ZTS Saar

The Zentrales Technologieprogramm Saar (ZTS Saar) funds research projects by companies in Saarland with up to €500,000. What does that mean for your project?

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Facts up front

Budget

€500k/proj.

Deadline

Ongoing

Location

Saarland

ZTS Saar – key facts at a glance

ZTS Saar funds research and development projects by companies with up to €500,000 per project. Private-sector companies with business premises in Saarland are eligible to apply.

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Target audience

Private-sector companies with business premises in Saarland
Small and medium-sized enterprises as the focus of the funding
Large companies at lower funding rates
Saarland research institutions in cooperation projects
No funding for public and non-profit companies

Requirements

Business premises in Saarland
A private-sector company operating for profit
Meeting the SME criteria (small and medium-sized enterprises)
Application before the project begins
Complete documents for the two-stage application

Eligible costs

Personnel costs for research and development (R&D)
Remaining costs as a flat rate (40% of the direct personnel costs)
External technical services (up to 50% of the costs)
Salaries for new R&D staff (50%, max. €2,000 a month, 12 months)
Project-related direct costs of the project

Details on ZTS Saar

ZTS Saar is the technology programme of the state of Saarland. It funds research and development projects by companies that have business premises in Saarland. The funding is awarded by the Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy. The current directive has applied since 1 July 2021. You receive a grant as partial financing: the state covers a share of your eligible costs.

Unlike nationwide funding programmes, ZTS Saar is tied to a location. It also funds not only single projects but cooperations between companies and Saarland research institutions. Under certain conditions the funding can be combined with the Forschungszulage tax incentive.

What stands out is the size of the funding for a single project. Up to €500,000 is possible for a company project. You receive this amount as a grant and do not pay it back.

Private-sector companies with business premises in Saarland are eligible to apply. Your company must be operating for profit and meet the criteria for small and medium-sized enterprises. Funding rates for large companies are also set out.

You can check the first condition yourself. What matters is that your company has business premises in Saarland and carries out the project there. A registered office in another federal state is not sufficient.

Public and non-profit companies as well as companies receiving institutional funding are not eligible to apply. In cooperation projects, Saarland research institutions can additionally be included. They are then partners in your project and are funded under their own ceiling.

Innovative research and development projects are funded. These can be single projects by your company or cooperation projects with a Saarland research institution.

Eligible costs are above all the personnel costs for research and development. A flat rate for the remaining costs of 40% of the direct eligible personnel costs is added. External technical services are eligible at up to 50% of the costs. Build your project from the personnel side, therefore, because the personnel costs also determine the size of the flat rate.

New research and development staff are funded separately, at 50% of the gross salary, up to €2,000 a month and for up to 12 months. Further project-related direct costs of your project are eligible as well.

You receive a grant towards your eligible costs. The size of the share depends on the size of your company.

For single projects, small companies receive up to 45%, medium-sized companies up to 35% and large companies up to 25%. For cooperation projects these rates rise by 15 percentage points, that is, to up to 60% for small, 50% for medium-sized and 40% for large companies. For single-company projects awarded as de minimis aid, that is, small aid with its own ceiling, the rates are 45% for small and 35% for medium-sized companies.

Per company project, a maximum grant of €500,000 is possible. You bear the remaining part of the costs yourself.

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

Your funding – our daily business

5,000⁺

Funding applications per year

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A team of specialists at your service

Dr. PriyankaDas

Consultant

Frequently asked questions about ZTS Saar

The procedure has two stages. First you submit your project idea for a preliminary assessment. If the project fits, the formal application follows. After the assessment you receive the grant decision, which sets out your funding.

The decision is taken by the Saarland Ministry of Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digital Affairs and Energy. This ministry awards the state funding. A project management agency is also involved in the procedure.

No. The application must be submitted before the project begins. Retrospective funding for projects already under way is not provided for. Build the application firmly into your project start, therefore.

For projects co-financed from the ERDF, yes. ERDF stands for the European Regional Development Fund. Such projects need a recognisable link to Saarland’s innovation priorities.

ZTS Saar is being continued in the 2021 to 2027 ERDF funding period and has been extended until the end of 2027. Applications are possible on an ongoing basis during this time; there are no fixed submission dates.

No. The €500,000 applies to a project by a single company. For cooperation projects the limit is €400,000, and €250,000 for a participating research institution.

Only to a limited extent. For projects with a single applicant, a maximum of 24.9% of the capital or voting rights may be in public hands. Check this share before applying.