Malta Announces €15M Digitalise Your SME Call 2 — New AI Bonus Up to €107,000
Call 2 of Malta's flagship SME digitalisation scheme triples its budget to €15M and adds a dedicated AI top-up worth up to €107,000 — totalling €235,400 in non-repayable grants.
What Is the Digitalise Your SME Scheme?
The Digitalise Your SME scheme is a non-repayable grant programme co-financed by European Funds, administered by Fondi.eu. It supports micro, small and medium-sized enterprises across all sectors to invest in digitalising their operations — product and process design, procurement, supply chain, distribution, and after-sales systems.
Call 1 launched with a €5 million budget and has been running on rolling ~15-day cut-offs since late 2025. Call 2 is a significantly larger, more ambitious iteration with AI explicitly at its centre.
The Key Numbers: What Has Changed
The headline figures from the Call 2 announcement show total budget tripled from €5M to €15M, with a new base maximum grant of €128,400 and an AI top-up up to €107,000, totaling €235,400 maximum with AI support. Aid intensity remains up to 50% (60% in Gozo). Call 2 opens 1 July 2026 with first cut-off 31 July 2026.
The AI Top-Up: Malta's Most Significant AI Grant for SMEs
Malta SMEs investing in AI-powered digitalisation can access up to €107,000 on top of the base €128,400 grant — totaling €235,400 in non-repayable funding. The AI top-up is administered with the Malta Digital Innovation Authority (MDIA).
Two conditions apply for the top-up disbursement one year after project completion: a productivity gains report demonstrating measurable improvements, and an ethical AI and societal well-being report aligning with EU AI Act principles.
What Malta SMEs Can Fund
The scheme covers digitalisation of business operations with explicitly eligible AI investments including chatbots, machine learning integration, intelligent document processing, predictive analytics, computer vision, AI-powered supply chain systems, digital workflow automation, and data infrastructure for AI deployment. There is no sector restriction.
What the Government Said
Minister Silvio Schembri stated: "In the last Budget, we announced a total of €100 million in measures related to Artificial Intelligence and innovation, and today we are announcing the first €15 million of these, specifically targeted towards SMEs."
Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi framed Call 2 as integral to Malta Vision 2050. The scheme is co-financed by European Funds under Malta's 2021–2027 Operational Programme.
Call 2 Cut-Off Dates
Call 2 opens 1 July 2026 and runs on rolling basis with cut-offs approximately every 15 days: 31 July, 17 August, 18 September, 30 September, 16 October, 30 October, 13 November, 30 November, and 14 December 2026. Applications are submitted via sfd.gov.mt at any time and reviewed at each cut-off date.
Call 1 remains active with final cut-off 30 June 2026.
How Neural AI Helps Malta SMEs Apply
Neural AI handles complete application processes including eligibility assessment, AI project structuring, application preparation, solution development, and preparation of required post-completion reports. Services include AI automation, chatbot development, machine learning, computer vision, and data analytics — all qualifying as eligible costs.
Start Now — Call 1 Cuts Off Soon
Malta SMEs exploring AI investment are encouraged to apply before Call 1 cut-offs close in June 2026, or prepare Call 2 applications ahead of July opening. Free consultations available through Neural AI's contact channels.
