The project calendar, in one table
| When | What the call requires | Where |
|---|---|---|
| At the start | The start date can still be moved when accepting the outcome or before signing the grant agreement. Anyone who wants the 40% advance payment must provide a bank or insurance guarantee. | art. 4, art. 13 |
| Throughout the project | Separate project accounting, or a coding system that clearly identifies every entry. EU funding publicity obligations. | art. 13 |
| If something changes | Every change must be requested in advance, with a report and a revised cost breakdown. Sardegna Ricerche replies within 30 days. A change never increases the grant. | art. 12 |
| Two months before the end | Last moment to request an extension, up to 6 months and for documented reasons. Final deadline for everyone: March 31, 2029. | art. 4, art. 12 |
| Within 60 days of the end | Payment request with the final technical report, expense breakdowns by activity and work package, supporting documents and bank transfers uploaded to SMEC, DNSH declaration. | art. 13 |
| After the final payment | All documentation must be kept for five years. | art. 13 |
Costs fall into four categories: staff, instruments and equipment, external services (at most 40% of eligible costs) and flat-rate overheads up to 20% (art. 6). The details of what is eligible are in the Vademecum, Annex M.
Where time is lost, and what AI can do
In a small company's research project, the problem is rarely the research. It's everything around it: invoices to track down, hours to allocate, scattered technical notes that have to become a report at the end. These are four repetitive tasks where a well-built automation gives hours back to the team.
- Supporting documents always ready. Every invoice and bank transfer that arrives by email is recognised, renamed with the project and cost category code, and filed in the right folder. At the end of the project the list for SMEC is already there: it needs checking, not rebuilding.
- Staff hours by work package. A weekly reminder asks everyone for their hours; the system adds them up by activity and flags deviations from the plan before they become a problem at audit.
- The project diary that becomes the report. Voice notes or short notes, collected every week, are transcribed and summarised by work package. The final technical report starts from months of organised material, not from a blank page.
- A deadline tracker that sends its own reminders. The extension to request two months before the end, 60 days for final reporting, guarantee expiry dates: they arrive as reminders to whoever needs to act, with time to do it.
I build these flows with n8n and Python, the same tools I use every day for my own pipeline that generates and publishes content across several platforms. When documents are confidential, the language model can run locally, on a company computer, without sending data to external services.
AI prepares, a person checks. No system decides on its own whether a cost is eligible or signs a payment request.
External consultants: what the call says
Consulting services count as eligible costs only if used exclusively for the project, and within the 40% limit. Planned suppliers had to be described in the application. If, once the project is under way, you need a consultant who wasn't planned, the way to go is a change request: submitted in advance, reasoned, with a revised cost breakdown. Assess it case by case with whoever handles your reporting.
Tools that help run the company better, like the ones described above, are usually not project costs: they are internal organisation, and stay useful afterwards too.
An obligation that applies to everyone: AI literacy
If anyone in the company uses AI tools, Article 4 of the AI Act, rewritten by the Digital Omnibus from July 27, 2026, requires taking measures to support the AI literacy of the people using them. It is not an exam or a mandatory certification: what you need is clear usage rules and a minimum of documented training. I covered it in detail in this article.
If the project was not approved
A well-written innovation project is not wasted work. Part of it, for example a first digitalisation or automation step, can fit smaller and faster instruments, such as Chamber of Commerce vouchers or regional calls for the digital transition of SMEs. Check requirements and deadlines on the official websites before rewriting the project.
Frequently asked questions
When is the final report due? Within 60 days of the project completion date, uploading supporting documents and bank transfers to SMEC (art. 13).
Can the project be extended? Yes, by up to 6 months and for documented reasons, with a reasoned request at least two months before the end. In any case, projects must close by March 31, 2029.
Can a consultant not foreseen in the application be added? With a change request submitted in advance, within the 40% limit for external services. A change does not increase the grant.
This article summarises the call's implementing provisions to help you find your way around. The official text, the Vademecum (Annex M) and the guidance from Sardegna Ricerche are what count.