Kit Consulting: The aid program to digitize SMEs

What is the Consulting Kit?

The Official State Gazette (BOE) published last Saturday, May 4, the 'Kit Consulting' program, a program endowed with 300 million euros from NextGeneration EU funds and managed by Red.es , attached to the Ministry for Digital Transformation and the Civil Service. And through which it will offer aid to SMEs with between 10 and 250 employees for the contracting of advisory services aimed at their digital transformation, especially in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI) or cybersecurity.

The amount of aid that each SME can receive will depend on the number of employees it has and will take the form of a ' digital advice voucher ' of 12,000, 18,000 or 24,000 euros, providing a significant boost to the incorporation of new technologies into the business. The Government hopes to reach 15,000 Spanish companies with this initiative .

Specifically, the aid for SMEs with between 10 and less than 50 employees will be 12,000 euros, for companies with between 50 and less than 100 employees it will amount to 18,000 euros and for companies with between 100 and less than 250 employees it will be 24,000 euros.

What criteria are used to select candidates?

Among the requirements that SMEs will have to meet in order to access this aid program is the obligation to:

• Have your tax domicile in Spain and be considered a small or medium-sized company.

• Be registered in the census of entrepreneurs , professionals and withholding agents of the State Tax Administration Agency or in the equivalent of the Provincial Tax Administration.

• They must not be considered as companies in crisis, be up to date with their tax and social security obligations and not be subject to a pending recovery order following a previous decision by the European Commission declaring aid illegal and incompatible with the common market.

• Furthermore, it is required that the applicant SME does not fall into any other prohibitions provided for in the General Law on Subsidies and does not exceed the minimum aid limit.

What services does the Consulting Kit include?

The program provides a catalogue of 10 advisory services covering essential areas for business digitalization. These include:

• Artificial Intelligence : Consulting for integrating AI solutions into business processes.

• Data analytics : basic and advanced services to improve the management and analysis of large volumes of data.

• Cybersecurity: Basic and advanced preparation, including assistance in obtaining relevant certifications.

• Digital transformation : strategies for the complete digitalization of business processes and operations

In this sense, companies wishing to access advanced advisory services, whether in data analysis or cybersecurity, must have previously completed the basic level.

In this context, the sources consulted have emphasized that the program focuses on helping SMEs implement artificial intelligence , since it is these companies that " need to transform themselves to achieve the productivity gains " expected through the use of this technology.

The program not only provides the capital needed to acquire these services, but also ensures that your SME can access high-quality advice to implement these technologies effectively.

Digital Consulting

Companies wishing to benefit from the "Consulting Kit" grants must contract these services through "digital advisors". These advisors will receive payment directly from Red.es once the provision of the service has been justified. This operating mechanism is similar to that of the Digital Kit, which uses Digitalizing Agents as intermediaries.

Digital advisors of the “Kit Consulting” can join the programme at any time. To be accredited as a “digital advisor”, a company must have had a turnover of at least 100,000 euros in the year preceding the application to join the programme, or have an average revenue above that threshold over the last three years. In addition, they must be up to date with their tax and social security obligations, and have their tax domicile in an EU country.

How to apply for aid and when you can apply for it

If your SME meets the requirements and you are interested, you can apply for the Consulting Kit from mid-June on the Acelera Pyme portal , although there is currently no published information on this matter . The application has been simplified through an automated processing system, powered by AI, which reduces bureaucracy and speeds up response times.