New €1 Million Subsidy by RVO to Support Small Businesses

For many small businesses, cybersecurity is not a priority. In fact, one third of small businesses take no measures at all to protect themselves against cyberattacks. Would you like to strengthen your company’s cybersecurity but lack the financial means to do so? If so, it is good to know that support is available: 'Mijn Cyberweerbare Zaak' (MCZ). The subsidy applies to small businesses with up to 50 employees and an annual turnover of no more than €10 million. Apply before 31 October 17:00 CET.

With the MCZ subsidy, you can purchase products and/or services to strengthen the cyber resilience of your business. A higher level of cyber resilience ensures that your internal IT systems are better protected against external threats such as cyberattacks. Small businesses can receive an investment subsidy for products or services that fall under the following eight cyber resilience measures:

• Secure network access/Wi-Fi

• Password manager

• Two-factor authentication (2FA), two-step verification, and multi-factor authentication (MFA)

• Patch management (managing and applying security updates)

• Antivirus software

• Setting up and testing backups

• Risk assessment and evaluation

• Cyber awareness training”

The subsidy covers 50% of eligible costs, up to a maximum of €1,250 per applicant. You may submit multiple invoices and bank statements until the maximum amount is reached, but these must all be included within a single application.

Conditions

The MCZ subsidy is available to entrepreneurs who:

• Are registered with the Chamber of Commerce (KVK);

• Have no more than 50 employees; and

• Had an annual turnover of less than €10 million in the previous financial year.

In addition, you must meet the following conditions in order to apply for the subsidy:

• You can only receive a subsidy for investments made after 18 July 2025 that have been fully delivered, implemented, and paid for. Your application must include both an invoice from your supplier and a bank statement showing payment of that invoice.

• Costs for paid subscriptions and licences for products and services with a duration of more than one year are only eligible for subsidy for a maximum of one year. This also applies to additional support, service, or software bundles often included in the purchase price of hardware firewalls, which are considered an additional subscription.

• You may not exceed the so-called de minimis threshold with the subsidy via Mijn Cyberweerbare Zaak. This is a European Commission rule to ensure fair competition. Each company may receive a maximum of €300,000 in government support within a three-year period. The sectors of primary agricultural production, fisheries, and aquaculture are excluded. To demonstrate compliance, you must submit a de minimis declaration. This declaration is included in the application form and does not need to be submitted separately.

• You must contribute 50% of the costs not covered by the subsidy yourself. You cannot receive subsidy for the same costs from, for example, your municipality.

• Affiliated enterprises can receive only one subsidy application in total.

• The total amount of eligible costs must exceed €400.

The above conditions apply to a single enterprise. You can therefore receive the subsidy only once, and this also applies if your business is part of a group.

Click here for more information on the MCZ subsidy.

Photo: Istock.com/Andrii Yalanskyi