Digitalise Your SME in Malta: Plan a Website Project for Call 2

Digitalise your SME is a grant scheme for eligible digitalisation projects, not a promise that any new website will receive support. Start with a business process you need to improve, then assess the current call before choosing a supplier or committing money.

Use the current call rather than an old funding headline

The official FONDI page links Call 2 guidance and application documents. As checked on 18 October 2026, it lists further cut-off dates including 30 October, while its headline still says 16 October. Confirm the intended submission window with the programme team and portal rather than treating the page headline as a live deadline service.

Save the current guidance, application form and relevant clarifications. Older summaries may describe different budgets, cost categories or evidence requirements. A funding figure is meaningful only alongside the conditions applying to the proposed applicant and expenditure. This guide does not decide whether your business qualifies.

Explain the operational change you want

A stronger proposal starts with a defined problem: duplicated stock entry, slow order handling, fragmented customer information or a manual booking process. Describe the present workflow and what a new digital system should change. A visual refresh can be valuable commercially, but that alone does not establish grant eligibility.

For an online shop, distinguish the public storefront from stock synchronisation, payment handling, dispatch and reporting. Identify which parts staff already use and which need integration. This makes it easier to assess whether a website is the main investment or only one visible part of a larger digital project.

Build a comparable specification

List essential features, expected users, data migration, accessibility, training and support. State which systems must connect and who owns those accounts. If you need multiple proposals, send suppliers the same requirements. Otherwise an inexpensive brochure quote may be compared with a full operational platform by mistake.

Ask each supplier to identify exclusions, third-party fees and implementation assumptions. Separate a fixed implementation charge from subscriptions and consumption-based costs. If an integration depends on access to another provider's API, obtain confirmation before presenting it as a guaranteed deliverable.

Budget for delivery without assuming approval

Keep a gross cash-flow plan showing when deposits, milestones, licences and VAT are payable. Ask the programme team or adviser which amounts are eligible and how payment/reimbursement works under the applicable conditions. Do not assume assistance arrives before the supplier's invoice is due.

Maintain a versioned record of the scope used in the application. A change in supplier, licence plan or technical solution may need review. Give one person responsibility for matching procurement, delivery and claim records so the final evidence describes the approved project rather than a different system.

Agree evidence and acceptance before commissioning

Define a realistic acceptance test: staff can complete a representative task, migrated data is checked, the main customer journey works on mobile and training materials are supplied. Keep approved quotes, agreements and change decisions together. Funding paperwork does not replace ordinary project management.

Use the current official documents for the detailed eligibility and procurement rules. Read our supplier-requirements checklist for questions to raise with bidders, and obtain advice specific to your application. The useful outcome is a system your business can operate, whether or not the grant is ultimately awarded.

Sources and review

Official references checked on 18 October 2026. Provider terms, funding calls and technical documentation can change; verify the applicable version before committing to a purchase or application.

• Digitalise your SME current call and documents
• Call 2 guidance notes version 2.0