SMV:Digital Grants for AI: 2026 Guide for Danish SMBs
By NoWorkr · Published
SMV:Digital, the Danish state grant program for digitalization, offers small and mid-sized businesses up to 125,000 DKK in the pools announced for 2026, and AI and automation projects qualify under the advisory grants. Three pools open this autumn: robot trials (August 24), cybersecurity and digitalization (September 28), and digitalization advisory (November 9).
Plenty of business owners have heard about the grant and given up halfway. The rules look opaque, the amounts differ from article to article, and several of the guides ranking on Google still quote pools that no longer exist.
This guide collects everything in one place: what SMV:Digital is, which pools are open in 2026, whether your AI project qualifies, and exactly how to apply. Every amount and date has been checked against the official sources in August 2026.
TL;DR
- SMV:Digital is the Danish government's grant program for SMB digitalization. It has funded over 7,000 projects since 2018.
- Three pools open in 2026: up to 125,000 DKK for robot trials (August 24), up to 100,000 DKK for cybersecurity and digitalization (September 28), and up to 100,000 DKK for digitalization advisory (November 9).
- AI automation is an approved project area. Invoicing, reporting, customer service, and data entry projects all qualify.
- Typical eligibility is 2-249 employees and revenue of roughly 2-50 million EUR. The grant covers 50% of advisory costs; you co-finance the rest.
- Pools are first come, first served. They close when the funds run out, so prepare your application before the opening date.
What is SMV:Digital?
SMV:Digital is a Danish state grant program that gives small and mid-sized businesses funding for private advisory and investment in digitalization, automation, and AI. The program is owned by the Danish Agency for Digital Government (Digitaliseringsstyrelsen) and runs through the regional business hubs (erhvervshuse). Since 2018, it has supported more than 7,000 digital projects.
The idea is simple: the state pays half the bill when you buy external help to digitalize your business. You choose the advisor yourself, and you own everything the project delivers.
The money is not a flat amount available year-round. It is released in pools, each with its own purpose, amount, and opening date, and those pools are what you need to track.
SMV:Digital pools in 2026: amounts and dates
These are the pools announced on smvdigital.dk for autumn 2026:
| Pool | Amount | Opens | |---|---|---| | Loan and try a robot | Up to 125,000 DKK | August 24, 2026, 09:00 | | Cybersecurity and digitalization (advisory grant) | Up to 100,000 DKK | September 28, 2026, 09:00 | | Digitalization (advisory grant) | Up to 100,000 DKK | November 9, 2026, 09:00 |
Loan and try a robot covers leasing and testing a robot in your business, including support from a robot integrator.
Cybersecurity and digitalization funds advisory plus a risk analysis with an action plan. Cybersecurity projects get priority in this pool.
Digitalization (advisory grant) is the broadest pool and the most relevant one for AI projects. It covers an external advisor and an action plan for larger digitalization projects.
You may have seen articles promising "up to 250,000 DKK". That figure comes from an earlier pool that combined advisory and investment funding. It is not among the pools announced for autumn 2026, so plan around the amounts in the table and check Virksomhedsguiden for exact terms when each pool opens.
Want to know what an automation project is realistically worth to your business before you apply? Try our automation ROI calculator and get a concrete number to plan around.
Can you get a grant for AI automation?
Yes. AI and automation are approved project areas in SMV:Digital in 2026, primarily through the advisory grants. What matters is that the project digitalizes a concrete process in your business, not just "trying out AI".
Typical projects that qualify:
- Invoice automation: from receipt and approval to posting in your accounting system
- Automated reporting: weekly and monthly reports that assemble themselves instead of costing a staff day
- AI customer service: a chatbot or email assistant handling the 80% of inquiries that look alike
- Automated data entry: data moving between systems without copy-paste
- Mapping and strategy: a plan for where AI creates the most value in your specific business
An example of the math: a trades company with 12 employees uses the advisory grant for a 100,000 DKK project to automate quote follow-ups and invoicing. The grant covers 50,000 DKK; the company pays 50,000 DKK itself. If the automation saves the office just half a working day per week, the co-payment is earned back within the first year.
Who can apply?
