Searching for AI grants in Spain usually leads to articles that mix closed programmes, calls meant for other kinds of organisations and offers to “handle the paperwork for you”. This page lists what is actually open, who can apply for each one and what is closed, with a link to the official source for every fact.
Last reviewed: 28 October 2026. We review this page every month and whenever a new call is published. The data comes from the official sites of Red.es, Acelera Pyme, SPRI and CDTI, most of them in Spanish. It is not advice; always check the official rules before applying. See our editorial policy.
Quick answer: today there is no open national grant that a small business can apply for directly to adopt AI in Spain. Kit Digital and Kit Consulting are closed. Red.es’s new AI call (C012/26-IA, open until 10 November 2026) is for business associations and technology centres, and small businesses take part as beneficiaries of the pilots. If your company is industrial and based in the Basque Country, SPRI’s AI line closes on 2 November 2026. For projects with a genuine innovation component, CDTI has lines open all year, and the European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) offer support services.
Table of Contents
AI Grants in Spain: Summary Table
| Programme | Status (28 Oct 2026) | Who applies | What for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red.es C012/26-IA | Open until 10 Nov 2026 | Business and professional associations and technology centres; not individual SMEs | Developing AI use cases on a platform and testing them with SMEs and start-ups |
| Kit Digital | Closed | SMEs, micro-businesses and the self-employed | Digitalisation solutions through approved providers |
| Kit Consulting | Closed | SMEs | Advisory services, vouchers of €12,000 to €24,000 by company size |
| SPRI Artificial Intelligence 2026 (Basque Country) | Open until 2 Nov 2026 | Industrial and related-service companies operating in the Basque Country | AI adoption projects: up to 60%, maximum €100,000 per company |
| CDTI (Direct Innovation Line and R&D projects) | Open all year | Companies with an innovation or R&D project | Partially reimbursable aid for projects with a technology component |
| EDIHs (European Digital Innovation Hubs) | Services running 2026–2028 | SMEs, through their local hub | Test before invest, training and help finding funding |
Red.es C012/26-IA: AI Ecosystems for Start-ups and SMEs
This is the most talked-about new call, and the most misunderstood. Its official name is the “General invitation to take part in promoting AI ecosystems for start-ups and SMEs”. According to its page on the Red.es site:
- Who applies: professional and business associations (including federations and confederations) and registered technology and innovation-support centres, alone or in groups of up to five. AI or SME competitiveness must be among their aims.
- Who benefits: start-ups and SMEs, which will be able to use the platform “as a service” and take part in testing the use cases.
- Money: €40 million in total, up to €12 million per agreement. Red.es funds at most 80%, and the applicant contributes at least 20%, which can be in kind.
- Deadline: 9 September to 10 November 2026, 23:59.
What a small business can do: ask its sector association or technology centre whether it is applying, and sign up to take part in the pilots if it goes ahead. It is not a grant paid into the company’s account.
Kit Digital and Kit Consulting: Closed
Kit Digital is still often listed among AI grants in Spain, but it is closed. According to Acelera Pyme, the Kit Digital calls have ended, and Kit Consulting is listed as “call closed”. The Red.es site still lists open registration for approved providers and advisers, but that is for whoever delivers the service, not for the business receiving it. If someone offers to “process Kit Digital for AI” today, be wary.
Regional AI Grants in Spain: SPRI in the Basque Country
Spain’s regions run their own programmes, and they are often the only ones a small business can apply for directly. The clearest example right now is the SPRI Artificial Intelligence 2026 programme of the Basque Government:
- For whom: industrial and related-service companies operating in the Basque Country.
- How much: up to 60% of the project, a maximum of €100,000 per company, from a €14 million budget.
- Deadline: 24 March to 2 November 2026, 23:59. Projects must be carried out within 12 months.
- Excluded: basic office software, even if it includes AI features. Paying for chat-assistant licences is not an eligible project.
In other regions, check the regional development agency, for example ACCIÓ in Catalonia, IVACE+i in the Valencian Community, Agencia IDEA in Andalusia or your region’s grants portal. We have not checked each of their calls, so we do not list any as open until we have verified it.
CDTI: If Your AI Project Is Innovation
CDTI, Spain’s agency for business R&D and innovation, has no AI-only line for SMEs, but its general instruments are open all year and do not restrict the technology. The Direct Innovation Line funds projects that bring new technology into the company with partially reimbursable aid, and its R&D projects cover in-house development. It fits if your project goes beyond subscribing to a tool, for example building an AI model into your product or an industrial process. Check the current conditions on the CDTI site before preparing an application.
EDIHs: European Support Without a Call
European Digital Innovation Hubs (EDIHs) are centres funded by the EU and member states that offer SMEs four kinds of service: test before invest, training, help finding funding and networking. Spain has several hubs with an AI focus for 2026–2028. They do not hand out money, but some offer free or subsidised services to try an AI solution before buying it. Find your local hub and ask which services it offers and on what terms.
How to Prepare for the Next Call
- Have a concrete project, not a tool: which process changes, how you will measure it and what it costs. Our Zapier, Make and n8n cost calculator helps you budget the automation.
- Get the basic paperwork ready: certificates showing you are up to date with the tax agency and Social Security, the SME size declaration and supplier quotes.
- Get compliance right: calls increasingly assess whether a project respects the AI Act and the GDPR. See our guides to GDPR and ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and AI literacy.
- Watch the official sources: the Red.es site, Acelera Pyme, CDTI, Spain’s National Grants Database and your regional agency. We update this page on AI grants in Spain every month.
Beware of Intermediaries
- No public grant requires paying an intermediary upfront to “reserve” it.
- If someone offers a grant that does not appear on an official site, ask for the link to the call and check it yourself.
- Calls for associations or technology centres, such as C012/26-IA, do not pay the business directly, even when advertised as “AI grants for SMEs”.
For the other rules and deadlines that affect a business using AI, see AI rules for businesses in Spain and the EU.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there AI grants in Spain open to small businesses?
As of 28 October 2026 there is no open national grant that a small business can apply for directly to adopt AI. There is a Red.es call (C012/26-IA) for associations and technology centres until 10 November 2026, regional lines such as SPRI’s in the Basque Country, and CDTI aid open all year for innovation projects.
Can a small business apply for Red.es call C012/26-IA?
Not directly. Business and professional associations and technology centres apply, alone or in groups of up to five. SMEs and start-ups are the beneficiaries: they will be able to use the platform and take part in the pilots.
Is Kit Digital still open?
No. According to Acelera Pyme, the Kit Digital calls have ended and Kit Consulting is also listed as closed. Only the registration of approved providers and advisers remains open.
Can a grant pay for a ChatGPT or Copilot licence?
Usually not. For example, SPRI’s AI programme explicitly excludes basic office software even if it includes AI. Grants tend to fund adoption or innovation projects, not standalone licences.
How often is this page on AI grants in Spain updated?
We review it every month and whenever a new call is published. The last review date is shown at the top of the page.
Official Sources
- Red.es: open calls and grants (in Spanish)
- Red.es: C012/26-IA, AI ecosystems for start-ups and SMEs (in Spanish)
- Acelera Pyme: Kit Digital and Kit Consulting
- SPRI: Artificial Intelligence 2026 (in Spanish)
- CDTI: Direct Innovation Line and R&D projects
- European Commission: European Digital Innovation Hubs