A pilot shows whether AI detects your defect on your line. The next question from management is usually: how do we fund it? We have gathered the three instruments manufacturers in Poland ask about most often, with an honest view of when they fit a vision system and when they do not. This describes the situation as of October 2026. Rules and regulations change, so before deciding, check the current documents at the source — on the ARP and PARP websites — and talk to a tax adviser or a firm that prepares grant applications.
Dig.IT — digitalisation grants for manufacturing SMEs
Dig.IT is a programme run by the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) and funded from European Funds for a Modern Economy. It targets micro, small and medium-sized companies in manufacturing and production services — exactly the plants that most often consider automating quality inspection. Programme descriptions explicitly list process automation and artificial intelligence among the eligible digitalisation areas.
- A grant of PLN 150,000 to 850,000, covering up to 50% of eligible costs, as de minimis aid paid after the project ends.
- Costs may include software, machinery and equipment, and digital-transformation training.
- The second call is announced for 2–30 November 2026. ARP may close it early if applications quickly exceed the available budget, so it is worth having the application ready for the start of the call.
- In the pilot edition, software had to be new to the company. The rules also set conditions on, among other things, the company's history and financial standing — check them in the current call documentation.
One practical note: the minimum grant at 50% funding implies a project worth at least about PLN 300,000. A single visual-inspection station will therefore usually be one element of a wider digitalisation project — alongside further inspection stations, production data collection or cybersecurity work.
The SMART Path — when inspection is part of an innovation
The SMART Path, run for SMEs by PARP, is a modular programme: from research and development, through implementing innovations, to digitalisation. It will not fund a licence purchase on its own — it requires a project that introduces an innovation in the company. A vision system can be part of the implementation or digitalisation module if it belongs to a larger change: a new line, a new product, a new way of running the process. It suits larger projects prepared well in advance; PARP publishes call dates and requirements.
Robotisation tax relief — only with a robot cell
The robotisation relief (Article 38eb of the Corporate Income Tax Act and Article 52jb of the Personal Income Tax Act) allows an additional deduction of 50% of robotisation costs from the tax base. It covers new industrial robots, as well as peripheral machinery and devices functionally linked to them, intangible assets needed for them to operate, and training. Today it applies to costs incurred in 2022–2026. A government draft published in August 2026 would extend the relief to the end of 2036, but until it is passed it remains a draft.
For a vision system, one thing is key: this is a robotisation relief. A stand-alone station with a camera and a computer, without an industrial robot, will most likely not qualify. It may be different when the vision system works in a cell with a robot — in one individual tax ruling the authority agreed that a vision inspection system can be a robot's peripheral device. Tax authorities have, however, been cautious about quality inspection, sometimes treating it as a post-production stage, and courts have ruled differently. For such an investment it is worth securing your own individual tax ruling.
Other options
- Regional European Funds programmes for individual voivodeships and the programme for Eastern Poland — calls for SME automation and digitalisation open at different times and are worth tracking.
- The Development Services Database (BUR) — co-funding for training and advisory services, for example for the team that will take over deployment and maintenance.
Where AIVQC fits in an application
An application is easier to defend when it describes a solution tested on your own line rather than a vendor's promise. A pilot ends with a report of measurable results — detection quality, false accepts and false rejects, decision time — that help describe the project goal and its indicators.
On the cost side, AIVQC is primarily a software licence, and when you deploy with your own team, integrator hours drop out. The camera and computer can be the ones you already have, if they pass qualification, or part of the purchases in the project. If you are planning an application, get in touch — we will help describe the solution and its scope.
Mind the order: some programmes do not allow costs incurred before the application is submitted. Before you order a licence or hardware, check in the rules from when costs become eligible.
Where to start
- Work out what the problem costs today — complaints, sorting, inspectors' time. The article on how to calculate the return on automation helps with that.
- Check in a pilot whether your defect is detectable on your line.
- Decide whether visual inspection will be a stand-alone project or part of wider digitalisation — that determines which programme fits.
- Consult your choice with a grant or tax adviser before you incur the first costs.
This article is not tax or legal advice. It describes the situation as of October 2026; we will update it when the regulations or call rules change.