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Funding for industrial manufacturing and engineering

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New machinery, automation, robotics, more sustainable production: investment in manufacturing ties up capital that is missing elsewhere. At the same time, almost every modernisation project also contains a development component, which runs through different programmes than the equipment investment itself. We examine both sides of your project, find the right programmes and support the application through to the final report.

3D Spark
2R
Folienwelt
qlero
mm lab
Deutsche Firmenkredit Partner
ENTIAC
selecta one
DC Smarter
ZWF
Unternehmensgruppe Albert Weil
fierythings

Challenges we see time and again in manufacturing

Energy costs, skills shortages and the shift to efficient, resource-conscious production usually hit our customers all at the same time. Those who invest now carry the risk alone at first, and modernising without funding planning ties up more equity than necessary.

The real bottleneck is rarely the programme itself but the allocation: which equipment qualifies, which scheme fits, which deadline applies, and which share of the project is investment rather than development? We settle these questions before the investment gets under way.

Energy efficiency & decarbonisation

From equipment replacement to process heat: programmes for lower energy use and CO₂ are currently especially well funded.

Automation & robotics

Investment in robotics, sensor technology and connected equipment that secures productivity without replacing people.

Digitalisation & Industry 4.0

From the digital twin to connected manufacturing: funding for modernising production IT.

Typically fundable programmes

Equipment with measurably higher energy efficiency qualifies for funding; pure replacement purchases without technical or economic added value usually do not. Sustainable investments run through their own programmes with their own deadlines; where the conversion contains a development component, the Forschungszulage applies to it.

Automation and robotics frequently qualify for funding. For investment in machinery, equipment or business premises, GRW funding may also be relevant, particularly if the site lies in a GRW-designated area.

Connected production also frequently qualifies. Federal and state governments subsidise investment in equipment and sites, primarily through regional economic development schemes such as the GRW. At state level, further programmes come into play, such as Invest BW in Baden-Württemberg.

Where you are not merely procuring but developing, the Forschungszulage and ZIM fund the development component; ZIM has not accepted new applications since 7 July 2026. For large or cross-border projects we open up European programmes such as Horizon Europe.

Which funding supports your investment and your development

In manufacturing, several instruments interlock. They cover different cost components of your project. Which of them are actually achievable for your specific project is something we settle on a project basis, before the application is written.

01

Investment grants and regional programmes

Federal and state governments subsidise investment in equipment and sites, primarily through regional economic development schemes such as the GRW. At state level, further programmes come into play, such as Invest BW in Baden-Württemberg. Amounts and conditions depend on location, investment volume and company size.

02

Forschungszulage and ZIM for the development component

Where you are not merely procuring but developing, for instance a new manufacturing process or your own equipment technology, the Forschungszulage and ZIM come into play. Both fund the development component of your manufacturing projects, not the purchase itself.

The Forschungszulage works through the tax system: it is offset against income or corporation tax, and any excess is paid out as a tax refund, even where no corresponding tax liability exists. Pre-financing of the project is therefore required; the relief arrives after the end of the financial year.

Since 7 July 2026, ZIM has not been accepting new applications, with the exception of open international calls. Resumption is planned for early 2027.

03

Sustainable investment and energy efficiency

The largest share of investment funding in manufacturing now goes to sustainability: energy-efficient equipment, waste-heat recovery, electrification of processes and resource-efficient methods. These projects run through their own programmes with their own deadlines and are frequently overlooked, because they are perceived as an operations topic rather than a funding topic.

04

European programmes for large projects

For large or cross-border investment we open up European programmes such as Horizon Europe. They offer volume but demand precise applications along clear evaluation criteria and typically do not suit smaller modernisation projects.

How we secure your funding

Four steps lead from the investment idea to the funding decision.

STEP 1

Check.

We establish which parts of your project qualify for funding, looking at investment and development separately.

STEP 2

Allocate.

We select the right programmes and define which cost component runs through which instrument. The same costs are not funded twice.

STEP 3

Apply.

We prepare the applications along the respective evaluation criteria.

STEP 4

Secure.

After approval, we support you through to a clean final report.

Numbers you can hold us to

0.5Billion

funding realized in 2025

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Resources & Insights

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Case Study Heat treatment · ZIM · SME / Mittelstand

Wegener Härtetechnik

Wegener Härtetechnik is a specialist heat treatment service provider and is developing an innovative hardening process for applications in the automotive industry.

Read the case study: Wegener Härtetechnik
Whitepaper PDF · 10 pages · 2026

5 Anzeichen, dass Sie Fördermittel beanspruchen können

KMU lassen jährlich Fördergelder ungenutzt liegen, weil sie ihren Anspruch unterschätzen — fünf Indikatoren zeigen, ob auch Ihr Unternehmen von Zuschüssen profitiert.

Download the whitepaper: 5 Anzeichen, dass Sie Fördermittel beanspruchen können
Case Study IT consulting · Forschungszulage · SME

SaJo Consulting

SaJo Consulting GmbH develops tailor-made software solutions for demanding business requirements. To enable companies to use artificial intelligence securely, the company planned to develop an AI platform of its own.

Read the case study: SaJo Consulting

Working with Ignite Group took a great deal of pressure off us. Thanks to […] their expertise, we always felt confident that our funding application was in the best hands.

Paula Hessing Senior Executive Assistant, MARKT-PILOT GmbH
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By goal rather than by industry

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FAQs about funding advisory

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Investment funding is not a single programme but an umbrella term for public money that subsidises business investment, for instance in machinery, equipment or more sustainable production. It is usually granted as a subsidy and as a rule does not have to be repaid. Which programmes fit depends on the project, location and company size.

Frequently eligible are automation, robotics, energy-efficient equipment, connected production and the development component of new processes. For investment in machinery, equipment or business premises, GRW funding may also be relevant, particularly if the site lies in a GRW-designated area and the project contributes to competitiveness, transformation or securing jobs. Pure replacement purchases without technical or economic added value are usually not eligible; a system with measurably higher energy efficiency, a newly developed manufacturing process or the capital investment required to implement new production processes, however, are.

What matters is whether the project carries technical uncertainty, meaning the outcome is not certain at the outset. Procuring and commissioning proven equipment is investment. Adapting a process, developing your own equipment technology or having to test a process regime first is development. Both occur in the same projects but are funded through different instruments. We make this distinction before the application.

Yes, and in manufacturing it is now the largest one. Energy efficiency, waste-heat recovery, electrification and resource-efficient methods have their own programmes with their own requirements and deadlines. They are frequently overlooked because within the organisation they are treated as an operations topic rather than a funding project.

Before placing the order. In Germany, it applies almost without exception that the application must be submitted before the investment is ordered or commissioned. Exceptions are rare. To avoid losing your entitlement, contact us as soon as an investment project takes concrete shape, even if budget and schedule are not yet final.

Small businesses as well as established mid-sized companies and large enterprises. Amounts and conditions vary by size and location; for most size categories there is a suitable programme.