EU Funding

IT companies as direct beneficiaries of EU funding

Used to delivering for other people's clients, IT companies sometimes forget they can sit on the other side of the table: as grant beneficiaries for their own product.

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.

IT companies are not just suppliers inside EU-funded projects — they can be beneficiaries themselves, and 2026 offers exactly the right call: POCIDIF 2.1, open from 30 June to 30 September 2026, finances the development of an innovative software solution with grants between EUR 200,000 and 1,500,000, exclusively for SMEs authorised on one of nine ICT CAEN codes. The target is solutions built on frontier technologies — artificial intelligence, IoT and related fields — developed for the market, not for internal use. For a services shop billing hours, this can be the moment to shift towards a product of its own. Northdan Soft knows both roles — we deliver software for beneficiaries and we understand the anatomy of a technical file. For IT companies applying, we provide the component evaluators weigh most carefully: the product architecture described rigorously, the development budget by component, a draft contract for outsourced execution capacity and, where needed, an additional development team during implementation.

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How we help

A technical file at evaluation standard

Architecture, a staged development plan and technical indicators phrased for scoring, not only for programmers.

Demonstrable execution capacity

A framework contract with a development partner shows the evaluator the project does not depend on uncertain future hiring.

A peer-to-peer conversation between engineers

We speak the same language: we can validate the architecture, the estimates and the risks together before the file goes to evaluation.

POCIDIF 2.1 at a glance, for ICT companies

Submission window: 30 June 2026, 15:00 – 30 September 2026, 17:00. Non-repayable aid: a minimum of EUR 200,000 and a maximum of EUR 1,500,000 for an innovative software solution (service or application); the EUR 3,000,000 threshold stays reserved for projects whose result is innovative hardware manufactured at the beneficiary. Call allocation: EUR 48,813,278. Beneficiaries: exclusively SMEs authorised on CAEN codes 2611, 2612, 2630, 5821, 5829, 6210, 6220, 6290 or 6310. Eligibility and scoring details come from the guide approved by MIPE Order no. 965/23.06.2026.

The wider context: the PNRR call for advanced digital technologies, which ran from EUR 500,000 to 3,000,000, has closed and its projects are in execution — the state's demand for Romanian digital products is a continuous thread, not an accident. Companies that miss the current window should stay prepared for the next one.

Northdan's services for IT companies that apply

Our contribution is strictly technical and executional: we review or write the product specification, estimate the effort by component for the budget, and provide a draft development contract for the outsourced parts. The company submits the file with its consultant; the guide dictates eligibility.

During implementation we can take over entire modules or augment the internal team, with activity reports aligned to the project's reporting periods. One limit we state upfront: the guide forbids fully outsourcing the technical activities and requires at least 20% of the aid allocated to the core activity to go to the beneficiary's own staff.

Frequently asked questions

Does an IT outsourcing company without its own product belong at POCIDIF 2.1?

The call funds product development, so the company must propose its own marketable solution — but that is precisely the opportunity: many services companies have product ideas postponed for years for lack of budget. The grant changes exactly that equation.

Can a beneficiary IT company outsource part of the development?

Partial outsourcing is allowed under transparent contracts, but full outsourcing of the technical activities is not: the guide requires a team with at least one technical coordinator and two qualified technical experts, and at least 20% of the aid for the core activity must go to the beneficiary's own personnel.

What does an innovative software product mean for such a call?

The result must sit on one of the smart-specialisation subdomains listed in the guide — microelectronics, future networks and IoT, XR, artificial intelligence systems, traceability technologies, cognitive robots — and must reach the market: three commercialisation proofs are required, and proforma invoices or agreements do not count.