The Netherlands offers many national and regional schemes that can fund part of a digitalisation project. Think of a new platform, smart automation, an AI application or a webshop that lifts your business to the next level. The national government, the provinces and the regional development agencies make money available because digitalisation makes companies more productive and more competitive.
The challenge is that this landscape is fragmented. The schemes carry different names, the conditions differ by province and the application windows do not line up. In this guide we lay out the most important schemes for 2026, explain per scheme how to map it to a concrete digitalisation project, and show which Viralistic services can fall under which scheme.
Read this first: conditions change
Subsidy amounts, percentages, budget ceilings and application windows change every year and sometimes mid year. Use this article as a guide, not as a legal document. Always check the current conditions at the official source, such as RVO, your province or the regional development agency, before you submit an application.
National + regional
two tracks you can often combine
WBSO
the most used innovation scheme among Dutch SMEs
MIT
around 50 million euros of budget in 2026
Per province
conditions and vouchers differ regionally
The key schemes at a glance
A tax scheme for developing technically new software, products or processes.
Stimulates innovation at SMEs, including feasibility projects and a new AI track.
For learning and development, in 2026 also covering AI training for your team.
Provinces and municipalities reimburse part of your digitalisation costs.
For experimenting with AI and digitalisation, often together with other parties.
A tax benefit on investments, such as the KIA, alongside the subsidies.
The schemes in detail, and how to use them
WBSO: for software and technology you develop yourself
The WBSO is the most used innovation scheme among Dutch SMEs. It is a tax scheme: you receive a reduction on payroll tax for the hours your staff spend developing technically new software, products or processes. If you are self employed, a fixed deduction applies.
How to approach it: the core is that you develop something technically new and solve a technical uncertainty along the way. You describe concretely what you build and why the solution is not obvious for you. You keep an hours and project record. In 2026 you can apply several times a year, each time for a period of at least three months.
What it can cover with us: if we build you a custom platform with its own logic, a connection between systems or a smart automation with real development underneath, that is often exactly the kind of work the WBSO is meant for. Installing a standard template does not qualify, a platform you have developed often does. Read more about that route in custom website development.
MIT for SMEs: for innovation and feasibility, with a new AI track
The MIT scheme stimulates innovation at SMEs. Two common forms are the feasibility study, which lets you test whether an innovative idea is technically and commercially viable, and the R&D collaboration project, in which several companies develop together. In 2026 there is also a dedicated AI track within the MIT, aimed at companies working together on AI projects. The total MIT budget in 2026 is around fifty million euros, national and regional combined.
How to approach it: first decide whether your idea is in the exploring phase, which suits a feasibility study, or in the building with partners phase, which suits a collaboration project. Watch the application window closely, because the MIT often works with a fixed period and sometimes with a draw or order of arrival. The scheme is partly run regionally, so the exact conditions differ by province.
What it can cover with us: if we explore together whether an AI application or a new digital product is viable, for example a smart platform or a data driven service, that research can fall under a feasibility study. If you work with partners on an innovative application, a collaboration project comes into view.
SLIM: for training your team, including in AI
The SLIM scheme is meant for learning and development within your company, such as drawing up a training plan or introducing a way of working that puts development first. New in 2026 is that the SLIM also covers AI training for your team: a skill that matters more for nearly every company. The scheme reimburses a large share of the cost, for SMEs up to around sixty percent, within fixed application windows.
How to approach it: make concrete which knowledge your team lacks and which training solves that. For digitalisation that is often learning to work with new systems, with data or with AI. Submit your application within the right window, because the SLIM has a limited number of periods per year.
What it can cover with us: if, alongside a new platform or an automation, we also deliver training so your people can carry on with it themselves, that touches on what the SLIM is meant for. The build itself does not qualify, the training around it possibly does.
