What public funding can my company get for an AI project in France?

What funding is available?

We checked these programs on November 5, 2026, on their official page or, when it could not be read, on the public listing named below.

• Diag Data IA (Bpifrance, France 2030): companies with 10 to 2,000 employees. An 8-day assessment at €10,000 before VAT, 40% covered.
• AI Accelerators (Bpifrance Conseil): companies with more than 50 employees and over €8 million in revenue. An 18-month program, 41% or 46% covered depending on the source.
• Boost IA loan (Bpifrance): companies with up to 49 employees, at least 3 years old. An unsecured loan you pay back.
• Innovation tax credit (CII): companies with fewer than 250 employees. 20% of the cost of designing a new product, on up to €400,000 of spending a year.
• Research tax credit (CIR): any company doing research. 30% of research spending up to €100 million.
• Regional programs: depending on the region, an assessment or consulting engagement covered at 40% to 100%.
• European Digital Innovation Hubs, AI ambassadors, the DGE's catalog: guidance and support, no cash.

Diag Data IA and the AI Accelerators: how much does the state cover?

Both belong to "Osez l'IA" ("Dare to use AI"), the national plan whose page on the Ministry of the Economy's site was updated on September 28, 2026. Bpifrance Conseil, the consulting arm of France's public investment bank, runs them under France 2030.

Diag Data IA is the easiest way in. An expert approved by Bpifrance spends 8 days finding your use cases and ranking them by value. It costs €10,000 before VAT with 40% covered, so you pay €6,000. The details are on our Diag Data IA page.

The AI Accelerator is a bigger commitment: 18 months, a 12-day assessment, two 13-day consulting modules, and group training in a cohort of about twenty CEOs. There is one track for services and one for manufacturing. Bpifrance says 41% is covered, the ministry says 46%, and neither shows a total price. Entry is by application.

The Boost IA loan: you pay it back

Bpifrance offers a loan for small companies' AI projects. Its official page would not load for us, so we compared two public listings. The one from France's chambers of commerce, updated June 26, 2026, describes €5,000 to €100,000, no collateral, fully online, for companies with up to 49 employees, registered in France for at least 3 years.

The OECD's listing, updated June 3, 2026, gives a €75,000 ceiling, a 3- to 5-year term with a grace period, and requires an existing bank loan. The two don't match, so confirm the ceiling and terms with Bpifrance before you count on it.

The projects it names range from cutting costs (inventory, customer service replies, scheduling) to growing sales and training staff. It is the only program we read that pays for implementation itself, and it is a loan.

Does the innovation tax credit cover an AI project?

Rarely, if you are adopting a tool. According to service-public.fr, France's official administration site (page checked February 20, 2026), the innovation tax credit is 20% of the cost of designing a prototype or pilot installation of a new product, on up to €400,000 of spending a year, for companies with fewer than 250 employees. The 2025 budget law cut the rate from 30% to 20% and extended the credit through December 31, 2027.

The product must not be on the market yet and must outperform what exists; the production phase is excluded. An AI tool you buy and plug into your processes is already on the market, so it generally doesn't qualify. An AI-based product you design for your customers might.

The research tax credit stays at 30% of research spending up to €100 million; according to the business press, the 2026 budget law changed neither its rates nor its rules. It covers research and development, not adopting a tool. Have your accountant rule on your case: this page is not tax advice.

What does your region offer?

Regions often run the most generous programs, and the ones that change most. We could not read the regional councils' own pages, so the examples below come from the program's site or from the chambers of commerce listing, dated as shown.

• Île-de-France (Paris region), Pack IA: a 3-month AI project with 37 days of expert work, 50% covered by the Region, with the company paying €18,500 at most. The program site says applications are open, with no date.
• Région Sud (Provence), Mon assistant IA (listing of July 7, 2026): consulting covered 100% by the Region, from a provider the Region picks, through a first use case. Companies with at least two employees, microbusinesses excluded, applications all year.
• Grand Est, aid for first-time AI users (listing of December 3, 2025): 40% of an outside engagement, capped at €20,000 of aid, for companies under 2,000 employees never funded for AI before. The Region also funds an AI assessment (50%, €5,000 at most, listing from April 2024).
• Elsewhere: ask your local chamber of commerce or your regional economic development agency. Names and rates change often.

