Research & Innovation
Funding
Current funding announcements
Funding Opportunities
You do not have to realize your idea on your own. Research and development projects in the commercial sector can receive financial support through funding from the federal government, the states, and the EU – in the form of grants, loans, or equity capital. If you wish to take advantage of these, you should consider which funding options exist and how you can best use them for your project even before planning begins. Especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), there are a number of funding opportunities specifically tailored to their needs.
Thüringen MOTIVation - move to innovation
Under the umbrella of Thüringen MOTIVation the Thuringian Ministry of Economics, Science & Digital Society bundles innovation funding in the areas of economics, science, and research. The programs and measures united under it support the development of new products, processes, and services with tailored funding.
Funding focus Technology
The aim of the "Integrated Thuringian Research, Technology and Innovation Funding" (FTI-Thuringia) is to make it easier, more continuous and more short-term to fund R&D projects specifically for SMEs. A central point for companies is the funding area of technology. It offers various ways to get support for R&D projects in a consortium or for the implementation of R&D into market-ready products, processes or services. The website of the Thuringian Development Bank provides a complete overview for companies:
Funding programs in Germany and the EU
Research and development as well as innovation consulting in SMEs are not only an eligible asset in Thuringia. The federal ministries also offer a variety of opportunities for financial support through long-term funding programs and temporary funding calls.
Funding programs at a glance
The largest program is the Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM), which supports market-oriented research and innovation projects of SMEs and cooperation projects with research institutions. The Federal Ministry of Economics provides a comprehensive overview on its website of Innovation funding for SMEs, including funding for start-ups, pre-competitive research or innovation consulting.
The funding initiative SME-innovative has been the central program of the Federal Ministry of Research since 2007 to promote innovations in technology fields of particular relevance for the future in Germany. Also within the program family Innovation & Structural Change companies can actively participate as partners in interdisciplinary alliances, including RUBIN – Regional Entrepreneurial Alliances for Innovation or WIR! – Change through Innovation in the Region.
The European Commission also supports companies through many programs and actions. For example, the program Eurostars researching SMEs and their partners in a European collaboration on R&D projects.
The now 9th EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation – Horizon Europe – also supports the inclusion of SMEs with funding opportunities. In principle, SMEs are eligible to apply in all areas of the framework programme. The EIC Accelerator is an instrument specifically aimed at SMEs and start-ups, with which concrete innovations can be developed to market maturity and beyond.
Companies in Thuringia can obtain information and advice on EU funding via the Enterprise Europe Network Thuringia (EEN Thuringia). This network also publishes the current and short-term calls/tenders for EU funding. The Enterprise Europe Network also operates an extensive Database with current cooperation offers and requests from more than 60 countries worldwide, which can be used free of charge.
The Federal Funding Advisory Service for Research and Innovation provides information on all questions regarding research and innovation funding from the federal government, states, and the European Commission. It also offers a free guidance service for SMEs.
Here we publish current funding announcements with limited submission deadlines (Calls). The focus is on relevant state and federal programs and selected EU funding calls, e.g., for strategic funding projects of the European Commission (IPCEIs) in which companies can participate. Please feel free to contact our specialization field managers.
