1. Expenditure on the development, deployment or improvement of products, processes and services through information and communication technology (hardware and software)

2. Expenditure on the introduction or improvement of IT security, in particular the necessary hardware and software.

3. The services associated with the above expenditure, including the migration of previous data and the porting of software components to the new digital systems;

4. Expenditure on the necessary training of staff in connection with (1st) and (2.) on the acquired digital systems by external providers.

5. The granting authority, in the exercise of its professional discretion, decides on the eligibility of individual operations on the basis of the projected maturity development.

Multiple applications under both funding options are possible.

Eligibility under the de minimis Regulation.

• strengthen and promote key digital technologies through large-scale deployment;
• accelerate the uptake and uptake of key digital technologies in the private sector and in areas of public interest by promoting digital transformation and access to digital technologies;

• Supercomputing
• artificial intelligence
• Cybersecurity and trust
• advanced digital skills
• widespread use of digital technologies in the economy and society

Applications may be submitted through calls for proposals. These are published on the EU Funding & Tender Portal.

The DeepTech & Climate Fund is a new investment fund in the field of deep tech, financed in the long term by the Future Fund and the ERP Special Fund.

It will have a total investment volume of up to EUR 1.0 billion by the end of 2030.

The duration of the DTCF shall be at least 25 years.

Investments, such as:

• commercial construction costs
• Purchase of machinery
• Plant and equipment

Consumables, such as:

• Wares
• Supplies
• Expenses/costs to ensure the day-to-day operation of the business if the financing is related to the development of, for example, business creation, expansion of operations or strengthening of the economic capital base and liquidity of their enterprise

• carry out the project in Saarland.
• make operational investments and use them for their own purposes.
• have difficulties in accessing debt due to a lack of collateral and/or have insufficient capital.
• the project must be economically viable and require long-term funding. It must also lead to sustainable economic success.
• there must be a viable business concept, the implementation of which is likely to improve the competitiveness of the company and the economy as a whole.
• Where investments and/or working capital are financed by REACT-EU resources, they shall contribute to supporting the company’s crisis repair in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and its social consequences and/or to preparing a green and/or digital and/or resilient recovery of the economy.
• In addition, the overall financing of the project must have been secured.
• the project must not have started at the time of submission of the application. Operations are excluded if they are financed from REACT-EU resources and started on or after 01/02/2020.

• Technologies:
  AI development methods, latest communication technologies, building blocks/components for IT security technologies, data technologies, quantum computing software, geo-information systems (GIS) and environmental data technologies, digitalisation of the economy
• Applications:
  Digital production (Industry 4.0), digital sustainability, smart living and work environments, smart crisis prevention and management systems
• Ecosystems:
  Development of economically relevant “ecosystems” to accelerate the transfer of new technologies and applications to wider economic use, in particular small and medium-sized enterprises.

• The interconnection project must be pre-competitive, have a particularly high innovation potential and enable new, exploitable digital applications.
• The works must in principle be carried out in the Federal Republic of Germany.
• In addition to project implementation, cross-cutting national, European and international cooperation and knowledge and technology transfer will be carried out.
• The project must primarily exploit the results in the Federal Republic of Germany, Switzerland or the European Economic Area (EEA), contribute to market-effective innovation and have a large market potential for Germany, Switzerland and Europe.
• Research organisations funded by the Federal Government/or the Länder can only be granted project funding for their additional costs under certain conditions.

• Basic research project
• Infrastructural
• New developments of basic in-house components

Request procedure:

• Submit a pitch Deck or business plan to High-Tech Gründerfonds Management GmbH.
• Further information, fact sheets and forms can be found at the following link.

