What the Government has announced
On 21 September, Pedro Sánchez presented the IA360 Plan at La Moncloa, the Government's roadmap for artificial intelligence over the next twelve months. There is an AI gigafactory, supercomputing, cybersecurity and changes in education. But for an SME the piece that matters is another one: the Artificial Intelligence Voucher.
It is 600 million euros to help around 25,000 SMEs and self-employed workers bring AI into their processes. The Government's goal is for 55% of companies to use artificial intelligence by 2030.
We have spent a week getting the same question from clients: can I apply yet? The short answer is no. The long answer is this article.
What the voucher will fund and what it won't
This is the most interesting part, and what sets it apart from Kit Digital.
- It won't pay for licences. A plain subscription to AI tools is out. If your idea was to pay for ChatGPT or Copilot for the team with the voucher, forget it.
- It will pay for value added services. Development, integration with your systems, data work and process redesign.
- The provider must be a European technology company.
- There will be a prior maturity assessment, a specific use case will be identified and the impact on productivity will be measured afterwards.
- Linking part of the payments to staff training is being considered. In other words, installing something is not enough: the team has to know how to use it.
When it actually arrives
The announced timeline is:
First half of 2027: pilot phase.
Before the end of 2027: general call.
As of today there are no rules, no call and no confirmed managing body. Nor do we know how much each company will receive. If someone tells you they can already process it for you, be wary. With Kit Digital we saw many companies sign with the first person who knocked on the door and end up with a website they never used. We would rather not see that again.
Why it matters even if it's a year away
Because the design of the voucher rewards those who already know what they want to do. It will ask for a specific use case and a measurement of impact. That can't be improvised in the couple of weeks a call usually stays open.
And there is another reading we think matters more. The Government has made it clear that paying for licences is not adopting AI. We agree. In our projects, what makes the difference is almost never the tool: it is choosing the right process, having the data in order and getting the team to use it. We cover this in detail in when (and when not) to implement AI in your company.
What it means for an SME
If you run an SME in Spain, the voucher changes the numbers on some projects, but it shouldn't change the order in which you do them.
If you have already spotted a process that eats hours every week, such as answering quotes, sorting emails or preparing reports, don't wait for 2027 to start measuring it. When the call arrives, you will have a before and after with numbers, which is exactly what will be asked for.
If you still don't know where to start, the prior assessment the voucher will require is something you can do now. It is useful with or without funding. In AI agents for business we go over what they really automate and what they don't, which is a good starting point.
And a warning: the voucher won't rescue a badly planned project. If the use case doesn't make sense, public money won't make it make sense.
What I would do this week
Without waiting for the rules, this is what we are recommending to our clients:
First, list three processes that repeat every week and that you do by hand today. Write down how many hours they take. That is your baseline.
Second, pick one and measure it for a month. Time, errors, delays. No new tools, just a spreadsheet.
Third, review your data. Where it lives, in what format and who has access. Most AI projects that get stuck get stuck here, not in the model.
Fourth, think about training. If part of the payment is going to depend on the team being trained, it pays to start early. And if you use AI day to day, remember that the AI Act already requires AI literacy since 2025.
With that, when the pilot opens, you will arrive with your homework done and not in a rush.
If you want us to look at it with you
We design and implement artificial intelligence and automation projects for SMEs and provide AI training for teams. If you also need someone to sort out the technical side and the data, we do it as an external CTO.
Book a thirty-minute call. We look at which processes make sense, which one we would pick first and what you should start measuring now to be ready for the voucher. If it makes no sense to do anything today, we will tell you.
Sources
This article is based on the following publications, consulted on 30 September 2026:
Frequently asked questions
It is a grant announced on 21 September 2026 as part of the Spanish Government's IA360 Plan. It has a budget of 600 million euros and aims to help around 25,000 SMEs and self-employed workers integrate artificial intelligence into their processes.
According to the announced timeline, there will be a pilot phase in the first half of 2027 and a general call before the end of 2027. As of 30 September 2026 no rules or call have been published, so it is not yet possible to apply.
No. The Government has made it clear that the voucher will not fund mere subscriptions to AI tool licences. It will pay for value added services and solutions, such as development, integration, data work and process redesign.
It is not known yet. The amount per company, the exact requirements and the managing body will be set out in the rules and the call, which have not been published.
According to the published information, solutions must come from European technology companies. The specific conditions for providers will be known when the call is published.
Identify two or three repetitive processes, measure how much time they take today, review where your data lives and start training the team. The voucher will ask for a specific use case and a measurement of productivity impact, and that is best prepared months in advance.