EDIH Digital Innovation Zone launches in public consultation Call 1 dedicated to SMEs in the North-East Region, through which enterprises can access specialized services for digitalization and innovation. The call is addressed to SMEs with their registered office or work point in the counties of Iași, Vaslui, Neamț, Bacău, Suceava and Botoșani, including start-ups, scale-ups and companies from traditional or technological sectors.
Through EDIH DIZ, SMEs can benefit from services organized in four main directions: pre-investment testing, digital skills and culture, access to financing and connection to the innovation ecosystem. Services may include digital maturity assessment, AI readiness assessment, artificial intelligence courses, support for identifying funding sources and matchmaking with technology solution providers.
The support is granted in the form of state aid for innovation, with an intensity of up to 100% of the eligible costs of the services, within a ceiling of 220,000 euros per single enterprise, over a period of 3 consecutive fiscal years.
SMEs do not receive direct funding, but benefit from the services provided through DIZ EDIH.
The call operates in an open window (rolling call), with continuous evaluation of expressions of interest, within the limits of the available budget and the established targets. DIZ EDIH aims to support 98 enterprises, of which 62 in relation to productive investments in digital and deep-tech technologies.
This guide is dedicated exclusively to micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that carry out economic activities and have their registered office and/or a place of business in the North-East Region (the counties of Iași, Vaslui, Neamț, Bacău, Suceava, and Botoșani).
The target group includes:
• Micro-enterprises, small enterprises, and medium-sized enterprises, regardless of legal form, conducting economic activities within Romania;
• Start-ups and scale-ups in technology sectors or those seeking to adopt digital technologies in their current operations;
• SMEs in traditional sectors (manufacturing, trade, services, agri-food, tourism, construction) undergoing digitalization;
• Innovative SMEs, including spin-offs and enterprises with a research and development component.
See the service catalogs:
Selected SMEs will have access to services such as:
• Test Before Invest: Access to expertise for evaluating and testing digital solutions before major investments;
• Digital Skills and Culture: Training programs that combine technology, innovation and practical applicability, adapted to the business environment;
• Access to Finance: Support in identifying and accessing European and national funding sources;
• Ecosystem and Networking: Connection with the European EDIH network and the expert community
The process of accessing EDIH DIZ services involves two steps and begins with the pre-registration mechanism: a preliminary, free-of-charge stage requiring no commitment from the potential beneficiary, during which they connect with the EDIH DIZ team to verify prior to submitting an expression of interest (Step 2), their eligibility in principle and the feasibility of applying for the support services.
Step 1 – Pre-registration: preliminary verification of eligibility and feasibility
Initial contact is made through any of the 3 available options:
Step 2 – Submission of the expression of interest and eligibility documents
IMPORTANT! Step 2 can only be initiated after the completion of Step 1 and confirmation of the eligibility in principle and the feasibility of applying for support services by the EDIH DIZ team.
Submitting an expression of interest constitutes the first formal step by which an SME indicates its intention to access the services of EDIH DIZ.
Following the submission of the expression of interest, this step also entails the submission of documents required to verify SME status and eligibility for state aid.
The process of accessing EDIH DIZ services begins with a simple contact with our team. The preliminary needs assessment is free and does not involve any commitment.
The first step is to contact the EDIH DIZ team through the available channels:
Submission of the expression of interest represents the first formal act by which the SME manifests its intention to access EDIH DIZ services. Unlike public entities, for SMEs this stage also involves submitting the necessary documents to verify SME status and eligibility for state aid.
Documents required for the expression of interest and eligibility assessment:
The call is launched in October 2026. During this period, the DIZ team will be in constant contact with all those who wish to find out more information about the call, as well as to answer any questions that may arise along the way.
17.08.2026 – 31.08.2026
1.3 million EURO
June 01, 2026 – December 31, 2026
