General Practitioner Action Program - State Funding for General Practitioners

The General Practitioner Action Program of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia specifically promotes local primary care in rural and structurally weak municipalities. Private individuals and companies can apply for non-repayable grants to establish new primary care main practices or to take over existing practices. The establishment of teaching practices is also supported with a one-time grant of up to €10,000. Medical trainees receive €500 monthly during their practice phase, as do specialists in their qualification year or those entering general medicine via career change. Non-medical practice staff benefit from grants of up to €1,000 for additional qualifications. Funding areas are defined in two tiers: municipalities with acute risk – grants up to €60,000 for establishment or employment – and municipalities with medium-term risk – up to €30,000. The aim of the measure is to counteract impending undersupply due to the demographic development of the general practitioner workforce.

Applications can be submitted online from January 1, 2026, and the funding guideline is valid until December 31, 2027. Prerequisites include a funded location in a designated area, proof that establishment or employment has not yet begun, as well as a written commitment to provide general practitioner services for five or ten years. Project duration and maximum term vary between 12 and 24 months. Eligible expenses include investments for practice takeover, personnel costs, and training measures. Required documents include the funding guideline, annexes 1–2 on the funding areas, the respective application forms (annexes 3–9), as well as proof of use and the commitment declaration (annex 12). Regional processing is handled by the responsible district government, which provides details on the online procedure and application submission via the “North Rhine-Westphalia Funds” portal.