The Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry announced on Tuesday a call for proposals under the Digital Business Upgrade Scheme, with a total budget of €30 million for the 2021–2027 period. The aim is to encourage investments in digital technologies and enhance their integration into businesses located or to be located in areas of Cyprus under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus.

The call is part of the Digital Business Upgrade Scheme, which falls under the THALIA 2021–2027 programme and is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union and the Republic of Cyprus, within the framework of Cohesion Policy in Cyprus.

The total budget allocated for the scheme during the 2021–2027 programming period amounts to €30 million—€20 million under the THALIA programme and €10 million under the Recovery and Resilience Plan. For the third call, €14 million will be made available, including savings from the first round of the scheme.

The scheme is designed to support investment in digital technologies and enhance their integration into businesses operating or planning to operate in areas of Cyprus effectively controlled by the Republic.

Eligible participants include existing small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that plan to undertake expenses related to digital upgrades, including e-commerce, as well as new SMEs whose investment proposals must necessarily include e-commerce and/or the application of advanced digital technologies.

The grant intensity is set at 50% of the eligible budget of the proposal, with a maximum grant of €50,000. Covered expenses include off-the-shelf software, specialized software, systems, IT programs and services, other digital upgrade expenses not directly related to IT systems, and equipment required for the proposed digital upgrade.

For businesses located or to be located in mountainous or disadvantaged areas, the grant intensity increases to 70%, with the maximum grant amounting to €70,000.

Interested parties can obtain the Scheme Guide, the Application Form Template, the List of Required Supporting Documents, and any other necessary forms or documents from the website of the Department of Industry and Technology.

The submission period for proposals and required supporting documents will begin on 20 May 2025 at 09:00, and applications will be accepted until the available budget is exhausted, exclusively through the Ministry’s Electronic Grant Scheme System, using the Chrome, Firefox, or Edge browsers.

It is noted that applications will be evaluated on a first-come, first-served basis, and approvals will not exceed the available budget for this call. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their proposals only when fully prepared and in possession of all required supporting documentation.