An established program for high-tech SMEs to develop and test an innovative technology alone or with partners at the prototype level.

  • Maximum grant per company: needs-based, usual amounts around 500,000 euros

  • Flat rate: + 100 % of personnel costs

  • Grant: 50 % for industrial research, 25 % for experimental development, 10-20 % SME bonus

  • Funding body: Federal Government -> BMBF

  • Program budget: approx. 100 million euros per year

  • Funding topics: Only for specific fields of technology

  • Eligible to apply: SMEs and medium-sized companies with up to 1,000 employees, large companies only as partners of the SME(s)

  • Formats: Entry module: EUR 50,000 over 6 months, in-house: individual projects, consortia: joint projects also with institutes, large companies

  • Application: two-stage, continuous, evaluation deadlines April 15 and October 15

  • Requirements: Excellence of the idea, degree of innovation, qualification of the partners, utilization of the results, significance of the contribution to solving current socially relevant issues. Simplified credit check, complete application processing should take less than 4 months. Projects for the development of a prototype.

  • Difficulty level: Medium

Funding topics