Digital Now - New funding program of the BMWi up to 65% funding rate for SMEs
In addition to digitization, IT, network and cloud topics, digital technologies and associated processes in the company are also funded. This includes 3D printers and related investments .
This is a grant that does not have to be paid back.
BMWi: "The aim of the new program is to promote the digitization of business processes, to develop new business models for SMEs and to secure the competitiveness and innovative ability of companies in the long term.
In addition, employees should be enabled to recognize and evaluate the opportunities of digitization and to initiate future investments in the company."
The funding rate is up to 65% , as bonus points can be credited to the standard program of up to 50%.
IMPORTANT: A concrete offer for a 3D printer is very advantageous when submitting the application.
Amount of grants - depends on the size of your company
The maximum amount of funding is 50,000 euros per company , for investments in value chains and/or networks it can be up to 100,000 euros per company.
The minimum funding amount is 17,000 euros in module 1 (this includes 3D printers) and 3,000 euros in module 2 (this includes further training for your employees).
Funding quotas (valid until 06/30/2021)
- Up to 50 employees: up to 50%
- Up to 250 employees: up to 45%
- Up to 499 employees: up to 40%
Bonus additional funding is available for structurally weak regions (+10%) and for cooperation with several companies in a value chain (+5%).
Apply for the grants online
only be submitted using the electronic application form . Necessary documents or attachments are only uploaded electronically. The application tool safely guides the applicant through the following topics:
- Registration
- company data
- Contact details of the applicant (project management / authorized person; management)
- digitization plan
- financing plan
You can find more information on the digitization plan under “ How to create the digitization plan? “.
The online application tool also offers the following advantages:
- The application can be cached continuously by the applicant. Thus, successive processing is possible;
- The tool contains instructions for completing the application (e.g. explanations of necessary information, definitions of complex issues/technical terms);
- Plausibility checks prevent incorrect entries or point out criteria of non-eligibility for funding at an early stage;
- Calculations with regard to the expected funding are made automatically based on the information provided by the company (funding rate, amount of the grant).
Due to the high demand, the next possible registration for the grant is October 15th, after which you can submit the actual application on the 1st of the following month.
After approval, you then have 12 months to implement the investment.