KMO-portefeuille for AI is gone. What Belgian SMEs can still claim.

The KMO-portefeuille's advisory subsidy for digital projects ended on February 1, 2026. If you're a Flemish SME and you were planning to co-fund a consultant to build an AI agent, automate a back-office process, or rebuild your website, that route is closed. The advisory pillar now only covers cybersecurity.

The training pillar is still alive. Small businesses can still claim 30% on accredited training, medium-sized businesses 20%, capped at a combined €7,500 per year. Topics include AI, software development, cloud, and cybersecurity. So the team upskilling angle still works. The "pay a consultant 50/50 with the government to build my AI tool" angle does not.

What's still on the table in 2026

Four things matter for a Belgian SME planning AI work this year. First, the training subsidy: 20–30% off accredited courses on AI, automation, and development, capped at €7,500 combined per calendar year. Second, cybersecurity advisory at 35% (medium) or 45% (small), narrow, but useful if you have a NIS2 obligation coming up. Third, the digital investment deduction: 20% off taxable profits for qualifying digital assets, double the standard 10%. Fourth, any KMO-portefeuille project that effectively started before December 31, 2025 can run through the end of 2026.

How to redo the budget

If your AI rollout was anchored to a 50/50 advisory subsidy, the math has changed. The new pragmatic path: hire a small contractor, expense the build, capture the 20% digital investment deduction, and send the team to subsidized training to maintain the system. You lose the upfront co-fund, but you also lose the application paperwork and the wait.

For most projects under €15,000, the lost subsidy was never going to cover the hours it took to apply for it. The replacement isn't a different subsidy, it's faster execution.

Don't wait for the next program

A pattern we see: Belgian SMEs postpone a clear AI rollout because they're hoping a new subsidy will appear. Federal and regional governments do occasionally roll out new instruments, but stalling six to nine months for a 30% co-fund on a €5,000 engagement is bad math when the same automation could save you hours each week starting now.

If a tool would pay back in three months at full price, the subsidy was a nice-to-have. It was never the gate.