FR Fiscal Radar

🇩🇪 DE · Country hub

Germany.

Germany's Forschungszulage is finally a cash-paid R&D credit, and ZIM remains the workhorse SME grant. Länder programmes add another layer.

8 programmes tracked

Deadline calendar

Germany: upcoming deadlines.

Upcoming deadlines and rolling schemes in Germany. Sorted by urgency. Always check the source programme page before filing.

DE · Germany

8 programmes
DE grant Open

EIC Accelerator — European Innovation Council

EU-level deep-tech grant run out of Brussels, accessible to German applicants. Competitive, multi-stage, roughly 5% acceptance rate. Targets breakthrough technology with scale potential.

Amount
Up to €2.5M grant + up to €15M blended equity
Next deadline
— 161 days
DE grant Open

Digital Jetzt — digital investment for Mittelstand

Capex subsidy for hardware, software, and employee training tied to digital transformation projects. Scheme runs through end of 2026 with no confirmed successor.

Amount
€17k–€100k (up to 50% funding, higher for underdeveloped regions)
Next deadline
— 252 days
DE tax-credit Rolling intake

Forschungszulage — German R&D tax credit

Cash-paid R&D tax credit for German companies and permanent establishments. Runs alongside ZIM.

Amount
25% of R&D personnel costs (up to €2.5M/year)
DE grant Open

ZIM — Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand

Flagship federal grant for SME innovation in Germany. Rolling intake, technical review-heavy.

Amount
Up to €550k per project (25–55% funding rate)
DE grant Rolling intake

EXIST-Gründerstipendium — university spinout stipend

BMWK stipend for research-based startups spinning out of German universities. Targets pre-incorporation teams with a technical concept.

Amount
Up to €3,000/month stipend per founder for 12 months + €10k material costs
DE grant Rolling intake

go-digital — digitalisation vouchers for SMEs

Subsidises certified consultancies for IT security, digital market development, and digitised business processes. Accredited consultants apply on your behalf.

Amount
50% of consultancy costs, up to €16,500 per project
DE tax-scheme Rolling intake

INVEST — Zuschuss für Wagniskapital

Reimburses private angel investors for 25% of qualifying investments into young innovative German companies. The investor claims it, but it shapes your cap table.

Amount
25% of investment back as non-taxable grant (up to €100k/year)
DE loan Rolling intake

KfW ERP Digitalisierungs- und Innovationskredit

Below-market loan for digitalisation and innovation capex, delivered through the house bank. The workhorse debt instrument for mid-sized German companies.

Amount
Up to €25M; subsidised interest from ~2–4%

Guides

Germany: plain-language guides.

What each programme is, who qualifies, how to file — specific to Germany.