By the end of this post you will know which of the two IVACE programmes fits a local AI project, how much it pays, and which costs count. You will also have a five-item file ready to submit the day the next window opens. Status check, done on 9 September 2026 on ivace.es and the DOGV: both 2026 windows are closed. INNOVA-CV 2026 ran from 28 March to 5 May 2026 (ivace.es). DIGITALIZA-CV 2026 ran from 15 January to 3 March 2026 (DOGV, 26 December 2025). Everything below is preparation for the next ones.
What you need
- A company with its registered office and a production establishment in the Comunitat Valenciana, and at least two employees. Both programmes ask for this.
- Your CNAE code. The programmes are restricted by activity, see Step 1.
- A digital certificate of company representative (certificado de representante). Applications are electronic only; ordering the certificate takes days, so do it first.
- An afternoon, a spreadsheet, and optionally a local model to draft the technical memo from the call text.
The two programmes, side by side
| INNOVA-CV 2026 (INNOVATeiC-CV track) | DIGITALIZA-CV 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| What it funds | Development of innovative IT, electronics and communications solutions, AI included | Adoption of digital technology in industrial companies: industry 4.0, ERP, BI, cybersecurity, “solutions based on artificial intelligence techniques” |
| Budget of the call | EUR 7.5 million | EUR 3.4 million |
| Grant, small company | Up to 45 percent | Up to 45 percent |
| Grant, medium company | Up to 35 percent | Up to 35 percent |
| Minimum eligible budget | EUR 30,000 | EUR 20,000 |
| Maximum grant | Not capped per project in the call; personnel line capped, see below | EUR 175,000, under de minimis (EUR 300,000 per company over three years) |
| Eligible period | Costs from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2027 | Execution by 31 December 2026 |
| Justification deadline | 7 October 2027 | 4 February 2027 |
| 2026 window | 28 March to 5 May 2026 | 15 January to 3 March 2026 |
| Source | ivace.es | DOGV 10269 |
Read the difference like this: if you build an AI product, INNOVATeiC-CV. If you install AI in a factory or industrial service company, DIGITALIZA-CV. A company that runs a local model to classify quality-control images is DIGITALIZA; the company that writes that software is INNOVA.
Step 1: Check the three eligibility gates (10 minutes)
- Activity. INNOVATeiC-CV accepts CNAE section C divisions 26 to 30, and section J codes 5821, 5829, 6311, 6312 and divisions 61 to 62 (software, data processing, telecoms). INNOVAProD-CV takes manufacturing, section C divisions 10 to 33. DIGITALIZA-CV targets industrial SMEs and services to industry within the CNAE list in its article 2.2. Look up your code on your last Modelo 036 or your Social Security registration.
- People. At least two employees or cooperative members on payroll at the time of application. INNOVATeiC-CV waives this for a company that qualifies as a new innovative enterprise.
- Standing. Up to date with the tax agency and Social Security, not a company in crisis, no pending recovery of earlier aid. Order both certificates now; they are free and valid for months.
Step 2: Choose the cost lines that fit a local AI project
| Cost line | INNOVATeiC-CV | DIGITALIZA-CV |
|---|---|---|
| Technical staff (payroll hours on the project) | Yes, up to EUR 125,000 | Not as a line; the project is an implementation |
| Hardware | Prototype components | Sensors, automation, communications equipment and servers fully dedicated to the solution; personal computers, printers, tablets and general servers excluded |
| Software licences and intangible assets | Yes | Yes, plus cloud servers only if fully dedicated to the solution |
| External consulting and technical assistance | Up to 20 percent of other costs or EUR 30,000 | Up to 15 percent of other costs or EUR 20,000, and only for diagnosis and planning before implementation |
| Intellectual property registration | Yes | Not listed |
| Audit report of the justification | Up to EUR 1,200 excluding VAT | Up to EUR 600 excluding VAT |
Two consequences for a local AI deployment. First, a dedicated inference server (a Mac mini or a Jetson that runs only the solution) is an eligible asset under DIGITALIZA; a laptop is not. Second, the consulting line is small by design, so the memo must describe an implementation, not a study.
Step 3: Size the project (10 minutes)
Work from the minimum budget up, not from the maximum down.
| Example project | Eligible budget | Grant at 45 percent (small company) | Your cash |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIGITALIZA: local vision model for quality control, one dedicated server, sensors, integration with the MES | EUR 40,000 | EUR 18,000 | EUR 22,000 |
| INNOVATeiC: 18 months of two engineers building a local document-AI product, prototype hardware, IP filing | EUR 150,000 | EUR 67,500 | EUR 82,500 |
Under DIGITALIZA the investment must stay in place, unchanged, in the Comunitat Valenciana for five years after payment, and only one project per company per call is allowed. Small companies could request an advance of up to 75 percent of the grant against a guarantee in the 2026 call.
Step 4: Draft the technical memo with a local model (30 minutes)
The memo is where applications are won; INNOVA-CV requires a minimum of 50 points in the evaluation. You can draft the skeleton from the call itself without sending anything to the cloud:
# get the call as text, then ask a local model to turn it into a memo outline
pdftotext -layout convocatoria.pdf convocatoria.txt
ollama run qwen2.5-coder:7b "Below is the text of an IVACE call. List every document, section and \
scoring criterion an applicant must address, as a numbered outline with the article that requires each \
item. Then draft, in Spanish, a 200-word project summary for: [one sentence about your project]. \
$(cat convocatoria.txt | head -c 60000)"On our workstation a 7B model processes a call of this length in under a minute. Check every article reference against the PDF; the model is good at structure and unreliable at citations.
Step 5: Put the calendar in your diary
| Call | 2025 window | 2026 window |
|---|---|---|
| INNOVA-CV | 11 February to 25 March 2025 | 28 March to 5 May 2026 |
| DIGITALIZA-CV | (call for the 2025 budget published 26 December 2025) | 15 January to 3 March 2026 |
Two years do not make a rule, and IVACE decides each year’s dates in the DOGV. What the pattern suggests is that DIGITALIZA opens in the first weeks of the year and INNOVA in early spring. Set a reminder for the first week of December to check ivace.es, and have the five-item file from this post ready by then: certificate, standing certificates, CNAE and payroll proof, the memo, and the budget with supplier quotes.
Honest limits
- The percentages are maxima; the granted percentage depends on the evaluation and on the budget available.
- Both programmes are competitive and regional. A project that is “buy a laptop and a subscription” scores poorly and is mostly ineligible.
- If your project is small, national Kit Digital may fit better and involves no competition among applicants.
Next steps
- Compare with the national voucher: Kit Digital and Spanish AI grants guide 2026.
- Cost the dedicated server line: Cloud vs local, your break-even.
- Our regional overview: grants page.
Work with us
We scope local AI projects so that the eligible budget, the dedicated hardware and the memo line up with the call, and we do it on the client’s premises. If you want the memo drafted with you before December, get in touch or read how our consulting works.