Grant program Active
ZIM (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand)
Germany's largest technology-open R&D grant for SMEs: cost-subsidy grants for single-firm R&D, cooperation projects, and innovation networks. New guidelines from Jan 2025 raised subsidy rates and project ceilings.
✓ 3 Jul 2026
Key parameters
| Target | SMEs and mid-caps (and cooperating research partners) |
|---|---|
| Grant | Cost subsidy; up to ~€380k per single-firm R&D project |
| Formats | Single-firm · cooperation · innovation networks |
| Field | Technology-open (any sector) |
Eligibility
- HQ
- Any headquarters country
- Local presence
- Separate legal entity required The applicant must be a separate legal person (e.g. GmbH, BV, SARL) — a branch office of a foreign company does not qualify here.
- R&D substance
- Required
- Company size
- SMEs and mid-caps (large excluded)
- Models
- All
- Sectors
- All
- Goals
- Additional design site in Europe; R&D cooperation without own site
Applicant must be an SME (or mid-cap under the extended definition) with a German establishment. Grant intensity depends on company size, project type, and region.
Mechanism & application
Discretionary (call-based) — Competitive, call-based — requires approval; success not guaranteed.
Submit a project proposal via the ZIM portal; assessed by the project agency; grant on approval.
Timeline: ~2–4 months to decision
Legal basis & sources
- Legal basis
- ZIM Förderrichtlinie (BMWE), as amended January 2025
- Source
- https://www.zim.de/
- Verification
- zim.de / BMWE (new guideline Jan 2025; raised rates)
from 1 Jan 2008 until no expiry review 1 Jan 2027
Changelog
-
1 Jan 2025
New ZIM guideline: higher subsidy rates and longer terms for 2025–2026.
Source: BMWE
Related
✓ Stacks with