Start-up and Growth Financing (SGF)

The Start-up and Growth Financing (GuW) of Saarland is aimed at founders, business stabilizers, freelancers, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that are based or active in Saarland. The purpose of the loan is to secure sustainable economic success and to create or safeguard jobs through the financing of investments and working capital. Prerequisites include professional and commercial qualifications, carrying out the activity as the main occupation, as well as registration and active management in the commercial register. Excluded are, among others, follow-up financing of already completed projects, trust arrangements, and restructuring cases within the meaning of the EU guidelines.

Up to 100% of the eligible costs are funded in the form of a low-interest loan with a maximum amount of EUR 2 million per project. Eligible costs include, among others, the acquisition of land and buildings, commercial construction costs, machinery, equipment and installations, operational and business equipment, expenses for technology transfer, inventory, as well as working capital. The term can be variably designed depending on financing needs, partly with a grace period for repayments. A combination with other KfW programs and public funding is generally possible. Applications can be submitted at any time through credit institutions or house banks and forwarded to the Saarland Investment Credit Bank AG (SIKB).