Stipends, grants, and competitions for startups in Germany and the EU. Filter by sector, stage, region, and funding amount.
prize money pool
Science4Life is a registered association that supports founders free of charge: online seminars on patents, marketing, and financing, plus expert opinions from at least three commercial and scientific reviewers across the competition stages.
officially EXIST-Gründungsstipendium · same programme, current BMWE name
12-month programme for innovative startups going to market. Up to ~€3,000/month per founder (max 3) + €30,000 for resources + €5,000 for coaching. Applied via your German university.
Start applicationBMWK competition. Three jury prizes (€50,000 / €30,000 / €20,000) plus a €10,000 audience prize voted online for the best video pitch.
€10k prize + up to €15k co-creation grant
The City of Munich calls for innovative solution proposals to specific urban challenges. Co-creation phase with the city administration to develop and test the idea in practice.
EU-funded 2-year project supporting women leading deep-tech startups in Europe. Aims at a more gender-balanced ecosystem with resources, mentoring, and a community.
€2,000/month per founder (max 3) + up to €16,000 for mission-critical resources · two annual batches
Pre-incorporation grant for early-stage AI startups. AI must be the core enabling technology of the value proposition; the project must address at least one UN SDG. AI Nation is the merged successor of AI+MUNICH and K.I.E.Z., now operating Germany-wide.
total prize money
Bavarian business-plan competition: feedback from an expert jury (serial founders, business angels, VCs), prize money totalling €85,000, plus access to BayStartUP's online tutorials, free coaching, exclusive events, and investor network.
Bavarian subsidy for teams incorporating their company in Bavaria.
TUM event where participants compete, receive constructive feedback, undergo individual pitch training, attend a tailored startup workshop, and present their idea at a public award ceremony.
KfW honours startups from all over Germany with public recognition for their ideas and courage. Total prize money €35,000.
TUM support for further development of existing startup-relevant IP. Helps complete important, financing-relevant development work and bridges funding gaps.
max €45k for the project + €5k for the supporting chair
Supports TUM researchers transferring innovative technology ideas from lab to market in food, nutrition, and agriculture. Up to €50,000 within one year.
Healthcare / sciencepreneur award; awarded in Q4 of the application year.
100% of eligible costs · 18 months (extendable to 36 months for highly innovative projects)
First funding phase of EXIST Forschungstransfer: covers the technical proof-of-principle while the founding team is still at the university or research institution. Funds personnel + materials + IP-related work to validate a commercially promising application case. Applicant is the research team; the university is the formal Zuwendungsempfänger.
max 75% of project costs · 18 months · requires the newly-founded GmbH + €60k own contribution incl. €25k Stammkapital to hit max
Second funding phase of EXIST Forschungstransfer: starts after the company is founded and funds product, market-entry and scaling work. Non-repayable grant up to €180,000, capped at 75% of project costs. Open to teams completing Phase I, AND - via the AI pilot since 2023 - to EXIST-Gründungsstipendium graduates whose innovation is centred on AI applications (must apply 3 months before the Gründungsstipendium expires, no later than 6 months after).
up to €160k state funding + matched up to €160k from a co-investor (50/50) · extendable to max €640k in individual cases
Baden-Württemberg early-stage equity-style grant. The state co-invests pari-passu with a private co-investor (lead business angel, regional VC, or accelerator). Eligible: SMEs registered in the Handelsregister within the last 5 years, with Baden-Württemberg business location and >50% Baden-Württemberg-resident employees, and a coaching partner attached.
typically €36-58k · up to €150k for software-heavy projects
Bavarian programme for technology-oriented business start-ups. Supports founders and young companies developing new products, processes, and technical services. Aims to encourage tech-driven founding and create highly qualified jobs in Bavaria.
up to ~€1M per project · funding rate depends on company size and module · call-based, next call expected Q2 2026
BMWE programme for non-technical innovation - digital, creative, social, ecological. Funds new business models, cross-industry services, organisational designs, and pioneer solutions. Eligible: SMEs (EU definition) with a German location, newly founded companies, plus universities and research institutes as cooperation partners. The 6th call closed February 2026; the 7th call is expected Q2 2026 with a focus on cross-innovations.
single-project: up to €690k (25-45% funding rate) · cooperation per partner: up to €560k (30-55%) · market introduction: up to €100k (50%)
BMWE's flagship innovation programme for German SMEs and mid-sized companies. Open to all sectors and all technology fields. Funds R&D for new products, processes, and technical services that materially exceed the company's existing portfolio. Continuous (rolling) submissions; funding rates were raised in 2025 with longer project terms.
60% funding for SMEs, 50% for Mittelstand, 100% + 20% pauschale for research institutes (bonus stacking up to ~80%) · two Stichtage: 15 April + 15 October
BMFTR fast-track R&D funding for innovative SMEs in named high-tech fields: biotech, medical tech, ICT, production research, AI, photonics, materials, mobility, climate. Two Stichtage per year (15 April + 15 October). Two-stage process: 10-15 page Skizze first, then (if invited) full proposal. Note: from 15 April 2026, the Kommunikationssysteme + IT-Sicherheit (KIS) field stops accepting new Skizzen.