Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand (ZIM)
Receive funding for eligible expenses for a total amount of up to €1.83 million
Advantages of ZIM
Amount
Internal and external personnel costs and other costs of up to €1.83 million are supported by grants
Approval Rate
High approval rate of 62% compared to other funding programmes, e.g. EIC with 7%
Installments
Payment is made in quarterly installments during the project term and not only after project completion
Ventures who trust us
"Working with Alex and his team was very pleasing for us. The structured process helped us to present our research and development activities as efficiently as possible and to successfully apply for and receive approval for the FZuL. We look forward to working with Alex and his team in the future."
"The collaboration with FUNDED was outstandingly good, incredibly professional and efficient. We have already worked with several grant consultancies and FUNDED stands out in particular with its extremely efficient communication with all parties."
"It took us 6 weeks from kick-off to application, which is definitely due to the good communication, structure and collaboration with the team. The quality of each draft for application materials was very accurate despite the deep tech domain and saved me a lot of time."
"FUNDED played a crucial role in helping us navigate the FZuL application process efficiently and successfully. Their structured approach, combined with attention to detail and deep expertise, made even complex requirements manageable, saving us valuable time. We’re excited to continue working with FUNDED by making use of their SaaS solution FundedOS to streamline our grant application process."
“The combination of expertise, attention to detail, and high responsiveness from the FUNDED team is impressive. We really enjoyed working together, even during stressful phases.“
Satisfied clients
Ranging from stealth start-ups to decacorns
Advised funding
In grants and venture debt
users
On FundedOS
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ZIM in detail
The Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand (ZIM) is a cross-industry funding program that supports innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany. Its aim is to strengthen the economic stability and competitiveness of the Mittelstand. With ZIM, internal and external personnel costs, as well as other eligible expenses, can be funded through grants – for a total amount of up to €1.83 million. Funding is provided for the development of new products, processes, and services that offer significant improvements over existing solutions.
Funding is provided from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) focused on SMEs carrying out ambitious research and development projects – without any thematic restrictions to specific technology fields or industries. With more than 40,000 approved projects to date and an annual funding volume of €447 million (as of 2023), ZIM is the most important and comprehensive national funding program for innovative projects.
Requirements for fundable ZIM projects
Eligible projects under ZIM must meet R&D and economic specific requirements to be able to receive funding.
R&D requirements
Novelty
Projects must be directed toward the generation of new knowledge and must be founded on original concepts and non-obvious hypotheses.
Risk
Projects must involve uncertainty regarding the outcome, particularly in the form of technical, scientific, or conceptual risks that could influence the successful completion of the project.
Planned
Projects must be conducted systematically, following a defined plan and budget, and must lead to results that are reproducible.
Economic requirements
Capacity
After allocating personnel to the R&D project, the remaining staff capacity must be sufficient to ensure the continued operation of the company's regular business activities.
Stability
Companies should have completed their establishment and must be able to provide the necessary financial contribution required for the project.
Necessity
The project cannot be realized, or can only be realized with delays, without the funding – or the funding enables the inclusion of additional project elements or the expansion of expenditures.
Not sure if you meet the criteria for ZIM funding?
The application process for ZIM funding
The ZIM application process involves numerous complex requirements and formalities, which can result in a significant time investment without the right expertise.
Identification
Drafting the Application
Submitting the application
Examination and approval of application
Technical Risk
Degree of Innovation
Market Potential
Identification
We assess whether your project meets the ZIM eligibility criteria. This includes analyzing its level of technical risk, innovation, and market potential – ensuring that the application has strong prospects for approval.
Drafting the Application
Following a positive assessment, we prepare the complete funding application, including the detailed project description, cost planning, and formal compliance. We support you throughout all three possible application types for individual ZIM projects:
Feasibility study
Feasibility analysis to evaluate innovation potential and technical solutions. We provide precise and well-structured documentation.
R&D Project
Development of new products, processes, or services. We prepare the complete project description.
Go-to-market Strategy
A strategic plan for bringing new innovations to market. We develop a compelling commercialization concept.
Submitting the Application
We handle the digital submission of your application via the ZIM portal. We ensure completeness and error-free forms to prevent delays in the approval process.
Examination and Approval of Application
The project management agency reviews the application, and we handle all communication in case of follow-up questions. Once approved, we support you through the contract process and the start of your project. The maximum project duration is 3 years.
Review
Approval
Project Start
Company requirements
ZIM funding is generally open to all companies and industries. There are only a few requirements regarding the company's size: