Invest BW

Invest BW is the innovation funding programme of the state of Baden-Württemberg and covers up to 45% of the costs for small companies. What does that mean for you?

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Facts up front

Deadline

Closed

Location

Baden-Württ.

Invest BW – key facts at a glance

Invest BW subsidises projects in Baden-Württemberg with up to 45% of the costs for small companies. Companies of any size with a location or a planned location in the state are eligible to apply.

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Target audience

Commercial businesses in Baden-Württemberg
Members of the liberal professions with premises in the state
Small, medium-sized and large companies as well as corporate groups
Start-ups and research institutions under the innovation call
Companies planning a branch in Baden-Württemberg

Requirements

The project is carried out in Baden-Württemberg
Registered office, branch or premises in the state, or planned there
Sufficient creditworthiness of the applicant company
A demonstrable own contribution to the costs of the project
No Invest BW funding received in the past twelve months

Eligible costs

Innovative single projects (up to €650,000 in the most recent call)
Joint projects with several partners (up to €1.3 million in the same call)
Technology projects under innovation funding
Setting up and expanding business premises
Transformation or diversification of business premises

Details on Invest BW

Invest BW is the innovation funding programme of the state of Baden-Württemberg. The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism of Baden-Württemberg is responsible; delivery is handled by VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH as project management agency. The programme has been running since 15 January 2021. You receive a grant and not a loan.

Unlike many funding programmes, Invest BW is not permanently open. The state opens the programme through funding calls. Each call has a theme, a period and a fixed cut-off date for submission. Anyone who misses the cut-off waits for the next call. Your outline should therefore be ready before the next call starts.

What stands out is the amount per project. In the most recently published innovation funding call, up to €650,000 was possible for a single project and up to €1.3 million for a joint project with several partners. Even a large development project can therefore be financed in one go.

Commercial businesses and members of the liberal professions are eligible to apply. You need a registered office, a branch or business premises in Baden-Württemberg. Company size plays no part in eligibility. Small, medium-sized and large companies are funded, as are corporate groups. The most recently published innovation funding call additionally named start-ups and research institutions.

Check the location first. Without business premises in Baden-Württemberg there is no funding from this programme.

Companies in difficulty within the meaning of the GBER (General Block Exemption Regulation) are excluded. Also excluded are companies that have already received Invest BW funding in the past twelve months. Once those twelve months have passed, you can submit again.

Invest BW funds two types of project. Innovation funding is aimed at innovative single projects by one company and at joint projects with several partners. Technology projects are added to this. Investment funding supports setting up new business premises, expanding an existing site, and investments in the transformation or diversification of business premises.

One restriction matters for your planning. Investment funding is currently limited to projects of overriding economic importance, and no further funding call on this is planned for the time being. The focus of Invest BW therefore lies on innovation funding. With a development or technology project you are in the right place here.

You receive a grant that you do not repay. How high it is depends on the size of your company. In Baden-Württemberg, small companies receive up to 45% of the eligible costs, medium-sized companies up to 35%, large companies up to 25% and corporate groups up to 15%.

A ceiling per project is added to this. In the most recently published innovation funding call it was €650,000 for a single project and €1.3 million for a joint project with several partners. Each call sets its ceilings anew. Your funding amount ultimately follows from your funding rate and from the costs recognised as eligible.

What does a funding advisor do?

A funding advisor is an expert who guides companies through the complex process of applying for public funding and secures the best funding for their projects – from selecting the right programmes through the application to the final report.

At Ignite we work success-driven: we only make you an offer when we are convinced your project is eligible. You are supported comprehensively throughout the process while you concentrate on your core business – we take on the time-consuming part.

Our services as funding advisors

Analysis and identification

Assess company & project
Find the right programmes
Aimed at maximum grants

Strategy development

Tailor-made strategy
Aligned with your goals
Combine programmes

Application and documentation

Complete application drafting
Documents complete & correct
Higher approval chances

Communication with funding bodies

Contact with authorities
Coordination with funding bodies
Representing your interests

Project support and aftercare

Support across the project term
Meeting funding conditions
Disbursement & final report

The advantages of our funding advisory

Time saved

Focus on your core business
The workload sits with us
A faster application

Access to hidden funding opportunities

Lesser-known programmes
Clever combinations
Full funding potential

A higher success rate

Expertise from many applications
Better approval chances
Fewer rejections

Maximising the funding amount

The highest possible funding
Every lever used
More from every project

Legal certainty

All requirements met
Audit-proof evidence
No clawback risk

Numbers you can hold us to

15,000⁺

Funding applications in the last five years

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A team of specialists at your service

Dr. MichaelJung

Consultant

Frequently asked questions about Invest BW

No funding call is open at present, and a date for the next one has not yet been published. Prepare your outline now so that you can submit as soon as the next call starts.

Outlines and applications run through the Invest BW website and the appointed project management agency, VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH. The agency assesses the documents on behalf of the economics ministry.

The essential parts of the project have to be carried out in Baden-Württemberg. What matters is the place of delivery, not your company’s registered office alone. Plan your project with a location in the state from the outset.

For projects from the most recently published innovation funding call, 31 December 2029 is the latest completion date. Which date applies to your project is set out in the respective funding call.

You need sufficient creditworthiness, and your own contribution to the costs of the project must be demonstrable. Both are among the funding conditions and should be clarified before you submit the outline.

The relevant basis is the administrative regulation of 8 May 2025 in the version of 20 August 2025. Investment funding was scaled back, whereas a new funding call was issued for innovation funding.

Yes, if you are planning a branch or business premises in Baden-Württemberg. An existing site in the state is not a condition; the planned location is sufficient for the application.