Buying business software with KOSGEB digital transformation support: who qualifies, what it asks

The programme's current document is the SME Digital Transformation Support Programme Directive. Article 1 of the Directive states the aim as supporting digital transformation so that small and medium-sized enterprises can improve their business processes, make them more efficient, raise their competitiveness, and increase their share of the economy. The definition of digital transformation in Article 4 names technologies such as cloud technologies, process automation, and enterprise resource planning, which is why business software falls within the programme.

It matters to understand the form of the support from the start. Under Article 5(1) of the Directive, the support is given, without repayment, towards the interest costs of the loan the business takes from banks that have signed a protocol. The lower and upper loan limits, the term, and the support score are set out in Article 6 of the Directive and in the table on the programme page; because these values can change, read them from KOSGEB's current document before applying.

The scope is narrower than many assume. The programme is not open to every SME, only to small and medium-sized businesses operating under Section C, manufacturing, in the NACE Rev. 2 classification. A services, trade, or construction business cannot use this programme, and a micro business is left out even if it is a manufacturer.

Article 4 of the Directive defines the report as an assessment that analyses how far businesses use digital technologies in their activities and how far they have integrated them into their business processes, and that proposes strategies for transformation. The programme page lists the organisations that approve or authorise these consultants: TÜBİTAK's Turkish Management Sciences Institute (TÜSSİDE), the MESS Technology Centre (MEXT), and the İHKİB Digital Transformation Centre.

The report is an attachment to the application, but its role is more than that. Under Article 8 of the Directive, the application is prepared in line with the strategies proposed in the report; under Article 12, the evaluation board weighs whether the requested expenses are necessary and appropriate against the report's recommendations. The application is made within the validity period stated in the report. A second report is also required after the programme ends; under Article 16, if it is not submitted, pending support payments are not made.

Article 5(2) of the Directive states that support is given for machinery, equipment, software, and hardware expenses that the board finds suitable, and that these must be new. Consultancy and training do not appear in this list as separate supported items. Article 18 of the Directive also provides for time-limited software licences and for use through cloud access; in that case the business cannot rent out or transfer the software during the licence or usage period.

Timing also decides the fate of an expense. Under Article 17, the purchase and invoice dates must come after the date the first board decision on the support was registered; taxes, fees, and similar costs are excluded. The same group of articles also forbids buying from businesses owned by the owner, the partners, or their relatives; if such a purchase is found, no support payment is made.

• An approved digital maturity report is obtained from an authorised consultant.
• The application form is filled in on the KOBİ Information System in line with the report's strategies, and the undertaking is approved.
• The application documents are shared with the partner banks so they can assess financial capacity.
• KOSGEB staff check the application against the checklist and ask for corrections if anything is missing.
• A board of KOSGEB staff and independent evaluators assesses the application and decides.
• A loan is drawn from a partner bank, with the amount set by the board as the upper limit.
• The purchase is made, the instalment is paid, and a payment request form is submitted for each instalment period.
• KOSGEB checks the purchased items on site, and the interest support is calculated and paid.

A rejection is not the last word: Article 13 of the Directive allows a single objection to a rejection. The frequently asked questions on the programme page also say that businesses rejected by the board can apply again.

• A micro business or a business outside manufacturing applying.
• Applying after the report's validity period has passed.
• Requested software and hardware not being linked to the application projects in the report.
• A requested correction not being made within the time given; the application is then treated as rejected.
• The purchase or invoice being made before the board's decision.
• Minimum technical specifications missing or wrong on the application form.
• The second report required after the programme not being submitted.

For expense items, the application form asks for minimum technical specifications written without brand or model, and for price it asks for market research such as a pro forma, a quote letter, or a supplier's email. So choosing software is a matching job, not a list job: the need in the report, the software's function, and the quote have to meet on the same line. When building that match, the scope and data questions in the guide to choosing ERP software are useful.

Example scenario: picture a medium-sized textile manufacturer in Denizli. If its report said that customer orders got lost between email and spreadsheets and that production planning was kept apart from sales, the business would write those two needs separately on the software line and put the required function against each. When the board compares these lines with the report's recommendations, the link is plain to see.

KOSGEB's board decides which product can be supported; this article does not say that any software, Corex360 included, falls within the programme. What is known on the Corex360 side is this: no list price is published on the site, and the price is set in a written quote after the demo; Corex360 runs in a dedicated space in Corex360 Cloud or on the company's own server, with the choice written into the contract; and the modules share the same customer record. For weighing the needs in the report from the management, sales, and accounting side, the Corex360 decision file offers a list of questions, and the article on SME digitalisation covers where to start.

This article summarises KOSGEB's official documents; it is not application consultancy or legal advice. The programme rules can change by decision of the KOSGEB presidency; read the current Directive and its annexes on the programme page before applying.