National Funding Programmes

There are many different ways to apply for project funding. Below is an overview of important national funding programmes. Federal and state ministries support application-oriented research through various specialist programmes, including the federal departments and the Bavarian State Ministry of Science and the Arts. If you have any questions about national research funding or planning funding applications, please contact the responsible Research and Transfer Department (StFT) for advice.

Bavarian Collaborative Research Programme (BayVFP)

The Bavarian Joint Research Programme (BayVFP) promotes cooperation between science and industry in the field of industrial research. It supports research and development projects carried out by companies and cooperating research institutions. Funding is provided by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy.

The programme covers four areas of technology policy: materials, life sciences, digitalisation and mobility, including the respective interfaces.

Funding is provided for industrial research, experimental development and, in exceptional cases, feasibility studies.

Depending on the respective programme, companies with headquarters or branches in Bavaria, non-university research institutions, universities and higher education institutions in Bavaria, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are eligible to apply.

An overview of the BayVFP is available here. The funding conditions of the project management organisation (in accordance with the guidelines) can be found here.

Federal Funding

Federal research funding strengthens scientific expertise, strategic technology developments and projects with a high impact on growth and jobs. Priority is given to research collaborations between scientific institutions and commercial enterprises. Many topic-specific funding programmes are based on the German government's High-Tech Strategy.

Federal ministries

A large proportion of the funding is allocated through calls for proposals issued by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR); other specialist ministries also publish their own programmes. Information on the respective funding lines can be found on the ministries' websites under the heading ‘Research Funding’.

One key business-oriented programme is the BMWi's Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM). As a technology- and industry-neutral funding instrument, ZIM supports small and medium-sized enterprises and cooperating research institutions in innovation projects to strengthen competitiveness, growth and employment.

Research on funding programmes

The ELFI funding database is available free of charge at THI for researching federal funding programmes. Information on how to use it can be found on the library's information page under General Databases.

Support at THI

THI provides support with applications for federal projects, puts you in touch with the relevant contact persons and provides templates for project descriptions, calculations and other application documents.

Funding opportunities through the German Research Foundation (DFG)

The German Research Foundation (DFG) promotes cutting-edge research and supports predominantly open-ended, knowledge-driven projects. It also conducts review procedures, including on behalf of the federal states.

Its funding portfolio includes research projects, research infrastructures, networking formats, scholarships and scientific awards. Depending on the programme, both individuals and institutions are eligible to apply.

A key instrument is the research grant, a programme open to all topics for scientists who have completed their scientific training (usually a doctorate) and who work at German research institutions.

In addition, the DFG funds topic-specific projects and international collaborations within the framework of temporary calls for proposals. An overview of the entire range of funding opportunities is available on the DFG Website.