On November 24th of last year, the national government launched the Digital Kit Program in Spain. It was done in an effort to facilitate the digitization of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro-enterprises, and the self-employed, or “Autónomos.”
The program was established in line with the 2021–2025 SME Digitization Plan, the Spain Digital Agenda 2025, and the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan. It aims to promote the level of digital maturity of SMEs, micro-enterprises, and self-employed individuals.
Under the Digital Kit Program in Spain, eligible recipients will be given a digitization voucher. This can be used to make purchases of the necessary digital solutions for the conduct of their business activities.
By doing so, companies can increase their productivity since they will have more tools at their disposal to improve their workflow. This can help in expanding their reach and making them more competitive in the international market. As a result, they can grow their revenues beyond what they currently earn. The citizens will benefit alongside the growth of these companies because quality jobs will be made available to them.
During its launch, Nadia Calviño, the First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, said that “the future of our SMEs and freelancers is written in a digital key. The objective is clear: take advantage of the opportunity of the Recovery Plan to provide our SMEs and the self-employed with the digital tools they need to increase their scale, access new markets and develop their full potential.”
3,067 million euros will be allocated by the European Union to financially support the Digital Kit Program in Spain. The Next Generation EU funds will be utilized for this purpose.
Within the years of 2021 and 2023, different calls for aid will be released. Each call will have a specified budget and a segment that will be catered to. During this time, eligible individuals or enterprises can submit an application to the Digital Kit Program in Spain.
On March 15, the very first call for aid was launched. A total of 500 million euros was made available to SMEs that employ 10 to 49 workers. The application period will be open for 6 months (September 15, 2022) or until all of the budget has been exhausted, whichever comes first.
Who Exactly are the Beneficiaries of the Digital Kit Program in Spain?
The government has differentiated the beneficiaries according to the number of their employees. At the same time, each segment is entitled to a specific maximum amount of the digital voucher.
| Segment | Number of Employees | Digital Voucher Amount |
| I | Small businesses that employ 10 to 49 workers | €12,000 |
| II | Small business or micro-enterprises that employ 3 to 9 workers | €6,000 |
| III | Small businesses or micro-enterprises that employ 1 to 2 workers; Self-employed individuals | €2,000 |
There are around 150,000 and 1,100 businesses throughout the country that can be included in the first and second segments, respectively. The number is much higher for those who belong to the third segment. It is estimated that there are 1.6 million of them in the country.
The aforementioned amounts of the digital voucher are the maximum value of aid given per beneficiary. Because of this, applicants may receive a value lower than what was listed. But they will not receive any more than the ceiling of the aid.
What are the Conditions for Applying to the Digital Kit Program in Spain?
Anyone interested in applying for the Digital Kit Program in Spain should meet the following criteria:
- Be a SME, micro-enterprise, or a self-employed individual
- Updated in the payments of tax obligations and social security contributions
- Registered in the census of businessmen, professionals, and withholders of the State Tax Administration Agency; if not applicable, the applicant must be registered in the equivalent census of the Foral Tax Administration
- Not be categorized as a company in crisis
- Not subjected to an on-going recovery order from the European Commission
- Not committing any prohibitions listed in the General Subsidies Law
- Does not go beyond the minimum aid limit, which is €200,000
- Has undertaken the digital diagnostic test
The Digital Kit Program in Spain is open to any SME, micro-enterprise, or self-employed individual, regardless of the sector and type of business they have.
How Can I Apply for the Digital Kit Program in Spain?
Eligible applicants should register in the private area of Acelera Pyme. At the same time, a digital diagnostic test must be completed. This will help applicants determine their digital maturity level. There are 13 questions in the test, and it takes around 10 minutes to complete.
Additionally, applicants can take the Digital Transformation Self-Assessment and the Cybersecurity Self-Assessment. These are not mandatory. But taking them could further help applicants decide what the best digital solution for their company is.
After this, applicants can go through the list of digital solutions that will be made available to them.
From there, they should provide the necessary information asked for on the application form. This should be signed by the applicant prior to submission.
Once the conditions have been met, a digital voucher or “bonus” will be issued to the applicant.
