date.

New companies include it in Start-Up Nation plans as management software, although session 2 of that programme still had no published submission calendar on 30 July 2026. The cross-cutting conclusion: ERP is almost always a plausible category, but the ceiling, the conditions and the exact wording differ from guide to guide — read the guide before fixing the amount.

The anatomy of an ERP budget that passes evaluation

The structure we use: licences or development per module, implementation and configuration services, migration of data from legacy systems, integrations (invoicing, e-commerce, banking), user training and warranty for the implementation period only. Every line with a quantity, a unit price and a verifiable result.

At reimbursement, authorities want to see the system alive: user accounts, real operations recorded, reports generated. An ERP installed but unused is hard to reimburse — which is why training and the actual start of work in the system are part of our standard delivery.

The tail of the cost is the company's own: under the POCIDIF 2.1 guide, section 5.3.3, maintenance and warranty after implementation ends, and operating costs during the sustainability period, are explicitly ineligible.

Frequently asked questions

In which funding programmes is ERP typically eligible?

Historically, the PNRR C9 call for SMEs listed it explicitly; SME Eco-Tech caps business software at 15,000 lei excluding VAT, and the 2026 sessions of the national investment programmes have no published procedure yet. Each guide decides its own list and ceilings.

How is an ERP correctly entered in a project budget?

Itemised: modules with individual prices, implementation services, data migration, integrations, training — each justified by the company's operations. A lump sum with no structure is the main generator of clarifications at evaluation and disputes at reimbursement.

What evidence does reimbursement require for a delivered ERP?

Besides invoices and per-module acceptance protocols, authorities usually ask for proof of real use: active accounts, transactions recorded, reports generated from the system. We prepare that evidence at every acceptance stage, not at the end of the project.

Is ERP maintenance reimbursed from the project?

Not under the POCIDIF 2.1 rules: section 5.3.3 excludes maintenance and warranty after the implementation stage ends, together with operating costs during the sustainability period. Support and hosting in the following years are paid by the company from its own funds.