evidoria

← Back to browse

Good practice Imported

Digitalisation Vouchers — Croatia's NRRP-Funded SME Digital Transformation Scheme

Croatia · Zagreb · See the Croatia profile · See the Zagreb profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 93% 43/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Croatia's Ministry of Economy ran three rounds of EU-funded Digitalisation Vouchers (2022-2024/25), disbursing EUR 10.6 million to 2,016 SMEs out of 3,912 applications. Uptake skewed heavily toward Zagreb (42% of awards), pointing to an unresolved regional equity gap.

3,912 proposals
Proposals submitted (3 rounds) (2022-2024/25)
2,016 vouchers
Vouchers signed (2022-2024/25)
10.6 € million
Total disbursed (2022-2024/25)
9,990-19,900 € per voucher
Voucher value range (5 voucher types)
2,222 proposals
Digital marketing voucher proposals
1,017 proposals
Complex digital solutions proposals
42 %
Share of funded vouchers going to City of Zagreb
22 %
Share of funded vouchers, Adriatic Croatia
18 %
Share of funded vouchers, Pannonian/Northern Croatia (each)
Digitalisation Vouchers — Croatia's NRRP-Funded SME Digital Transformation Scheme

Details

Promoter
Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts (Croatia), funded via the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP)
Period
2022–2024/25 (three call rounds)
Region (NUTS)
HR05
Keywords
SME digitalisation, digital transformation vouchers, cyber resilience, digital marketing

Context

Croatia's Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts ran three rounds of Digitalisation Vouchers between 2022 and 2024/25, funded through Croatia's National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) under the EU Recovery and Resilience Facility. SMEs could apply for one of five voucher types — digital skills, digital transformation, digital marketing, cyber resilience, and complex digital products — worth roughly €9,990 to €19,900 each.

Results

The three rounds attracted 3,912 proposals, of which 2,016 were signed for €10.6 million disbursed. Digital marketing vouchers were the most popular (2,222 proposals), followed by complex digital solutions (1,017). Regional uptake was uneven: the City of Zagreb alone accounted for 42% of funded vouchers, versus 22% for Adriatic Croatia and 18% each for Pannonian and Northern Croatia. No firm-level productivity or revenue outcomes have yet been published, and continued funding beyond the NRRP allocation has not been confirmed.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Medium (€50k–€500k)
Time to results
Medium (1–3 years)
Staffing & skills
Ministry of Economy, Entrepreneurship and Crafts (Croatia) as sole implementing agency

Conditions for success

  • Five distinct voucher types matched to different digital-transformation needs (skills, transformation, marketing, cyber resilience, complex digital products)
  • NRRP/Recovery and Resilience Facility co-financing providing a defined, time-bound budget envelope

Common failure modes

  • Uptake skewed heavily toward the capital — City of Zagreb received 42% of funded vouchers versus 18% each for Pannonian and Northern Croatia — pointing to an unresolved regional equity gap
  • No firm-level outcome data (productivity, revenue) has been published
  • Funded as a one-off NRRP allocation with no confirmed funding stream for further rounds

Where it fits

Governance type
national ministry, EU Recovery and Resilience Facility co-financed
Scale
national (all four NUTS2 regions of Croatia)
Income level
high-income (EU)

Commonly funded by

Recovery and Resilience Facility (national plans) National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

Do you run this practice? Claim it — verified implementers get a public contact pathway and can propose corrections.

Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

Attachments

Similar practices you may find useful