What help is there before you spend anything?

The "Osez l'IA" plan counts 615 AI ambassadors across the regions, a showcase platform built with Bpifrance ("Accélérez avec l'IA"), and a catalog of 88 AI vendors for small and midsize companies, published by the DGE (the ministry's business directorate) and Hub France IA on July 30, 2026.

At EU level, European Digital Innovation Hubs act as a one-stop shop: test a technology before investing, train staff, look for funding. According to the European Commission, the EU funds half and member states or regions the other half. Ask your chamber of commerce which hub covers your region.

To train your staff, go through your industry's skills operator (OPCO): see our page on AI training funded by your OPCO.

What doesn't this funding cover?

None of the pages and listings we read names a software subscription or day-to-day running costs as eligible. The money mostly goes to an assessment, consulting or a one-off engagement. The OECD says the Boost IA loan can pay for AI software, but you pay it back.

Diag Data IA installs nothing: after the 8 days, no tool is running. The innovation tax credit excludes the production phase. And timing matters: the Grand Est listing requires you to apply before signing the quote. Do the same everywhere, or you risk losing the aid.

Watch out for stale numbers too. The IA Booster program, announced in 2023, promised up to 80% coverage; the plan's 2026 page no longer mentions it and gives 40% for the assessment. Many articles still quote the 2023 figures.

Where should you start?

From the lightest step to the heaviest:

• Pick one specific task that eats your team's time: a type of email, quote or file. Our AI audit page lists the criteria.
• Call your chamber of commerce or an AI ambassador: they know which regional program is open, sometimes at 100%.
• If you want an outside view, request Diag Data IA from Bpifrance.
• To fund implementation with up to 49 employees, look at the Boost IA loan.
• Above 50 employees and €8 million in revenue, with 18 months ahead of you, apply for an AI Accelerator.
• Look at the innovation or research tax credit only if you are designing a product, with your accountant.

After the assessment, who builds the agents?

A funded assessment gives you a ranked list of use cases. The next step is getting the first one running on your real files. That's what Saména does: its engineers, trained at Télécom Paris, start from your use cases and build custom AI agents. They connect them read-only to SharePoint, OneDrive or Dropbox, and, as custom work, to your email or business software.

Two weeks after the call, a first agent is running. You can start with one department and one agent, with or without an assessment first, on one monthly subscription for the whole company with unlimited users. Our page on the price of a custom AI agent explains how it's set.

Frequently asked

Is there a grant to pay for ChatGPT or Copilot subscriptions?

None of the official pages we read on November 5, 2026 offers aid for a subscription to an off-the-shelf assistant. Public funding mostly pays for an assessment, consulting or a loan. Bpifrance's Boost IA loan can fund an AI project, but you pay it back.

Does Bpifrance's IA Booster program still exist?

It was announced in 2023 with coverage of up to 80%. The "Osez l'IA" plan page, updated in September 2026, no longer mentions it: it lists Diag Data IA, 40% covered, and the AI Accelerators. Go by the 2026 figures.

Does an AI project qualify for the innovation tax credit?

Only if it designs a prototype or pilot installation of a new product not yet on the market. Adopting an AI tool that's already sold generally doesn't qualify. The rate is 20% for small and midsize companies, on up to €400,000 of spending a year. Your accountant will decide; this answer is not tax advice.

Should you wait for approval before signing with a provider?

At least file the application before you sign. The Grand Est region requires it for its aid to companies new to AI. A project signed before the application may not be funded.

What funding is there to train staff in AI?

Training goes through the skills operator (OPCO) for your industry. The "Osez l'IA" plan also points to Impulsion IA 2027, run by the Ministry of Labour.