In just three months, around 200 SMEs from 10 to less than 250 employees in the Principality of Asturias have asked for the help of the Kit Consulting program since the application deadline was opened on June 18 through the electronic headquarters of the Principality of Asturias. Red.es. The deadline for submitting applications ends on December 31, 2024 and around 8,500 applications have already been received nationwide, which represents more than 56% of the target universe of companies, about 15,000 SMEs. This volume of applications would amount to more than EUR 117 million from European NextGenerationEU funds when the aid is granted.
Kit Consulting is a government aid program, managed by Red.es with a budget of 300 million euros, financed by the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan of Spain through the Next Generation EU funds. The aim of this programme is for SMEs with between 10 and less than 250 employees to take a further step on the path of digitisation through advisory services.
Las regulatory bases de Kit Consulting were published in the BOE on May 11. In the published announcement The requirements for applying for aid, the obligations incurred by the beneficiaries, the maximum amounts of aid for each category of advisory solutions, the justification, payment and control of the implementation of the solutions, among other important matters, are detailed.
The call has an initial budget of 150 million euros expandable and aims to provide a digital advisory service so that SMEs can take another step in their digital transformation.
Bonuses of 12,000, 18,000 and 24,000 euros for advisory services
The aid is materialized in a Digital Advisory Voucher that SMEs must use in the contracting of one or more of the advisory services of which the Program is composed. These advisory services will allow beneficiary SMEs to have a roadmap to advance in the digitalization of their business and continue to advance in their digital transformation.
Three segments of companies are established according to their size and the amount of aid for each of them. For the segment of companies between 10 and less than 50 employees the bonus will be 12,000 euros, for the segment of companies between 50 and less than 100 employees the amount will be 18,000 euros and for companies between 100 and less than 250 employees, the aid will be 24,000 euros.
Red.es will determine the segment to which the application corresponds taking into account the data of the number of workers existing in the General Social Security System and in the Special System of Self-Employed Workers or using any other means valid in law. The average workforce for the last 12 months prior to the date of the application is counted.
The grants are non-competitive and will be awarded directly and in order of arrival, once the checks of compliance with the requirements required in the call have been carried out.
Once it is verified that the company meets the requirements, the digital advisory voucher is awarded. The beneficiary will be able to consult in www.acelerapyme.es the catalog of advisory services offered by the Program and also the catalog of Digital Advisors. You will need to select one or more advisors with whom to develop the services that best suit the needs of your business and sign the “Advisory Services Delivery Agreements”.
10 advisory services available to SMEs
Beneficiary SMEs must allocate the Kit Consulting digital advisory voucher to the contracting of one or several advisory services from a catalogue composed of 10 categories of services in key areas in digital transformation: AI Advisory Service, Data Analytics Advisory Service (Basic and Advanced), Digital Sales Advisory Service, Business Process or Production Advisory Service, Business Strategy and Performance Advisory Service, Cybersecurity Advisory Service (Basic, Advanced and Certification Readiness) and a “360” Digital Transformation Advisory Service.
About 2,000 Digital Advisors attached
The Digital Advisors will be in charge of carrying out the advisory service chosen by the SME and guiding it in the next steps that it must take in its digitalization process. During the entire validity of the program, the term of adhesion as Digital Advisor will be open. Currently, there are about 2,000 digital advisors attached to the program and they can be consulted in the Catalogue of Acelera SME.
To be so, the companies concerned must have invoiced at least 100,000 euros in the previous year or have an average income higher than this threshold in the last three years, among other requirements that can be consulted in the regulatory bases of the Program, and in the Announcement of Accession.
Information channels
Interested companies can access all the information in the web, on the telephone 900 223 322 and in the email info@kitconsulting.es. The Digital Advisors will also have a service of attention to the Digital Advisor on the telephone 900 903 595 and in the email infoadvidigital@acelerapyme.gob.es.