SME Packages AI: how to apply, step by step

What do the competent bodies say about SME Packages AI?

The remarks below come from the 11.03.2025 communiqué, originally published in French by the House of Entrepreneurship and translated here.

Lex Delles, Minister of the Economy, said SMEs must keep adapting to new challenges and that, faced with the rise of AI and growing cyber risks, the government had launched new SME Packages for those issues, covering both large and more modest projects.

Stéphanie Damgé, Director of Entrepreneurship at the Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber would keep supporting Luxembourg companies in the digital transition with training, expert advice and concrete financing tools.

Tom Wirion, Director of the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts, said AI can help the craft sector, but tools must be used with care and with proper cybersecurity. There is no digital transition, he said, without investment and without guidance. These remarks set out the political intent. They do not replace the procedure on Guichet.lu.

Who can apply for SME Packages AI?

According to the Guichet.lu procedure page (last update stated: 11.03.2025), a company is concerned if it meets all of the following conditions:

• It has a business permit issued by the Ministry of the Economy.
• It meets the conditions for SMEs in terms of staff, annual turnover and annual balance sheet.
• It has its registered office in Luxembourg.

The numerical SME thresholds are not set out on that procedure page. They need to be checked with an adviser. Self-employed people are not eligible merely by virtue of that status. They may apply if they operate as a company that meets the three conditions. A pre-analysis is mandatory. Interested companies must first contact the House of Entrepreneurship or, in the case of a craft business, eHandwierk. Those bodies then help the company complete the grant application form.

What does SME Packages AI fund, and how much?

To benefit from the programme, the company must carry out a project worth between EUR 3,000 and 25,000 excluding VAT. That range is confirmed by the procedure page, by the Guichet.lu news item of 11.03.2025 and by the House of Entrepreneurship communiqué. The financial aid granted by the Ministry of the Economy is 70% of eligible costs. Companies are reimbursed after the package is in place.

A calculation example, not an official ceiling stated as such in the source texts: 70% of EUR 25,000 equals EUR 17,500. Neither Guichet.lu nor the 11.03.2025 communiqué uses EUR 17,500 as a named maximum grant. They state the 70% rate and the project range. The EUR 17,500 figure is only the arithmetic result of those two facts.

What exactly counts as an eligible cost (licences, configuration, training, hardware) is not broken down on the official SME Packages AI pages. That should be settled in the pre-analysis and in the quote.

The House of Entrepreneurship lists typical uses: generative AI for content, automation of repetitive tasks, and data analysis. These are examples from the chamber, not a ministerial list of eligible costs.

How do I apply for SME Packages AI step by step?

The sequence below follows the Guichet.lu procedure page.

1. Pre-analysis. Make an appointment with the House of Entrepreneurship of the Chamber of Commerce or, if you run a craft business, with eHandwierk. The aim is a pre-analysis of your current situation with AI and the identification of priority actions. According to Guichet.lu, the application does not go ahead without this step.
2. Package and provider. You choose the package and the provider. Together you define a quote of between EUR 3,000 and 25,000 excluding VAT. No official mandatory list of providers was found on the pages checked for this guide.
3. Application. Advisers at the House of Entrepreneurship or eHandwierk help you prepare the application. The Ministry of the Economy analyses it and decides. The procedure page does not describe a dedicated MyGuichet form for this programme.
4. Implementation. Once the application is approved, the provider implements the AI tool.
5. Evaluation. After the provider has finished its support, an evaluation meeting looks at your satisfaction and the savings made. At that point the application process is deemed closed.
6. Invoice and grant. You pay the final bill to the provider. The Ministry of the Economy then grants aid of 70% of eligible costs. The public money arrives after implementation, not as an advance.

How does Fit 4 AI differ from SME Packages AI?

Fit 4 AI is a separate programme, run by Luxinnovation. It covers a needs assessment and a costed roadmap with consultants referenced by the agency. Luxinnovation describes the SME Packages as complementary Ministry aid that can later fund implementation. SME Packages AI typically applies when an existing tool is put in place, Fit 4 AI earlier, when the need still has to be defined. Fit 4 AI aid rates are now stated consistently: 70% for small, 60% for medium-sized and 50% for large businesses, according to Guichet.lu (updated 12.10.2026) and Luxinnovation (announcement of 13.10.2026). Only the referenced consultant's fees are funded, and the aid is more than 1.000 EUR and at most 100.000 EUR per project. Our guide on how to apply for Fit 4 AI covers the process, deadlines and documents.

Who do I contact for SME Packages AI?

The following details are taken from the Guichet.lu procedure page, retrieved on 11.11.2026:

• Ministry of the Economy, General Directorate for State Aid and Company Financing, 19-21, boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg, email fae@eco.etat.lu, website meco.gouvernement.lu
• House of Entrepreneurship, 14, rue Erasme, L-1468 Luxembourg, phone (+352) 42 39 39 600, email financing@houseofentrepreneurship.lu, website houseofentrepreneurship.lu
• Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts, eHandwierk department, 2, circuit de la foire internationale, L-1347 Luxembourg-Kirchberg, B.P. 1604, L-1016, phone (+352) 42 67 67 505, email ehandwierk@cdm.lu, website cdm.lu

The House of Entrepreneurship digitalisation page instead gives expansion@houseofentrepreneurship.lu and (+352) 42 39 39 840, plus opening hours in Kirchberg, Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 12.00 p.m. and from 1.00 p.m. to 5.00 p.m. Which address to use for the pre-analysis is not clear. The safer route is the Guichet.lu details and a short check with both numbers.

What is still unconfirmed about SME Packages AI?

The following points are not fully established on the official pages, or they differ between official sources:

• Current availability in November 2026: the procedure page was reachable on 11.11.2026 and does not mention a stop, but its last update is 11.03.2025.
• Eligible costs in detail, processing time, and a list of providers: not published on the pages checked.
• Divergent House of Entrepreneurship contacts, as described above.
• Numerical SME thresholds: mentioned only in general terms.
• The text of Regulation (EU) 2023/2831: cited by Guichet.lu, but not retrievable in full via EUR-Lex on 11.11.2026.

The useful first move is to book the pre-analysis and to ask whether applications are being taken at present. This text is an editorial guide based on public sources. It is not a grant decision and not legal advice.