The general requirements in the SMV:Digital program:
- Size: 2-249 employees
- Revenue: roughly 2-50 million EUR per year
- Registration: a Danish CVR-registered company
- Co-financing: the grant covers 50% of advisory costs excluding VAT; you pay the rest
Individual pools can add their own criteria, for example on industry or project type. The exact terms are published on Virksomhedsguiden together with each pool.
If you are unsure whether you qualify, contact your regional business hub before the pool opens. Their guidance is free, and they can give you an early read on your project.
How to apply: five steps
Applications go through Virksomhedsguiden, with the business hubs guiding you along the way. The process looks like this:
- Define your project before the pool opens. Which process do you want to digitalize, and what should the outcome be? The more concrete, the stronger the application.
- Contact your regional business hub. They confirm the project fits the pool and help with the practicalities.
- Submit as soon as the pool opens. Pools are first come, first served and can close within days. Have your company details, project description, and budget ready in advance.
- Get approval and choose an advisor. After approval, you freely choose a private advisor who runs the project with you.
- Complete the project and get the grant paid out. You pay the advisor, submit documentation, and the grant is reimbursed.
From approval to finished project typically takes a few months depending on scope. The implementation itself does not have to drag: our own process runs from audit to launch in about 3 weeks once the plan is set.
Common mistakes, and how to avoid them
Applying too late. The most common mistake. Pools close when the funds are spent, and popular pools go fast. Set a reminder for the opening date and have your material ready the week before.
A vague project. "We want to get started with AI" does not get funded. "We want to automate our invoice handling, which costs 10 hours a week today" does. Describe the process, the time spent, and the intended outcome.
No plan for after the advisory. The advisory grant pays for analysis and an action plan. The value only arrives when the plan gets built. Budget for implementation and assign an owner before you start, or the action plan ends up in a drawer.
Choosing an advisor blind. You pick the advisor yourself, and quality varies. Ask for documented results from similar projects, and be skeptical of advisors promising strategy, operations, and AI expertise all at once.
What do you actually get out of it?
A well-executed automation project is not a report on a shelf. It is a process that runs by itself every day, all year.
At NoWorkr, we typically find 15 hours per week that a company's team loses to manual work. Our client Markeity saves 20,000 DKK every month on systems we built once. That is the kind of result an SMV:Digital project should aim for: measurable, permanent impact, not polished slides.
That is also why we recommend starting with the mapping, whether you apply for the grant or not. When you know exactly which processes cost the most time, you can write a sharp application, and you can hold any advisor to a concrete target. Read more about why our automation projects don't fail before you pick a partner.
FAQ
How much can I get from SMV:Digital?
In the pools announced for 2026, up to 125,000 DKK for robot trials and up to 100,000 DKK in advisory grants for digitalization or cybersecurity. The grant covers 50% of costs; the rest is your co-payment.
Can the SMV:Digital grant be used for AI?
Yes. AI and automation are approved areas, especially under the digitalization advisory grant. Projects like automated invoicing, reporting, customer service, and data entry all qualify as long as they are concretely described.
When does the next SMV:Digital pool open?
The next announced pool is "Loan and try a robot", opening August 24, 2026, at 09:00. Cybersecurity and digitalization follows on September 28, and the digitalization advisory grant on November 9. Pools close when funds run out.
What does applying cost?
The application itself is free, and guidance from the business hubs is free too. Your real cost is the co-financing: the grant covers 50% of advisory costs, and you pay the other half plus VAT.
Can I choose my own advisor?
Yes. After approval you freely choose a private advisor. Pick one with documented results from similar projects, and clarify up front who implements the action plan afterwards.
How long does the application take?
The application itself takes a few hours if your project description and budget are ready. Waiting time for approval varies by pool. What matters most is being ready on opening day, since pools are first come, first served.
Get ready before the pool opens
The SMV:Digital grant is one of the cheapest routes to AI automation for Danish SMBs in 2026: up to 125,000 DKK in funding, approved AI project areas, and free guidance from the business hubs. The catch is that you need to be ready when the pool opens, and your project needs to be concrete.
The best preparation is knowing exactly where your business loses time. Book a free AI Opportunity Audit and we will map which processes cost the most and what they are worth automating. No commitment, and you keep the map either way, including if you use it in your SMV:Digital application.