SMV:Digital grant: how to prepare a strong application

This guide is general information, not advice on a specific pool. We do not run the programme and cannot promise that a particular project or supplier is covered. The rules that apply are published by the Danish Business Authority and on virksomhedsguiden.dk.

What is SMV:Digital?

SMV:Digital is a public programme meant to help Danish SMEs move forward with digitalisation, e-commerce and new digital workflows. It opens pools at intervals, and each pool has its own rules. In recent pools the support has typically been a 50 % grant towards external advice, with amounts in the region of DKK 50,000–150,000. The business co-finances the rest. Pools are often open for short windows and allocated first-come, first-served or through a points system.

Who can apply for the SMV:Digital grant?

In recent pools the requirements have typically looked like this. Always read the criteria for the pool you apply to, as they may have been tightened or relaxed.

• A Danish CVR number
• The business is an SME under the EU definition, meaning fewer than 250 employees and within the turnover or balance sheet limits
• Typically at least 2 full-time employees
• At least one filed annual report
• The advisor must be approved in the programme’s advisor database before the work starts

How is an SMV:Digital application structured?

The form changes from pool to pool, but most digitalisation grant applications ask for the same five things. The more concrete each part is, the easier it is for the case handler to see that the project makes sense.

Timeline: from idea to approval

Common mistakes in digitalisation grant applications

• Work started before approval was granted
• The advisor was not approved in the database when the work began
• The goal is vague and the KPIs cannot be measured
• The budget in the application does not match the advisor’s quote
• The business’s own share has not been thought through
• The application is written only once the window opens, and the pool runs out

How to prepare the project description and quote

1. Describe the problem in your own words: what takes time, what goes wrong, what it costs
2. List the concrete deliverables you expect and who will use them
3. Get a written quote with a fixed price per deliverable, so the budget can be copied straight in
4. Choose two or three KPIs you can actually measure before and after
5. Agree internally who writes and submits the application, and when

A good requirements specification is a strong starting point for the project description, because it forces you to be concrete about goals and deliverables. A fixed-price quote is easier to use in a budget than an hourly estimate. We cover the difference in fixed price vs hourly billing.

Example: what a project description can look like

Picture a small cleaning company that books customers by phone and email and keeps its rota in a spreadsheet. The goal could be to let customers book and pay online and give staff their shifts on their phones. The deliverables could be an analysis of current workflows, a plan for the new booking flow and a clickable prototype. The budget is broken down per deliverable and matches the advisor’s quote. The KPIs could be fewer phone calls about bookings, fewer double bookings and less time spent on the rota each week.

The example is made up to show the structure. Which activities can be supported depends on the pool, so always tailor the description to the current criteria.

What if you do not get the grant?

Many pools run out quickly, and a rejection does not mean the project is bad. A bounded first step can often go ahead without a grant, for example as an MVP that tests the idea before you invest more. Our web packages start at EUR 2,500 + EUR 85/month, and at Vaskekonerne the solutions have grown step by step to eight in one circuit. Whether or not you apply for a grant, you can describe your project and get a written fixed-price quote within 24 hours. Whether it can be part of an application depends on the current pool’s rules.