EU AI Grants: How to Fund Your Project in 2026

Most small business owners think custom AI software is a big‑company thing. Like owning a company jet. It isn’t.

AI funding for small businesses exists across the European Union. Scope the project properly and public money covers a large share of the bill. In Latvia the programmes are run by the state innovation agency, LIAA.

The picture changed this year. The large digitalisation programme has closed. The vouchers stayed, and they’re now the only fast route. Here’s what’s available, how much is left, and which conditions you have to meet.

Two instruments and how they differ

Comparison of the two instruments, as of 31 July 2026

Feature	Innovation vouchers	Digitalisation and AI grant
Status	Open	Closed since 7 November 2025
Maximum amount	10,000 EUR to 25,000 EUR depending on type	Round closed
Support rate	45% to 100% depending on type	Round closed
Programme funding	5,425,000 EUR	18.55 million EUR
Demand	4.20 m EUR reserved, 1.21 m EUR free (1 June 2026)	25.5 m EUR requested against 18.55 m EUR available
Deadline	Implementation by 30 April 2027	No resumption currently planned

Innovation vouchers: what’s available

The voucher programme has four types, and they differ in both amount and support rate.¹

• Introductory voucher: up to 10,000 EUR, 100% support.
• Classic voucher: up to 25,000 EUR, 85% support.
• Design voucher: up to 5,000 EUR, 85% support.
• Attracting highly qualified staff: up to 25,000 EUR, 45% support.

The introductory voucher is the only one that needs no co‑financing. It’s the sensible place to start if you want to test whether AI solves your problem at all. A classic voucher of 25,000 EUR at 85% means your own share is 3,750 EUR.

Total programme funding is 5,425,000 EUR. As of 1 June 2026, 4.20 million euro is reserved, leaving roughly 1.21 million. Projects must be implemented by 30 April 2027, and that deadline is for finishing the work, not just for applying.

You don’t need to be a technology company. Minku is a good example: a Latvian company running therapeutic exercise classes for children in schools. It used LIAA vouchers to build an app for parents that helps spot posture problems early.²

The digitalisation grant: the round has closed

The programme “Support for process digitalisation and artificial intelligence solutions” accepted applications from 21 July 2025 until 17:00 on 7 November 2025. The round is closed, and LIAA states that no resumption is currently planned.³

Demand ran well ahead of supply. Requests reached 25.5 million euro against 18.55 million available. If you’re waiting for a new round, plan as though there won’t be one. The voucher is what works today.

Does your SME qualify?

Here’s a quick check. You probably qualify if all of these hold:

• You’re a registered SME. The definition is fewer than 250 employees and annual turnover no higher than 50 million euro.⁵
• The project fits one of the RIS3 smart specialisation areas: biomedicine, information and communication technologies, photonics and smart materials, knowledge‑intensive bioeconomy, smart energy and mobility.¹
• The project introduces something new rather than covering day‑to‑day work.
• You can cover your co‑financing share, if you pick a type that requires one. The grant is paid later, as a reimbursement.
• Your tax debt doesn’t exceed 150 EUR.¹

The RIS3 condition is the one most often misread. It isn’t a formality. If the project can’t be tied to one of the five areas, the application goes no further. Software development usually sits within ICT, but the link has to be argued in the application rather than assumed.

The de minimis ceiling

Voucher support is granted as de minimis aid under Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831 of 13 December 2023.⁴ That carries one practical limit: total de minimis aid to a single undertaking over three years can’t exceed 300,000 EUR.

Check how much de minimis aid your company has already received before you apply. Everything counts, not only innovation vouchers, and “single undertaking” includes linked companies. If the ceiling is used up, no voucher follows, however good the project is.

How to apply

The process is tedious rather than difficult.

All programmes are listed at liaa.business.gov.lv. Find the open call, describe a specific outcome with a budget and a delivery date, and submit before the round closes. Funders pay for a clear, specific result. Funding doesn’t follow good intentions dressed up in slogans.

Deadlines and budgets change. Always check the current information on the official page rather than relying on other sources, this article included.

How we can work together

The grant covers the cost of the project. It doesn’t write the code or deliver the result. That part is my job.

I build solutions that fit these programmes. It might be the document and email handling that eats your time, or a support assistant that actually knows your business. Maybe it’s the workflow automation there’s never time for, or an AI feature in a product you already sell.

Nobody will turn a general “we should use AI” into a concrete scope with a concrete number for you. Preparing exactly that is most of what I get hired for, and it happens before anyone opens an application form.

Sources and notes

These figures are current as of 31 July 2026. Amounts, support rates and deadlines change, so check the official sites before you apply.