Guides
AI Nation Grant: €54k for pre-incorporation AI teams in Germany
The merged successor of AI+MUNICH and K.I.E.Z. The cleanest pre-seed instrument for AI-first teams that don't yet have a GmbH.
Key takeaways
What 'AI as core enabling technology' actually means
The reviewers strictly enforce this. If your product would still work as a non-AI tool with manual rules or human curation, you don't qualify. Acceptable: model-trained-on-your-proprietary-data is the moat; the user-visible behaviour is impossible without the model. Not acceptable: GPT-wrapped form generator; AI-assisted chat that could be a Notion template. Articulate the AI core in one sentence the reviewer can repeat.
The SDG requirement
AI Nation requires the project address at least one UN Sustainable Development Goal. This isn't perfunctory - the application form asks you to name the SDG, explain the link, and quantify the impact direction. Pick the SDG that genuinely matches; reviewers can detect tacked-on sustainability framing.
Timing your application
Two batches per year (typically spring + autumn). Apply when you have a validated problem and at least a notebook-level prototype - not before. Earlier applications get rejected for under-validation; teams that wait until they're ready close the gap to the next stage (BW Pre-Seed, EXIST Forschungstransfer Phase II AI path) much faster.
FAQ
Frequently asked
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