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Subsidy for AI training and AI adoption in SMEs: what is there in October 2026

SLIM, MIT and the Brabant schemes side by side: what each one pays for, whether it is open, and where an AI training does and does not fit.

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Four people at an oval table in the Elusive office in Oss with papers, a screen on the wall behind them
First the plan, then the question of who pays for it.

Short answer: on 19 October 2026 we found no open scheme on the Dutch government sites that directly reimburses an AI training for an SME team. The SLIM SME subsidy pays for an adviser who draws up a development plan, but explicitly not for training costs, and the 2026 window has closed. The SLIM training subsidy is open until 31 December 2026, but only for practical training in a number of sectors. Below is what the official page says for each scheme, with the source. This is not subsidy advice, and we do not apply for subsidies on behalf of clients.

The schemes side by side

As of 19 October 2026. A scheme can change after this date; the sources are listed below.

  • SLIM SME subsidy

    What it is for
    An adviser for a training and development plan, career and development advice, or an approach that helps staff develop
    Status
    Closed: applications ran until 7 September 2026

  • SLIM training subsidy

    What it is for
    Practical training in a socially critical sector, as part of a development path
    Status
    Open to employers until 31 December 2026, 17:00

  • MIT feasibility project (South Netherlands)

    What it is for
    A feasibility study for an innovation project, not regular operations
    Status
    2026 window over (7 April to 15 September)

  • MIT R&D collaboration (South Netherlands)

    What it is for
    Research and development by at least two SMEs together
    Status
    2026 window over (9 June to 15 September)

  • Data maturity SME (Province of Noord-Brabant)

    What it is for
    Engaging a data expert
    Status
    Budget ceiling exceeded

  • VInnovate Call 2026 (Province of Noord-Brabant)

    What it is for
    International innovation projects; AI is one of the themes
    Status
    Open, through an international consortium

SLIM SME subsidy: the plan, not the training

The SLIM SME subsidy is for an adviser who draws up a training and development plan, for career and development advice to staff, and for an approach that helps staff keep developing, such as a company school. An SME or a partnership of SMEs can apply. The regulation itself lists training costs among the costs that are not eligible. An AI training as such is therefore not covered; a plan that sets out how your team learns to work with AI can be.

  • Subsidy up to € 25,000 per company, € 20,000 for agricultural businesses.
  • For the plan and the approach: 60% of eligible costs, and those costs must be at least € 5,000.
  • For career or development advice: € 700 per completed track.
  • An external adviser counts up to € 135 an hour excluding VAT.
  • From 2026, a lottery sets the order when applications exceed the budget.
  • In 2026 the window for companies ran from 7 April to 4 May and from 10 August to 7 September.

When does SLIM open again?

The Staatscourant states that the scheme has been extended to 31 December 2029 with three windows a year. The windows are announced in the Staatscourant. We had not found dates for 2027 by 19 October 2026. The scheme expires on 1 January 2030; the chapter on training in sectoral development paths, which covers the training subsidy, on 1 January 2028.

SLIM training subsidy: only in certain sectors

This subsidy is for practical training for (new) staff for their (future) job in socially critical sectors such as care, engineering, construction, energy, childcare, education, green sectors and ICT. The training must be part of a development path. Employers can apply from 26 May 2026 until 31 December 2026, 17:00; for 2027 the Staatscourant names a window from 1 January with an end date still to be set. None of the sources say whether an AI training fits within a development path. Check that per training with the implementing body, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.

MIT: for an AI project, not for learning

The MIT scheme is for innovation, not training. In Noord-Brabant it runs through the Subsidieregeling MIT Zuid-Nederland 2026-2030. SMEs can apply for a feasibility project; the subsidy is at most 35% of eligible costs up to € 20,000, and it may not concern regular operations. An R&D collaboration project is for at least two SMEs, up to 35% and € 350,000 per eligible activity. Both 2026 windows closed on 15 September. Nationally, RVO ran a separate round in 2026 for R&D collaboration projects on AI, from 7 April to 26 May, for projects contributing to the development and use of generative AI or machine learning. RVO no longer runs the feasibility projects itself, and knowledge vouchers will not open again.

Province of Noord-Brabant

The province had a subsidy for SME data maturity: engaging a data expert, after contact with a data coach appointed by the province. The page states that the budget ceiling has been exceeded on the basis of applications received. The VInnovate Call 2026 is open to innovative SMEs in Noord-Brabant, with AI as one of the themes, but applications go through an international consortium of at least two organisations from two different regions and countries.

What this means if you want to start with AI

For an AI training for your team, do not count on subsidy right now. If you want to apply for SLIM next year, you can already think about the plan the scheme does pay for: which skills the team needs and how you organise that. An AI training can be part of it, paid from your own budget. Ondernemersplein names retraining employees who use AI systems, so they use them responsibly, as one of the situations in which training is needed. The training formats we offer are on AI training for businesses.

Frequently asked

Is there a subsidy for AI training?

On 19 October 2026 we found no open scheme that directly reimburses an AI training for an SME team. The SLIM SME subsidy excludes training costs. The SLIM training subsidy is only for practical training in certain sectors, as part of a development path.

When can I apply for SLIM again?

The windows are announced in the Staatscourant. For the SLIM SME subsidy the 2027 dates had not been published by 19 October 2026. The SLIM training subsidy is open to employers until 31 December 2026.

Do you apply for subsidy on our behalf?

No. We give no subsidy advice and do not submit applications. We can deliver the training or project for which you research a scheme yourself.

Is AI training mandatory?

The EU AI Act asks providers and deployers of AI systems to take measures that support the AI literacy of their staff. A training is one possible measure. What that involves is on AI literacy training.

Sources

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