📋 Tender Overview
The mission-oriented call for funding on the topics of climate protection and digitalization within the framework of the Invest BW funding program has been launched.
Smart solutions for climate protection and digitalization are the goal of the new funding call from Invest BW , the largest single-company funding program in the history of Baden-Württemberg. Since July 25, 2024, applications for funding for innovative projects that address climate protection and digitalization have been accepted. "With this funding call, we want to vigorously advance two of the most important issues of our time," explained Dr. Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut , Minister for Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism. Ten million euros are available for the call.
The upcoming mission-oriented Invest BW funding call is intended to create effective incentives for start-ups and small and medium-sized companies to increase their research and development activities and to bring innovative products, services and business models to market more quickly or to bring innovative processes into operational implementation more quickly. The funding call focuses on digital future technologies with great market potential and on innovations to solve climate change . In addition, the active cooperation between companies and research institutions is to be strengthened to accelerate the implementation of research results in innovative products, services, business models and processes, thus expanding the impact of application-oriented knowledge and technology transfer.
Two-stage application process
The application process continues to be two-stage. In the first stage, applicants only have to submit an outline of their project. Based on the outline evaluation, selected projects are invited to apply and have a high chance of receiving a positive funding decision.
Invest BW is now in its third funding phase. So far, a total of 320 million euros have been made available for funding measures, some of which come from the “Zukunftsland BW - Stronger from the Crisis” reserve . In the first edition of Invest BW in January 2021 alone and the five further calls for funding in the second funding phase, a total of 2,626 applications with a total volume of over 1.6 billion euros were submitted. With the funding used, the Ministry of Economic Affairs has triggered investment and innovation projects totaling almost 700 million euros. This primarily benefited start-ups and small and medium-sized companies, which received over half of the funding. In addition, start-ups and small and medium-sized companies were involved in more than 80 percent of all projects, either as key responsible parties or as consortium partners in joint projects with other companies or research institutions. "This balance sheet shows how great the need for innovation support is, especially among start-ups and small and medium-sized companies in the country," emphasised Economics Minister Hoffmeister-Kraut, "at the same time it shows that our support encourages companies in the country to invest their own resources in innovations on a large scale."
Application
Funding applications for this mission-oriented funding call for the third phase of Invest BW can be submitted online to VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH from July 25, 2024. The deadline principle applies to applications. The submitted projects are evaluated according to defined funding criteria and from a competitive perspective.
In addition, a web seminar will be held for anyone interested on September 19, 2024 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., in which details of the funding call and the application process will be explained and questions answered. Registration for the web seminar is possible online.
InvestBW
On January 15, 2021, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor and Tourism officially launched Invest BW as the largest sector-wide, single-company funding program in the history of Baden-Württemberg. By resolution of the state government on July 27, 2021, it was decided to continue Invest BW as an innovation funding program. A total of up to 300 million euros from the "Zukunftsland BW - Stronger from the Crisis" reserve was available for funding measures until the beginning of 2023.
The third phase of Invest BW, for which 30 million euros are available, started on October 23, 2023. After completing a technology-open call for funding, a mission-oriented call for funding for smart solutions for climate protection and digitalization is now following.