What Digital Solutions Can be Availed of?
There is a wide range of digital solutions that beneficiaries can choose from should they be granted the digital voucher. These include the following: website and internet presence; electronic commerce; social media management; customer management; business intelligence and analytics; virtual office services; process management; electronic bill; secure communications; and, cybersecurity.
Website and Internet Presence
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €2,000.
With this, businesses and self-employed individuals can establish their own web page. This will help them become more visible on the internet.
They can obtain services and products such as a domain name, website hosting, website page design, basic positioning on the internet, a content management platform, and basic search engine optimization (SEO). The website will also be created in such a way that it is accessible to users, whatever device they use. It will abide by the AA level conformance criteria of the WCAG-2.1 Guidelines.
Electronic Commerce
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €2,000.
This will enable beneficiaries to set up their own online store so that they can conduct transactions through digital means. By doing so, their sales will not just be limited to nearby consumers.
They can have access to a product catalog for their online store. Moreover, suitable payment and shipping methods will be integrated into their site as well.
Social Media Management
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €2,500.
Since almost everyone is on social media these days, this digital solution aims to promote the beneficiaries’ companies on social networks.
They will be given support in the creation of a social media strategy, from its conceptualization up until its management thereafter. The digitizing agent will post a minimum of 4 to 8 entries per month for the duration of the partnership.
Customer Management
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €4,000.
With this, beneficiaries can manage business relationships with their customers through the use of a digital system. They can track the progress of a customer as a lead, nurture them as an opportunity, and document the commercial activities that result from such efforts.
Business Intelligence (BI) and Analytics
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €4,000.
Companies can practice evidence-based decision making from all the data that they have. Their data will be integrated into one another so that they can obtain an organized and comprehensive picture of their activities. These will be presented through different forms of visualization to make them easily comprehensible.
Virtual Office Services
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €250 per user.
Solutions will be implemented to streamline the workflow among employees. This provides better opportunities for collaboration since resources can be easily shared. The monitoring and organization of tasks will also be more efficient through the use of a calendar.
Process Management
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €6,000.
Processes and workflow related to the daily operations and production will be automated. These include aspects of the business such as accounting or finance, billing, projects, inventory, purchases and payments, human resources, and logistics.
Electronic Bill
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €1,000.
Issuing invoices to customers will be digitized, without any limits on the number of invoices given and clients served. Relevant legislation regulating such activities will be complied with.
Secure Communications
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €6,000.
Devices of employees and the company will be secured through features such as the secure socket layer (SSL) protocol, end-to-end encryption, initial configuration, and malware and security software updates. Companies can also track devices connected to their network and restrict access to unauthorized users.
Cybersecurity
The maximum amount of aid to be given for this digital solution is €6,000.
Companies will be given access to resources for antimalware, antispyware, anti-adware, and protection from other threats that can compromise the security of devices. Training will also be provided so that employees can configure security software on their own. A cybersecurity awareness kit will be given to enrich these efforts.
The stated maximum amounts may vary, depending on the segment and other conditions deemed suitable.
How Can I Use The Digital Kit Voucher?
Once granted the digital kit voucher, successful applicants can choose from a list of digitizing agents that they want to work with. These digitizing agents are authorized companies that will provide the digital solutions required by beneficiaries.
They should contact the digitizing agent to discuss the specifics of their collaboration. An agreement should also be signed between the two parties prior to starting the work.
The digitizing agent will implement the digital solution according to the agreed upon schedule. After the first phase is completed, the digitizing agent will issue an invoice. The beneficiary should pay for the service using the digital kit voucher. They will work together for a span of 12 months.
It is important to note that only one digital solution per category can be chosen. But applicants are not limited in terms of the number of categories. This means that they can choose more than one digital solution as long as they belong to different categories.
When Will I Be Granted the Digital Kit Voucher?
The digital kit voucher will be released by April 2022.
On the very first day that the call for applicants was released, 12,000 individuals successfully submitted their applications.
However, this is just the beginning of the Digital Kit Program in Spain. A second call for aid will be released between June and July. Then, the last call will be launched between September and October of this year.
