Skip to content

Funding for manufacturing and engineering

Check investment funding Book a 20-min eligibility call

New machines, 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 share, which runs through different programmes than the plant investment itself. We assess both sides of your project, find the programmes that fit and handle the application through to the final report.

3D Spark
Heineken
UltiMaker
2R
Coolblue
ABN AMRO
Folienwelt
KPN
qlero
Vattenfall
PostNL
mm lab
ProRail
NS
Deutsche Firmenkredit Partner
Jumbo
ANWB
ENTIAC
Bynder
selecta one
Universiteit Utrecht
Nedap
DC Smarter
VDL
Gasunie
ZWF
Fugro
Unit4
Unternehmensgruppe Albert Weil
Zeeman
Basic-Fit
fierythings

Challenges we see again and again in manufacturing

Energy costs, the shortage of skilled staff and the shift to efficient, resource-conscious production usually arrive at the same time for our customers. Companies that invest now carry the risk alone at first, and modernising without a funding plan ties up more equity than necessary.

The real bottleneck is rarely the programme itself but the classification: which plant qualifies, which scheme fits, which deadline applies, and which share of the project is investment rather than development? We settle those questions before the investment starts.

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

Plant with measurably higher energy efficiency qualifies, whereas pure replacement without technical or economic added value generally does not. In Germany investment funding usually takes the form of a grant; in the Netherlands the main routes are tax-based, through the EIA and MIA/Vamil.

Automation and robotics frequently qualify. For investment in machines, plant or sites, regional investment schemes can apply in addition, in Germany the GRW where the site sits in an assisted area.

Connected production frequently qualifies as well. National and regional government subsidise investment in plant and sites: in Germany above all through regional economic development such as GRW, complemented by state programmes.

Where you develop rather than procure, development instruments fund the development share: in Germany the Forschungszulage, in the Netherlands the WBSO. For large or cross-border projects, Horizon Europe carries the volume, while EUREKA Eurostars is in practice the more frequent route for smaller companies.

Which funding carries your investment and your development

In manufacturing several instruments interlock. They cover different cost elements of your project. Which of them are realistically available for your specific project we establish before the application is written.

01

Investment grants and regional programmes

National and regional government subsidise investment in plant and sites. In Germany this runs above all through regional economic development such as GRW, complemented by state programmes. In the Netherlands the emphasis sits on tax-based instruments such as the EIA and MIA/Vamil.

02

Tax-based and grant instruments for the development share

Where you do not only procure but develop, for example a new production method or your own plant technology, development instruments apply. They fund the development share of your manufacturing projects, not the procurement itself.

In Germany this is the Forschungszulage, which works through tax and is settled with income or corporation tax. In the Netherlands the WBSO reduces the payroll tax you remit for staff on research and development, so it takes effect monthly.

The German ZIM programme has accepted no new applications since 7 July 2026, other than 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 plant, waste heat recovery, electrification of processes and resource-conscious methods. These projects run through their own programmes with their own deadlines and are frequently overlooked, because they are treated as an operational matter rather than a funding one.

04

European programmes for larger projects

For large or cross-border projects we open up European programmes. Horizon Europe carries the volume, while EUREKA Eurostars is in practice the more frequent route for smaller companies. Both demand precise applications against clear evaluation criteria and typically do not suit smaller modernisation projects.

How we secure your funding

We assess the whole landscape rather than one scheme, and we do it before the project starts. We also look at what has already been carried out and whether anything is still possible there.

STEP 1

Map.

We record completed, running and planned projects with their cost categories and timing.

STEP 2

Match.

We match each project to the right instrument and set which cost element runs through which. The same costs are not funded twice.

STEP 3

Apply.

We build the applications against the relevant evaluation criteria.

STEP 4

Secure.

After the award we support you through to a clean final report.

Numbers you can hold us to

0.5Billion

funding realized in 2025

Start your Funding Scan

Resources & Insights

Browse all downloads
Case Study Manufacturing · WBSO · SME

TSD Tooling & Precision

Tools that are accurate to within a thousandth of a millimetre: that calls for research, development and expensive prototypes. With the WBSO (the Dutch R&D tax credit) and Ignite Group’s technical knowledge, TSD…

Read the case study: TSD Tooling & Precision
Whitepaper PDF · 11 pages · 2026

Turning Innovation into Predictable Cash Flow

How CFOs use public funding programmes as a strategic financial tool

Download the whitepaper: Turning Innovation into Predictable Cash Flow
Case Study Footwear retail · SLIM · EIA · MIA · MDIEU · Large enterprise

Schuurman Schoenen

A family business with 650 employees, 49 stores and the conviction that the person behind the product is what counts. Together with Ignite Group, Schuurman Schoenen translated that vision into its own academy, more…

Read the case study: Schuurman Schoenen

I only need to supply the necessary documents and Ignite Group takes care of the rest. It gives us the freedom to focus on developing our technology and selling our products.

Eric Pellis Co-owner and Managing Director, INUTEQ
View all case studies

By goal rather than by industry

Already know what this is about? Switch to the matching objective.

Ready to secure your funding?

Find out what your business has been entitled to all along.

Start your Funding Scan Book a 20-minute strategy call

FAQs about funding advisory

View all FAQs

Investment funding is not a single programme but an umbrella term for public money that subsidises business investment, for example in machines, plant or more sustainable production. In Germany it usually takes the form of a grant. In the Netherlands the main routes are tax-based, through the EIA and MIA/Vamil, alongside grant schemes such as VEKI and DEI+.

Automation, robotics, energy-efficient plant, connected production and the development share of new processes frequently qualify. For investment in machines, plant or sites, regional investment schemes can apply in addition, in Germany the GRW where the site sits in an assisted area. Pure replacement without technical or economic added value generally does not qualify, whereas plant with measurably higher energy efficiency, a newly developed production method or the investment implementation of new processes does.

What decides it is whether the project carries technical uncertainty, meaning the outcome is not established at the outset. Procuring and commissioning a proven plant is investment. Adapting a method, developing plant technology yourself or having to test a process control first is development. Both occur in the same projects but are funded through different instruments. We make that separation before the application.

Yes, and in manufacturing it is now the largest. Energy efficiency, waste heat recovery, electrification and resource-conscious methods have their own programmes with their own requirements and deadlines. They are frequently overlooked because they run internally as an operational matter rather than a funded project.

Before commitments are entered into. In Germany the application almost always has to be in before the investment is ordered. In the Netherlands the rule differs by scheme: for the EIA and MIA/Vamil the application follows within three months of signing the contract. Either way, talk to us as soon as an investment takes shape.

Small businesses as much as established mid-sized and large companies. Amounts and conditions differ by size and location, but for most size categories there is a suitable programme.