
Digitalise your SME Application: Step-by-Step (2026)
How to apply for Digitalise your SME in Malta: each portal section, the documents you need, a free checklist, a worked example and the 2026 cut-off dates.
Grants & funding · Calendar
Miss a cut-off and you wait for the next batch, or for next year. This calendar lists every grant, tax credit and voucher date that matters to a Malta business going digital, with the official source for each one.

Grant deadlines, answered
Answer: The next grant deadline in Malta is 25 November 2026, the last day for late Micro Invest claims on costs paid in 2025. Then come the fondi.eu cut-offs on 30 November and 14 December 2026 for Digitalise your SME and the Business Enhance grants. The new Micro Invest portal opens on 1 January 2027. INVEST and the 60% tax credit have been announced, but no application dates are published yet.
The calendar
This is the full list of dates that matter to a Malta business planning a website, software, a business system or AI. Each row links to the page that sets the date. Where a date has only been announced or reported, we say so.
| Date | What happens | Status | Who runs it | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Nov 2026 | Late claims close for Micro Invest 2024, for costs paid in 2025. The certificate then starts from year of assessment 2027. | Deadline | Malta Enterprise | MicroInvest 2024 page |
| 26 Nov 2026 | Malta AI Strategy 2.0 is expected to be launched at TECHXPO. A strategy, not a grant. | Reported | Government and MDIA | Times of Malta, TECHXPO agenda |
| 30 Nov 2026 | Cut-off: Digitalise your SME (Call 2), SME Enhance, Marketing Strategy, Business Reports, Internationalisation Strategy, Standards and Awards, Feasibility Studies. | Cut-off | Measures and Support Division (fondi.eu) | Digitalise your SME, SME Enhance, Marketing Strategy |
| 4 Dec 2026 | EUIPO SME Fund 2026 closes. It can close earlier if the money runs out. | Deadline | EU Intellectual Property Office | EUIPO FAQ |
| 14 Dec 2026 | Last 2026 cut-off for the same fondi.eu schemes. | Cut-off | Measures and Support Division (fondi.eu) | Digitalise your SME, Business Enhance |
| 31 Dec 2026 | Digitalise your SME and SME Enhance stay in force until this date, subject to funds. | Scheme end date | Measures and Support Division | DYSME Guidance Notes, SME Enhance Guidance Notes |
| By 31 Dec 2026 | The €120 million scheme with a 60% tax credit for automation, AI and digitalisation is meant to be running. | Announced | Not confirmed yet | Ministry package, Times of Malta |
| 1 Jan 2027 | Micro Invest 2026-2030 applications open for costs from 2026. | Opens | Malta Enterprise | Micro Invest 2026-2030 |
| 2027 | 25% tax on profits a smaller company keeps or reinvests (turnover up to €1 million), instead of 35%. | Announced | Budget 2027 | MaltaToday |
| Not set | INVEST: a six-month extension was announced in Parliament on 10 November 2026. Malta Enterprise still shows the scheme as closed. | Announced, no dates | Malta Enterprise | INVEST page, MBJ |
| Any time | Feasibility Studies: send a concept note by email before you apply. | Rolling | Measures and Support Division | Feasibility Studies |
| Not shown | Xjenza Malta Digital Vouchers: no closing date on the call page. | Open, check first | Xjenza Malta with MDIA | Xjenza Malta |
| 30 Jun 2029 | Digitalise your SME projects must be finished by this date. | Project end | Measures and Support Division | DYSME Guidance Notes 1.8 |
Add these dates to your calendar
The calendar file works with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar. It only adds the dated events, and each one links back here.
November
25 November: Micro Invest 2024 late claims. If you paid for a website, software or equipment in 2025 and have not claimed yet, this is the last date Malta Enterprise lists for those costs. The tax credit certificate then starts from year of assessment 2027 (MicroInvest 2024 page). Talk to your accountant this week.
26 November: AI Strategy 2.0 (reported). Times of Malta reports that the government is expected to launch Malta AI Strategy 2.0 at TECHXPO (Times of Malta). The TECHXPO agenda lists the economy minister on Malta’s next chapter in artificial intelligence on the morning of 26 November (TECHXPO agenda). A strategy is not a grant. If it brings new support for AI, we will add the dates here.
30 November: grant cut-off. fondi.eu lists 30 November for Digitalise your SME and every Business Enhance scheme (Digitalise your SME, Business Enhance). A cut-off is a batch date: applications sent by then are assessed together. Those scoring at least 50% of the selection criteria are funded while the budget lasts (Guidance Notes 1.6).
One detail to check: each scheme page lists both 30 November and 14 December, but the announcement of 4 May 2026 put the advisory schemes (Marketing Strategy, Business Reports, Internationalisation, Standards and Awards) on 14 December and SME Enhance and Feasibility Studies on 30 November (announcement). If you are applying for one of those, confirm your date with fondi.eu.
The specification and comparable quotes take the longest to get right. Send us what the system or website must do and we will turn it into a clear scope you can attach.
December
4 December: EU trade mark voucher. The EUIPO SME Fund 2026 pays back 75% of trade mark and design fees, up to €700, and it can close early when the money runs out (EUIPO FAQ). Useful if you are launching a new brand or website. You must wait for the grant decision before you file.
