The Basque Government will invest €14 million this year to strengthen cybersecurity for SMEs

• The Industrial Cybersecurity programme, which opened for applications on 19 May with a budget of €14 million, is one of the programmes whose funding has been increased to support the diversification and transformation of SMEs following the meeting of the Industry Defence Group.
• Regional Minister Mikel Jauregi recently announced that the Basque Government has increased the budget for promoting the digital transformation of SMEs from €22 million to €28 million, with €14 million allocated to the Artificial Intelligence programme and a further €14 million to the Industrial Cybersecurity programme.

The Department of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability will invest €14 million this year to strengthen Basque SMEs against cyberattacks and the theft of sensitive information with the support of specialised providers. The application period for the Industrial Cybersecurity Programme, managed by SPRI, opened on 19 May. It is one of the programmes whose budget has been increased to support the diversification and transformation of SMEs following the meeting of the Group for Industrial Defence.

Regional Minister Mikel Jauregi recently announced that the Basque Government has increased the budget allocated to promoting the digital transformation of SMEs from €22 million to €28 million, with €14 million earmarked for the Artificial Intelligence Programme and a further €14 million for the Industrial Cybersecurity Programme. Both programmes have seen their budgets increased by €3 million each as part of the SME support measures included in the Basque industrial shield package.

Through these measures, the Basque Government aims to respond to the main needs identified by representatives of Basque industry within the Group for Industrial Defence in order to address the consequences of the conflict in the Middle East.

Specifically, the Basque Government has allocated €1.047 billion to these measures, including a 51.4% increase in aid for the transformation and diversification of SMEs – an additional €87 million. In total, the Basque Government will allocate €277 million in aid for SMEs.

Industrial Cybersecurity Programme

With the aim of ensuring the cybersecurity and competitiveness of the Basque industrial base, this programme provides non-repayable grants covering up to 60% of eligible project costs and up to €100,000 per company per year.

In addition to improving a company’s internal cybersecurity, the grants support product cybersecurity projects throughout the entire product lifecycle: from secure design and code review to encryption, vulnerability management, and product assessment or certification.

Both programmes are among the priorities of the Better Industry axis of the Industry Plan – Euskadi 2030, specifically the priority that highlights the need to promote the adoption of Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity. The aim of the programme is to strengthen and develop the strategic sectors IRABAZI, HAZI and JAUZI, promoting improvements in cybersecurity and business resilience.

As stated in the Plan approved by the Basque Parliament, artificial intelligence will transform all industrial sectors in the coming years, and this priority seeks to encourage its effective adoption by Basque companies, from production processes to maintenance, logistics and design. Likewise, the objective is to strengthen industrial cyber resilience in response to a growing landscape of digital threats, particularly for SMEs and critical sectors.

At European level, the Digital Compass 2030 and initiatives promoting trustworthy AI place these technologies at the core of Europe’s technological sovereignty. Cybersecurity, meanwhile, is recognised as critical infrastructure. This priority is fully aligned with the European approach of promoting enabling technologies while safeguarding ethical values, security and competitiveness.