• in the context of an innovation project aimed at redeveloping products, processes and services that are new to enterprises
• in the context of a digitalisation project
• as an innovative company developing new or improved products, processes or services

• Interconnection of business resource planning systems and production systems for the production of mornings (Industry 4.0)
• Develop and implement an IT and/or data security concept to successfully protect company data and counter cyber attacks
• digital platforms, apps and digital distribution channels for building digital platform concepts and e-commerce
• additive manufacturing processes such as 3D printing as a new innovative production method in manufacturing
• Roll-out of in-house broadband networks to increase the corporate data transmission rate

• A 70 % exemption from liability is possible.
• The application is made through the Hausbank or another credit institution. The application for funding will be forwarded to the KfW from there.
• The ERP Digitalisation and Innovation Loan does not exclude other funding and other support programmes can also be used. The combination must respect the relevant EU aid ceilings.

The start-up competition – Digital innovation is a competition for ideas and supports innovative start-ups in the field of information and communication technologies (ICT)

All winners will receive a comprehensive coaching and qualification programme tailored to their individual needs.

• Natural persons residing in Germany are eligible to participate.
• They must set up their business in Germany.
• If they have already set up with the business idea a capital company in the form of a limited liability company (UG), a limited liability company or an AG, the establishment must not be more than six calendar months before the launch of a competition.
• If the participants already run a company that is active in the market, they must have the necessary human resources to set up a business or explain how you will provide them.
• The outline of ideas has a maximum of 12 pages and contains all the key assessment and evaluation statements.
• The outline of ideas presents the business model, a realistic assessment of the target market and competitors, as well as initial approaches to marketing and distribution.

• Production engineering
• Process industry
• Micro- and nano-electronics
• Photonics
• advanced and sustainable materials
• circular, low-carbon and clean industries
• Software and software systems
• Artificial intelligence
• Robotics
• Next generation internet
• advanced computing systems; and
• EU space systems and services

Applications may be submitted through calls for tenders.

The Funding & Tenders Portal provides an overview of all open, open and closed calls, which is also used to submit applications.

In order to avoid overlaps between Horizon Europe, the Digital Europe Programme and the Space Programme, the programmes will be aligned and synergies will be strengthened between the programmes.

• Automotive and mobility
• Mechanical engineering and automation
• Health and medical technology
• Logistics and services
• Energy and the environment
• Data technology economy
• Information technology economy
• Communications technology economy

•  small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as defined by the European Union

• Universities
• non-university research institutions
• Associations and associations
• other organisations with an interest in research and development
• Enterprises that do not meet the criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises

• Applicants must have a permanent establishment, branch or other establishment in Germany at the time of payment.
• The project is an industrial research project or a pre-competitive development project with a high scientific, technical and economic risk.
• The project is an individual project of a small and medium-sized enterprise or a collaborative project involving small and medium-sized enterprises.
• First and foremost, the project will bring benefits to the small and medium-sized enterprises involved.
• The project will be initiated and coordinated by a researcher SME.
• Cooperation in the collaborative project shall be governed by a written cooperation agreement.

The funding procedure is two-stage:

• In the first Project sketches must be submitted to the project promoter VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH, commissioned by the BMBF.
• The measurement reference dates are 15.4. and 15.10. The deadline for submission shall not be considered as a time-limit. However, late project sketches may only be taken into account at the next cut-off date.
• Formal applications for funding are prepared using the e-application system easy-to-line.

• carried out on the basis of statutory requirements
• which cover more than 120 hours and can be funded by the Federal Employment Agency (BA)
• the purpose of which is to distribute certain goods and services

• Companies must register online with the KdW Service Point before applying and prove their SME status
• The application must be submitted to the KdW service no later than three working days before the start of the seminar.
• Eligibility under the de minimis Regulation

• Funding line 1:
  Small-scale research projects, preliminary studies and project proposals
• Funding line 2:
  Applied research and experimental development

• Data Access:
  Exploitation and exploitation of existing and future data
• Data-based applications:
  Development of new solutions and further development of existing applications based on data from the BMDV context
• Data governance:
  Research into the preconditions and implications of data access and data-based applications

• Applicants must have a registered office in Germany.
• They have the necessary qualifications and sufficient capacity to carry out the project.
• There is a significant federal interest in the project.
• The project is highly innovative and involves a high technical and/or economic risk.
• It supports the overall information and communication work accompanying the programme.
• The partners of a collaborative project.
• Appoint a coordinator who will act as the contact point for the project promoter and the granting authority on all matters relating to the management and shall set out their cooperation in a written cooperation agreement.