Regional vouchers: fast and accessible
Alongside the national schemes, many provinces and municipalities offer a digitalisation voucher. With it they reimburse part of your cost for a concrete digitalisation step, often a quarter to a half, up to a few thousand euros. Amsterdam, for example, offers a voucher that reimburses a quarter of the cost up to a fixed maximum. The amounts and conditions vary strongly by region.
How to approach it: check your province or regional development agency for the voucher that applies to your area. These schemes are often more accessible than the national ones and therefore a good first step. The budget is usually limited, so be early.
What it can cover with us: a bounded project such as a new website, a webshop or a first automation often fits well within a voucher. It is an accessible way to get your first digitalisation step partly funded. Read more in ecommerce website development.
European programmes and investment deduction
For those looking further, there are European programmes that help SMEs experiment with AI and digitalisation, often together with knowledge institutions or other companies. In addition, the investment deduction stands apart from the subsidies but still counts for tax: with the small scale investment deduction (KIA) you receive an extra deduction on investments in business assets. Subsidy and deduction do not always exclude each other, but the rules on stacking differ per scheme.
How to approach it: for the European programmes, collaboration and experiment are central, so they suit those still exploring. For the investment deduction, your records need to be in order. Get advice from a subsidy adviser or your accountant, because stacking schemes is a precise matter.
The service repertoire: which service can fall under which scheme
Digitalisation is not a single purchase but a journey. Below you see how Viralistic services map to the schemes. It is a guide, not a guarantee: whether a project truly qualifies depends on the current conditions and your specific situation.
Own development with technical uncertainty can fall under the WBSO. A bounded project often fits within a regional voucher.
Connecting systems and automating processes with real development touches on the WBSO, a first step fits within a voucher.
Research into feasibility suits the MIT, building together suits the AI track or a European programme.
A new or renewed shop is a concrete digitalisation step that often fits within a regional voucher.
Learning to work with new systems, data or AI aligns with the SLIM scheme.
Being found in Google and AI makes every digitalisation step pay off, so the investment earns itself back.
A subsidy is a lever, not a goal
A subsidy lowers your threshold, but the return comes from the project itself. A platform or automation only pays off when people find and use it. That is why we build every solution to be findable and measurable, with SEO and AIO built in from the first sketch. Read what is SEO.
How to approach an application in practice
A subsidy application stands or falls on a clear rationale. The common thread through almost all schemes is the same: describe concretely what you are going to build, why it is innovative and which problem it solves. Work in four steps. First decide which scheme suits your phase: exploring, developing or training. Then check the current conditions and the application window at the official source. Next, support your project with a concrete description and a budget. Finally, submit on time, because many schemes have a limited budget or a fixed window.
We are not a subsidy adviser, but we do deliver the building blocks an application needs: a clear project description of what we develop, why it is technically new and what it delivers. Many entrepreneurs combine us as the build partner with a subsidy adviser who handles the application. That way everyone keeps their own role.
Frequently asked questions about subsidies for digitalisation
Which subsidy exists for digitalisation of SMEs?
There is no single fixed national digitalisation subsidy. In practice you use a combination of schemes, such as the WBSO for your own development, the MIT for innovation, the SLIM for training and regional vouchers for a concrete step. Which one fits depends on your project and your region.
Can a new website or webshop be subsidised?
Sometimes. A bounded project such as a website or webshop often fits within a regional digitalisation voucher. If we develop something technically new with its own logic, part of it can fall under the WBSO. Installing a standard template usually does not qualify. Always check the conditions at the official source.
Does automation or AI fall under a subsidy?
Often yes. Developing smart automation with real technology can fall under the WBSO, and research or collaboration around AI suits the MIT or a European programme. Since 2026 the SLIM also covers AI training for your team.
Do you handle the subsidy application for me?
We are your build partner, not a subsidy adviser. We deliver the clear project description and rationale an application needs, and we are glad to work with the subsidy adviser or accountant who submits it. That way we build the solution and the specialist keeps control of the application.
A digitalisation project that could qualify for a subsidy?
Book a free call. We map your digitalisation step and deliver the rationale you need for an application. No strings attached.
