Czechia: OP TAK Digitální podnik — preparing a machine-monitoring project for the next call
The last call closed on 18 February 2026 and the next one is not confirmed. The months in between are when a strong application is built.
What the programme is
OP TAK is the Operační program Technologie a aplikace pro konkurenceschopnost (Operational Programme Technologies and Applications for Competitiveness), managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MPO) with the business agency API. Its programme line Digitální podnik (Digital Enterprise) has run several calls. The one that fits a machine-monitoring or MES project is Digitální podnik – Digitální technologie – výzva I. The MPO press release gave it a budget of CZK 1 billion (about €41m).
An earlier call, Digitální podnik – Technologie 4.0 – výzva I, funded advanced technology, robotisation and automation at 30–60%. It closed on 29 March 2024 and its projects must be finished by 30 June 2026.
Who qualifies
- Small and medium-sized enterprises. SME status is tested at group level.
- Projects outside the capital, Prague.
- The next call may change the conditions. Read its text before scoping.
What share and what size
The Digitální technologie call paid up to 60% of eligible costs. The research behind this page did not verify a minimum or maximum grant per project for this call, so none is stated here; take the limits from the next call's text. For scale, the headline of the earlier Technologie 4.0 call offered up to CZK 15 million per project.
Which monitoring, MES and IIoT costs are eligible
The call covered software, management systems, IoT, digital twins, cloud, AI and predictive maintenance. MES is named in OP TAK guidance. On evidence level: the list of technologies is from the call and consultant summaries; the point that evaluation penalises machine-heavy projects comes from a consultant (eNovation, November 2025), not from the call text. The practical reading is the same either way. A monitoring project should be led by software, data and process change, with hardware as the minority of the budget.
2026 call status and what to watch
- Digitální technologie – výzva I: applications 20 October 2025 – 18 February 2026. Closed.
- Next digital call: the 2026 OP TAK call calendar was updated, but a new Digitální podnik call is not confirmed as of 22 September 2026.
- NPO (Národní plán obnovy, National Recovery Plan): consultants list digital calls at 25–45%, some including Prague. Whether any is open in 2026 is not verified. Treat it as a lead to check, not an option to plan on.
- Watch the API calendar monthly. When a call is announced, a plant with a ready baseline and scoped quotes spends the time before submission writing, not measuring.
Prepare now: a sequence for the next call
- Check eligibilityConfirm SME status at group level and that the site is outside Prague.
- Capture a baselineConnect the machines in scope and record 4–8 weeks of running time, stops with reasons, good and rejected parts. Keep this outside the future project budget unless the call allows earlier costs.
- Write the loss structureRank stop reasons by hours lost. This gives the targets and the argument for the project.
- Scope the projectMachines, integrations (ERP, maintenance), users per shift, training. Ask for quotes with a scope per machine.
- Draft indicatorsBaseline, target, measurement method and source for each. See the table below.
- Watch the calendarWhen the call text appears, check the intensity, caps and eligible-cost rules against your draft before anything else.
Worked example: 25 machines at 60%
An illustration using the last call's maximum intensity. Assumptions: a machining and assembly SME in the Moravian-Silesian region, 25 machines connected, monitoring and MES functions integrated with ERP and maintenance, training for two shifts. "Project budget" is generic; no vendor price is implied. Costs are net of VAT.
| Cost line | CZK | EUR |
|---|---|---|
| Software: monitoring, MES functions, analytics (licences or subscription inside the project) | 2,700,000 | 110,900 |
| Implementation and integration with ERP and maintenance | 1,700,000 | 69,800 |
| Hardware: machine connectors, gateways, operator terminals (20% of budget) | 1,200,000 | 49,300 |
| Training | 400,000 | 16,400 |
| Eligible project budget | 6,000,000 | 246,400 |
| Grant at 60% | 3,600,000 | 147,800 |
| Own contribution | 2,400,000 | 98,600 |
60% = maximum intensity of the Digitální technologie call I. EUR at 24.352 CZK/EUR (ECB, 21 Sep 2026), rounded.
Each 10 points of intensity moves CZK 600,000 between grant and own contribution on this budget. If the next call pays less than 60% for your firm size, recalculate before committing.
Indicators an evaluator will look for
| Indicator | Baseline method | Why it matters in Czechia |
|---|---|---|
| Good output per planned hour | Automatic counts, 4–8 weeks | Labour cost in manufacturing rose from €18.4 to €20.2/hour in 2023–25 (Eurostat lc_lci_lev) |
| Unplanned downtime hours | Machine state with reason codes | Manufacturing vacancy rate 1.9% in 2025, above the EU's 1.5% (Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2): skilled maintenance time is scarce |
| Scrap rate | Reject booking at the station | Automotive customers read it first; motor vehicles are the largest Czech manufacturing sector by GVA (Eurostat nama_10_a64, 2023) |
| Energy per good unit | Sub-meter ÷ good output | Mid-size plants paid €0.198/kWh in 2025-S2 vs EU €0.192 (Eurostat nrg_pc_205) |
| Share of machines with automatic data capture | Count today | Measures the digital change itself |
Where applications get weak
- Hardware dominates the budget. The consultant view is that machine-heavy projects score worse; keep software, integration and process change in front.
- The baseline is written after the call opens, from memory or monthly reports.
- Targets are copied from vendor material instead of the plant's own loss ranking.
- The project stops at dashboards. Say who uses the data, in which meeting, and what decision it changes.
Programme picker, co-financing calculator with cost caps, and the baseline/target indicator table evaluators look for. Excel, no macros.
Disclosure: this site is published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which sells production-monitoring software. Czechia has several local monitoring and MES vendors; any of them, an integrator or TeepTrak can deliver a project like this.
Questions
- Is OP TAK Digitální podnik open in 2026?
- The Digitální technologie call I closed on 18 February 2026. As of 22 September 2026 a new digital call is not confirmed in the OP TAK calendar.
- What share does OP TAK cover?
- Up to 60% of eligible costs in the Digitální technologie call I, for SMEs outside Prague. Check the next call for the rate that applies to your firm size.
- Is a plant in Prague eligible?
- Not for the OP TAK call described here. Some NPO digital calls are reported by consultants to include Prague, but their 2026 status is not verified.
- What can I do before the next call opens?
- Confirm eligibility, capture a baseline from the machines for 4–8 weeks, rank the losses, scope the project and draft indicators with measurement methods.
Sources
- OP TAK — Digitální podnik – Digitální technologie – výzva I
- API — OP TAK call calendar
- eNovation — Jak uspět ve výzvě Digitální podnik (consultant, 10 Nov 2025)
- BusinessInfo.cz — OP TAK Technologie 4.0 call
- Doneby — Dotace na digitalizaci 2026 (consultant, May 2026)
- ECB euro foreign exchange reference rates (21 Sep 2026)
- Eurostat lc_lci_lev, hourly labour cost, manufacturing (2023–2025)
- Eurostat jvs_a_rate_r2, job vacancy rate, manufacturing (2025)
- Eurostat nrg_pc_205, electricity prices for non-household consumers (2025-S2)
- Eurostat nama_10_a64, GVA by manufacturing sub-sector (2023)
Published by TEEPTRAK SAS, which makes production-monitoring and OEE software, with an office in Bucharest (TEEPTRAK SRL). Figures are sourced on each page. Funding rules change: check the official call documents before you budget.