14 December: last grant cut-off of 2026. The same fondi.eu schemes take their last batch of the year. If you are starting your application now, this is the realistic date.
31 December: scheme end dates. Digitalise your SME and SME Enhance stay in force until 31 December 2026, subject to funds (DYSME Guidance Notes, SME Enhance Guidance Notes). New 2027 cut-offs have not been published. The government also says the €120 million scheme with a 60% tax credit should be running by the end of the year (Ministry package). Its rules are not published yet, so projects may qualify once they are. Read what we know about the 60% tax credit.
2027 and later
1 January 2027: Micro Invest opens. Applications under Micro Invest 2026-2030 open on the Malta Enterprise client portal for costs from 2026 (scheme page). It is a tax credit of up to 65% (85% in Gozo) for businesses with 1 to 50 employees. Our complete Micro Invest guide has every rule.
2027: 25% tax on kept profits (announced). Budget 2027 announced a 25% rate, instead of 35%, on profits that smaller companies keep or reinvest, for turnover up to €1 million (MaltaToday). See what Budget 2027 means for your business.
No date yet: INVEST. On 10 November 2026 the economy minister told Parliament he had asked Malta Enterprise to extend INVEST by six months (Times of Malta). The official page still shows 30 September 2026 and "closed" (INVEST page, MBJ). Our INVEST guide will show the new dates the day they appear.
30 June 2029: Digitalise your SME end date. Approved projects run for up to 24 months from the grant agreement and must be finished by 30 June 2029 (Guidance Notes 1.8).
Free tool
Pick what you are planning and the size of your business. The list shows only the dates that fit, in order, with the number of days left.
Pick your project. The list shows the dates still ahead, with the days left. Nothing you choose leaves this page.
Your dates appear here when you pick your project.
Make the date
Most applications that miss a cut-off are not late because of the form. They are late because of a document that takes weeks. Here is a realistic plan, working back from the last 2026 date.
| When | What to do | Why it takes time |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Write down what the system must do, item by item. | The minimum specification decides your quotes and the evaluation. |
| Now | Ask for the MTCA tax compliance certificate. | It must be issued no more than three months before you apply. |
| This week | Book the MDIA digital intensity assessment by email (funding.mdia@mdia.gov.mt). | Digitalise your SME asks for it with the application. |
| Late November | Collect the Investment Proposal or three quotations from unrelated suppliers. | Every quote must be against the same minimum specification. |
| Early December | Gather audited accounts, the de minimis declaration and company documents. | Missing files are the most common reason for delays. |
| By 10 December | Fill in the form on the portal and upload everything. | A few days of buffer lets you fix an upload or a signature. |
| 14 December | Submit before the cut-off. | After this date, the next chance depends on new 2027 cut-offs. |
For the portal steps, use our Digitalise your SME application guide. For the assessment, read our MDIA digital intensity assessment guide. For every scheme on one page, see business grants in Malta.
How we help
Malta Digital builds the websites, software and systems these schemes can cover. We are a private company, not a funding body. We do not decide eligibility, submit applications or promise approval. You and your accountant handle the forms and accounts.
Our part is the technical side: a clear specification, an itemised quotation that can be compared with other suppliers, and invoices that describe each part of the work.
Websites. Our web design service in Malta starts with the Professional Website at €990, complete in 24 to 48 hours. The Business Website takes 2 to 4 days, the Growth Website 7 days, and the 24-Hour Premium Website is ready in 24 hours.
Systems, CRM and AI. Custom business systems, CRM systems and AI automation from €7,500, with the first working version of a custom system in 2 to 4 weeks.
We have 18 Google reviews, and we reply to every enquiry by email.
A few straight answers
25 November 2026 for late Micro Invest claims on costs paid in 2025. The next grant cut-offs are 30 November and 14 December 2026, for Digitalise your SME and the Business Enhance schemes on fondi.eu.
fondi.eu lists 30 November and 14 December 2026 as the cut-offs left in 2026. The scheme stays in force until 31 December 2026, subject to funds.
On 1 January 2027, on the Malta Enterprise client portal, for costs from 2026 under Micro Invest 2026-2030.
Not yet. A six-month extension was announced in Parliament on 10 November 2026, but Malta Enterprise has not published new dates and its page still shows the scheme as closed.
The government says the €120 million scheme should be running by the end of 2026. No rules, form or opening date have been published, so nobody can confirm yet which projects qualify.
Your application goes into the next batch, if there is one and budget remains. After 14 December 2026 the next chance depends on new cut-offs, which have not been published.
Not for Digitalise your SME or SME Enhance. Work may only start after the grant agreement is signed. Starting early can make the costs ineligible.
Yes. Download the calendar file on this page. It works with Google Calendar, Outlook and Apple Calendar, and each event links back to this page.
Sources
Malta Digital is a private company, not a government body. These dates come from the official scheme pages and guidance notes listed above, and from reported news where we say so. Funding bodies can change dates, so always check the official page before you rely on one.
A useful first step
Tell us what you want to build and which date you are aiming for. We write the technical specification and an itemised quotation that can be compared with other suppliers. You and your accountant handle the application, and the funding body decides it.
Step 1 of 3
A few quick questions, about a minute. We usually reply within 2–3 hours.