What is Kit Consulting? Aid, deadlines, and requirements.

The Spanish Government has launched the Kit Consulting program, an initiative designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) advance on their path toward digitalization.

Its objective is to provide SMEs with specialized, tailored digital advisory services to help them make the leap from digital transition to full digital transformation.

Requirements to access the aid.

To benefit from the program, SMEs must meet a series of requirements:

1. The company must be registered in Spanish territory.

2. It must meet the definition of an SME, that is, have fewer than 250 employees and an annual turnover of less than €50 million.

3. Companies must be registered in the Census of Business Owners, Professionals, and Withholding Agents (Censo de empresarios, profesionales y retenedores) of the Spanish Tax Agency (AEAT) or in the equivalent census of the foral tax authorities (Administración Tributaria Foral).

4. Companies must not be considered undertakings in difficulty (empresa en crisis).

5. They must be up to date with their tax and Social Security obligations.

6. They must not be subject to an outstanding recovery order following a European Commission decision declaring an aid illegal and incompatible with the common market.

7. They must not fall under any of the prohibitions set out in Article 13.2 of Law 38/2015, of November 17.

8. They must not exceed the de minimis aid ceiling under Article 2.4 of the Order establishing the regulatory bases (Orden de bases).

Amount of the aid

For SMEs with between 10 and 50 employees, the amount is €12,000. For those with between 50 and 100 employees, €18,000. Finally, for SMEs with between 100 and 250 employees, a total of €24,000.

Categories of services to choose from

The program covers ten categories of advisory services, designed to cover various areas of digitalization:

• Artificial Intelligence advisory service: €6,000.

• Data analysis advisory service (basic): €6,000.

• Data analysis advisory service (advanced): €6,000.

• Digital sales advisory service: €6,000.

• Business process or production process advisory service: €6,000.

• Business strategy and performance advisory service: €6,000.

• Cybersecurity advisory service (basic): €6,000.

• Cybersecurity advisory service (advanced): €6,000.

• Cybersecurity advisory service (certification readiness): €6,000.

• “360” digital transformation advisory service: €6,000.

These services will be delivered by Digital Advisors (Asesores Digitales), professionals authorized by the program to sign service agreements with the beneficiary SMEs and to receive payment of the aid once their work has been completed.

Artificial Intelligence advisory service: €6,000.

This plan is designed specifically for SMEs that have not yet implemented an AI system, providing detailed guidance on the investment needed and the measures required for its adoption.

In this case, the advisory service focuses on the practical application of AI techniques, including machine learning and automated text processing, offering effective solutions to improve the company’s efficiency and productivity.

Data analysis advisory service (basic): €6,000

This plan aims to carry out a data analysis tailored to the specific needs of the business, determining the investment required and the measures necessary to implement those solutions effectively in the company.

Data analysis advisory service (advanced): €6,000

The aim is to prioritize the improvement, automation, and learning of processes for data extraction and analysis.

Digital sales advisory service: €6,000

The aim of this plan is to determine the necessary investment and effective digital marketing techniques, including the use of artificial intelligence technologies, to improve the company’s online sales performance.

Business process or production process advisory service: €6,000

This service is designed to identify areas for improvement and optimization in current business processes. To this end, a process improvement plan tailored to the business will be defined, addressing key aspects such as human resources, economic and financial matters, operations, products, or customers, among others.

Business strategy and performance advisory service: €6,000

The objective of the plan is to implement a business strategy to improve competitive positioning. This is achieved by defining the necessary investment and selecting the appropriate tools to achieve the commercial objectives.

Cybersecurity advisory service (basic): €6,000

This plan serves to define and apply the basic documentation of the Information Security Management System.

Cybersecurity advisory service (advanced): €6,000

The objective of the plan is to implement and improve advanced protection systems to ensure the security of data and IT systems.

Cybersecurity advisory service (certification readiness): €6,000

The aim of this plan is to implement advanced protection systems, leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence, and to prepare the Security Management System for certification (certification not included).

“360” digital transformation advisory service: €6,000

The idea is for SMEs that meet the requirements to incorporate Artificial Intelligence into their businesses and companies because, thanks to it, productivity will increase. The Government expects that applications for this aid can be submitted from June.

Digital Advisors

The various advisory services will be delivered by a number of digital advisors, who will be the only ones authorized to enter into service agreements with the beneficiary SMEs.

The window for advisors to join the program will remain open throughout the entire term of Kit Consulting. As for the requirements to become a digital advisor, the following will be required:

• Having invoiced €100,000 in the year prior to the application.

• Or having average revenue over the last three financial years above that threshold.

• Being up to date with their tax and Social Security obligations.

To make the process easier, the Government will have an AI-powered automated processing system in place to reduce the administrative burden and shorten processing times.

What will be the application deadline for Kit Consulting?

Applications may be submitted from today, June 18, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. until December 31, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.

This period will close earlier if the budget allocated to the call is exhausted.