Articles on funding, the research tax credit and state aid law, plus news from Compenio.
Article 8 min read
The EU is negotiating its budget for 2028 to 2034. Regional funding is to run through national plans in future, research and innovation through a new EU fund. We explain the terms, show who decides and what small and medium-sized enterprises can do now.
Article 4 min read
Many companies put everything they want to develop into their first funded project. That uses up the topics, because work that has been funded once cannot be funded again. Companies that plan their projects in stages can use funding repeatedly over several years.
Article 3 min read
Funding programmes are aligned with the maturity of a technology, measured in Technology Readiness Levels from 1 to 9. Companies that assess their own level correctly find suitable programmes faster and avoid applications that miss the programme's scope.
Article 3 min read
Companies that qualify as undertakings in difficulty under EU state aid law cannot receive funding in most programmes, no matter how good the project is. Growing technology companies with accumulated losses are particularly affected once they are more than three years old.
Article 3 min read
Whether a company counts as an SME determines funding rates and access to many programmes. What matters is not only its own headcount and turnover, but also those of shareholders and holdings. After a financing round, the classification often changes unnoticed.
News 1 min read
C³ – Carbon Concrete Composite, Silicon Saxony and the Central German Institute for the Security Industry (MISI).
Article 3 min read
Funding is meant to make a project possible. That is why costs are usually only eligible if the project starts after the application. Even a signed order can count as the start and put funding for the entire project at risk.
Article 4 min read
The German research allowance (Forschungszulage) refunds 25 percent of eligible R&D expenses, and 35 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is open to every company with tax liability in Germany and is claimed in two steps: a certificate from the BSFZ, then an application to the tax office.
Article 3 min read
An approved grant is not money in the bank. Most funding programmes reimburse costs only after they have been paid and documented, and part of the funding often only after the final review. Companies therefore need to plan their own contribution and pre-financing from the start.
