ICT Voucher Scheme for SMEs — Bulgaria's BG16RFOP002-2.083

In 2019-2020 only around 7% of Bulgarian SMEs sold online, against an 18% EU average, prompting the Ministry of Economy to fund a dedicated ICT voucher line for small firms.

Procedure BG16RFOP002-2.083, "Voucher scheme for the provision of ICT services to SMEs," was run by the Executive Agency for the Promotion of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (ИАНМСП) under Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through Operational Programme "Innovation and Competitiveness" 2014-2020. Firms chose between Type 1 vouchers for web-based ICT services (platforms, websites, mobile apps) and Type 2 vouchers for digital marketing, process optimisation and cybersecurity, redeemable only with a pre-approved list of private ICT providers.

The agency's own closure notice states that all 516 vouchers awarded to approved SME beneficiaries had been provided and were in implementation when the scheme concluded in 2021. Independent confirmation comes from DevScale.bg, an ICT vendor on the approved-provider list, whose own account describes completing 10 Type 2 vouchers for clients across food production, leather processing, printing and advertising-stand manufacturing within the required six-month window.

Public sources document the completed voucher count and delivery mechanism but not downstream digital-maturity or revenue outcomes for beneficiary firms, and the scheme ran as a single fixed-term call rather than a recurring instrument.

Read the full analysis: https://www.sme.government.bg/?p=53750