Luxembourg state aid
SME Packages AI, and Where Cadre Stands
The scheme reimburses 70% of the costs it accepts as eligible, on AI projects between €3,000 and €25,000, up to €17,500 of aid. It only accepts quotes from providers established for at least a year. Cadre reaches that in August 2027. Until then, a project can still be put to the scheme, with a quote from a provider that meets the rule. The order matters: the application goes in before any work starts.
The order
- Book the Pre-analysis
- The Work Is Scoped and Quoted
- You File the Application
- The Build, After the Decision
- Evaluation, Invoice, Reimbursement
The Scheme in Three Numbers
70%
of eligible costs reimbursed
€17,500
maximum aid per project
€3,000 to €25,000
project value, excluding VAT
Published by the Ministry of the Economy. The rate is fixed; whether your project qualifies is decided case by case. The House of Entrepreneurship wrote that it only accepts quotes from providers established for at least a year. Read the scheme on Guichet.lu →
How the Scheme Works
Five steps, in this order. The order is the scheme's, not ours. Three of the five are formally yours, because the applicant has to be the business. You are not on your own for any of them.
Work that begins before the Ministry has decided cannot be reimbursed. That is why the application goes in before anything is built.
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Book the Pre-analysis
You, with your chamber 1 appointmentYou contact the House of Entrepreneurship at the Chamber of Commerce, or eHandwierk at the Chamber of Skilled Trades and Crafts if you are a craft business. The pre-analysis identifies which actions matter for your business. You cannot skip this step.
What we do here
We tell you exactly who to call, help you get the appointment in the diary, and write down the technical side beforehand so you walk in with it. We stay reachable while you are there.
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The Work Is Scoped and Quoted
Cadre, and the quoting provider About a week to scopeThe work is scoped in writing and quoted at a fixed price inside the €3,000 to €25,000 window, excluding VAT. The quote has to come from a provider established for at least a year, and the House looks at that provider's experience before it accepts the quote. Cadre meets the one-year rule from August 2027, so until then the quote cannot come from Cadre.
What we do here
We go through the scope line by line with you, and change it until it is the work you want, before any number is fixed.
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You File the Application
You, with your chamber Ministry decidesYou send the quote to your adviser at the chamber, who checks whether the services are eligible, and the application goes to the Ministry of the Economy. Nothing is built yet, and nothing is invoiced yet.
What we do here
We write the technical description your adviser needs, answer their questions directly, and read the finished file with you before it goes to the Ministry.
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The Build, After the Decision
Cadre 2 to 4 weeks, then a live pilotOnce the decision is in, the work starts: knowledge base, channels, languages, the systems you already use, then a 30 day pilot on your real calls and messages with a person watching. The pilot is not charged; the quoted twelve months run after it.
What we do here
A named person runs the build and stays reachable throughout. You see it weekly, not at the end, and you approve the assistant before it answers a real customer.
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Evaluation, Invoice, Reimbursement
You and your chamber After go-liveAn evaluation meeting is held once the solution is in place. You pay the final invoice, and the Ministry reimburses 70% of the costs it accepted as eligible. The aid is paid to you, not to the provider.
What we do here
We prepare the evaluation with you. If the Ministry or the chamber comes back with questions about our part of the file, we answer them.
Who Can Apply
The scheme is for Luxembourg SMEs. Four conditions apply to your business, and one to whoever quotes the work.
- A business permit issued by the Luxembourg Ministry of the Economy
- Your registered office in Luxembourg
- SME status under the EU definition: fewer than 250 staff, and either annual turnover of no more than €50m or a balance sheet total of no more than €43m
- A completed project valued between €3,000 and €25,000, excluding VAT
- A quote from a provider established for at least a year, whose experience the House reviews before accepting the quote
Where the de minimis Ceiling Comes In
The aid is granted under the de minimis rules in Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2831, so other de minimis aid your business has received in the previous three years counts towards the same de minimis ceiling. Your adviser at the chamber checks this with you during the pre-analysis.