The application procedure is two-stage:

• In the first Project sketches are submitted
• In the second A formal application for funding is submitted for a positive project sketch

The project sketch and application are prepared using the e-application system easy-to-line.

Module 1:
Individual projects of research teams in universities and research institutions with innovative R & D activities that increase the maturity of current results.

Module 2:
High-risk research and pre-competitive development projects to strengthen the innovation capacity of young start-ups in Germany (module 2). The cross-technology and application-related projects are eligible as ‘tandem’ projects with the ‘parent’ university/research institution and as individual projects of a start-up.

Module 1:
Universities and non-university research institutions hosting the research groups.

Module 2:
Enterprises that are on the market for less than 5 years, have innovative technologies or business models and have or are seeking significant growth in staff or turnover (start-ups), small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as defined by the EU, medium-sized enterprises with a maximum of 1000 employees with an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 100 million, and universities and research organisations.

• Applicants must have a permanent establishment, branch or other establishment in Germany at the time of payment.
• They use the results of the aided project only in the Federal Republic of Germany or the EEA and Switzerland.
• They are ready to work with other groupings across projects.
• All relevant legal, ethical and social aspects shall be duly taken into account.
• Once the demonstrators have been completed, as project partners, you will apply the results of the research widely.

Applications are submitted in a two-stage procedure:

• In the first Project outlines are submitted to VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH on an annual basis by 15.1. and 15.7.
• In the second A positive project outline is requested to submit a formal application for funding. Applications are submitted online via the e-application system easy-to-line.

• R & D projects: individual business R & D projects
• R & D collaborative projects: Cooperation projects with at least two undertakings or cooperation projects with at least one undertaking and at least one research organisation
• Innovation Networks
• Feasibility studies for a planned ZIM R & D project
• Market launch services

• carried out in the Federal Republic of Germany
• could not be achieved without funding or could only be achieved with a clear delay
• be carried out as a result of the support with a significantly extended object of the project;
• as a result of the funding, with a significant increase in the beneficiary’s total expenditure on the project;
• present a significant technical risk;
• take into account the recognised principles and rules of relevant scientific and technical disciplines (lege artis) and respect the other principles of good scientific practice in project management;
• at an ambitious level of innovation, sustainably increase the competitiveness of enterprises, thus opening up new market opportunities and creating or maintaining jobs;
• target new products, processes or technical services that significantly exceed the company’s existing products and are based on the international state of the art;

• consist of at least six independent small and medium-sized enterprises with a permanent establishment or a place of business in Germany
• International innovation networks consist of at least four companies of this type, as well as at least two foreign medium-sized enterprises and a foreign entity acting as a partner of the German management institution.

• must be used to prepare a research and development project eligible for funding in the Central Innovation Programme for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ZIM)
• not allow direct economic exploitation

• complementary services provided by external third parties to support the market uptake of project results

• Individual or collaborative projects for the development of innovative products, processes or technical services
• Recruitment of R & D personnel
• Individual research and development activities to the extent that they contribute to the analysis of the feasibility of an R & D project or to the development, testing, demonstration and application of innovative products and technological processes, as well as technologically demanding software and knowledge-intensive services
• External services and development services

• carried out mainly at the applicant company in Saarland
• be fully classified under the categories of industrial research and/or experimental development;
• seem feasible despite technical and economic risks
• differ from applicants’ routine activities in terms of effort and complexity
• aiming for medium-term economic success

Applications are submitted in a two-step procedure:

• Submission of a request for funding
• in case of a positive assessment, submit a formal application

The programme is open to technology, theme and industry.
Individual support for SMEs is subject to the de minimis Regulation.