SME Packages in Luxembourg: the complete guide to the digitalisation grant

What the scheme funds

The SME Packages scheme supports concrete digitalisation projects in small and medium-sized businesses: typically building or rebuilding a professional website, an online shop, a CRM or internal tools, automation and artificial-intelligence solutions, or strengthening cybersecurity.

The order of magnitude for the Digital strand: projects between EUR 3,000 and EUR 25,000 excluding VAT, coverage of up to 70% of eligible costs, and a grant ceiling of EUR 17,500. In practice, a trilingual website project costing EUR 10,000 may leave you paying only EUR 3,000 out of pocket. That completely changes the trade-off between “a small site done quickly” and “the tool the business actually needs”.

Who can apply

The scheme is aimed at SMEs established in Luxembourg holding a valid business permit. Company size is assessed against the European SME definition, which covers the vast majority of the country's retailers, craft businesses, service professions and small industry.

Two points come up systematically: the company must be in good standing with its obligations (permit, tax and social security position), and the project must be a genuine digitalisation project, not the simple renewal of an existing software subscription.

The golden rule: apply before you start

This is the rule that costs applicants the most grants, and there is no appeal: the application must be submitted before the project begins. A signed quotation, a deposit paid or work started before the file is lodged makes the project ineligible. No exceptions, no catching up.

The practical consequence: first freeze the scope and your provider's offer, submit the application, and only then start production. A provider who knows the scheme builds that delay into the schedule from the first conversation.

The application journey, step by step

Step one: the pre-analysis. The entry point depends on your sector: the House of Entrepreneurship at the Chamber of Commerce for retail and services, the Chambre des Métiers for craft trades. An adviser reviews your project free of charge, checks eligibility and helps you structure the file. This step is not decorative: a pre-analysed file goes through better and faster.

Step two: the file. It describes the project, its business objective, the exact scope of services, the schedule and the budget, backed by the provider's detailed offer. The more precise the scope (number of pages, languages, features, deliverables), the simpler the assessment.

Step three: submission via MyGuichet.lu, with the company's supporting documents. From that submission onwards the project may start without compromising eligibility.

Step four: delivering the project in line with the submitted scope. Significant gaps between the file and the deliverable are the second major source of problems: if the project changes along the way, document it.

Step five: reimbursement. Once delivered, you submit the paid invoices and evidence of the deliverable. The grant is paid as a reimbursement, which means the company pre-finances the project: plan that cash flow from the outset.

The five mistakes that cost you the grant

Applications that fail almost always fail for one of these reasons:

• Starting the project before submitting the application. Mistake number one, and final.
• A vague quotation. A single line reading “website creation, EUR 8,000” cannot be assessed. Insist on a detailed scope from your provider.
• Forgetting cash flow. The aid reimburses, it does not advance. The company must be able to fund the project while awaiting payment.
• Delivering something other than what was submitted, without documenting how the project evolved.
• Choosing a provider who does not know the scheme. You then carry the administrative burden alone, with the risk of a procedural error at the worst moment.

The role of your digital provider

A provider who knows the SME Packages scheme structures its offer so that it can be used directly in the file: clearly identified eligible services, a detailed scope, a schedule compatible with the assessment of the application, and documented deliverables for the reimbursement phase.

That is a selection criterion in its own right, on a par with the quality of the work. An agency that tells you “subsidies are not our problem” leaves you with the administrative burden and, at worst, costs you the grant because the project started too early.

What this changes for your project

With up to 70% covered, the real question is no longer “which website is cheapest” but “which digital tool moves the business forward”. A serious trilingual website, an online shop, a CRM matched to your processes or an automation that saves hours every week all become accessible on SME budgets.

At META we build the SME Packages route into the very first conversation: eligible scope, an offer structured for the file, a schedule that respects the prior-submission rule, and documented deliverables for reimbursement. If you have a digitalisation project and want to know whether it can be funded, tell us about it: you will get a straight answer on eligibility, budget and next steps, before any commitment.