What a Year Could Look Like
The House of Entrepreneurship confirmed in writing that a subscription may be included in a quote for up to twelve months. So a first year can be quoted as one fixed-price project inside the scheme's €3,000 to €25,000 range. The table works that year on Cadre's monthly list prices. The last column is what you would carry if the whole quote were accepted and the application approved.
| What you would hire | Project value, excl. VAT | If approved, 70% | Your share, 30% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Run, the Front Desk 12 months, quoted as one project | €4,788 | − €3,352 | €1,436 |
| Grow 12 months, quoted as one project | €9,480 | − €6,636 | €2,844 |
| Full employee, part-time 12 months, quoted as one project | €13,080 | − €9,156 | €3,924 |
An illustration, worked as twelve months at our monthly list prices. Those prices are published as a starting point, so a real quote can be higher, depending on the automations, the channels and the systems involved. Until August 2027 the quote itself has to come from a provider established for at least a year, which is not Cadre. You pay the invoice in full and the Ministry reimburses afterwards, so your share is a net cost for the year rather than your cash flow. From month 13 the normal monthly price applies. The Run row leaves out the Website Assistant's one-time build fee, from €500. Which lines count as eligible costs is decided by the House, the Ministry and your adviser, not by us.
What We Do, and What Has to Be Yours
The scheme puts three things in your name. We are alongside you for all of them.
We Do
- Tell you who to contact and get the pre-analysis booked
- Scope the work in writing, so the quote describes exactly what gets built
- Write the technical description and answer the adviser's questions
- Check the file with you before it goes to the Ministry
- Hold the build to the scoped dates so the evaluation is straightforward
- Answer any questions about our part of the file
Has to Be Yours
- Attending the pre-analysis, because the chamber meets the business
- Signing the application, because the applicant has to be the business
- Receiving the reimbursement, which is paid to you
Questions About the Funding
Can Cadre quote the project itself?
Not before August 2027. The House of Entrepreneurship wrote on 10 September 2026 that it only accepts quotes from providers established for at least a year, and that it reviews the provider's experience. Cadre's company was registered in August 2026. Until August 2027, a project can still be put to the scheme, with a quote from a provider that meets the rule. Ask us whether yours fits the scheme's range.
Is the aid guaranteed?
No. State aid under SME Packages AI is granted by the Luxembourg authorities and is subject to eligibility and approval. We help you put a clean application together, and we never assume the answer. Plan the project on the basis that you can afford it without the aid.
Can we start the work and apply afterwards?
No. The pre-analysis, the quote and the application all come before the work starts. Costs incurred before the Ministry decides are not reimbursed.
Who receives the money?
You do. You pay the invoice in full, and the Ministry reimburses 70% of the eligible costs to your business after the solution is in place. Your net cost is the project value less whatever aid is granted, and you need the full amount available first, because the reimbursement comes after.
Does a monthly subscription qualify?
Up to twelve months of it can be included in the quote, which the House of Entrepreneurship confirmed in writing. Which lines count as eligible costs is still decided per project, by the House, the Ministry and your adviser.
How long does the whole thing take?
The parts we control: about a week to scope, then two to four weeks to build once the decision is in. The pre-analysis appointment and the Ministry's decision run on the chambers' and the Ministry's timelines, not ours.
Are there other schemes?
Yes. SME Packages also has a Digital track, and Luxinnovation runs the Fit 4 programmes. Your adviser at the chamber will point you at the right one during the pre-analysis, which is another reason to start there.
Cadre is not a public authority and does not decide who receives aid. State aid under SME Packages AI is granted by the Luxembourg authorities, is subject to eligibility and approval, and is never guaranteed. The scheme's figures on this page, the 70% rate, the €17,500 ceiling and the €3,000 to €25,000 range, come from its published pages. The one-year provider rule, the experience review and the twelve-month limit on subscriptions come from the House of Entrepreneurship's written reply of 10 September 2026. The worked example in the table is ours, calculated on our own list prices, and it is not a statement of what the Ministry would accept. Check the scheme at source before you commit. Read the scheme on Guichet.lu →
Start with Whether Your Project Fits
Talk to us before the pre-analysis. We tell you whether the project fits the scheme's range, and what the one-year provider rule means for it before August 2027.