Funding for SMEs "SME-innovative: Electronics and Autonomous Driving; High Performance Computing"

The funding program SME-innovative: Electronics and Autonomous Driving; High Performance Computing is aimed at research-active small and medium-sized enterprises, educational institutions, and public institutions throughout Germany. The objective is to support high-risk, industry-led individual and collaborative research projects that sustainably strengthen the market position of the participating SMEs. Technology-crossing industrial research projects in the areas of electronics, autonomous driving, and powerful high and extreme performance computing are funded. Within the framework of collaborative projects, universities, non-university research institutions, and local authorities can be involved. Applicants must maintain a business establishment in Germany and bear a high scientific-technical as well as economic risk. The degree of innovation, market relevance, and surpassing the state of the art are decisive evaluation criteria.

Type of funding: Grant with funding rates from 50% to 100% of eligible expenses. Project duration: Up to 36 months. Deadlines: Project outlines can be submitted at any time, with evaluation cut-off dates on April 15 and October 15 each year (submission deadline without exclusion effect). In the first procedural stage, submission of a project outline is sufficient, based on which selected projects will be invited to submit a full application via easy-Online. For the application, a project outline and subsequently an electronic full application are required. The guideline follows the EU definition for SMEs (up to 1,000 employees, max. €100 million annual turnover), whereby at least one SME must be responsible in the project. With this continuously open funding pillar, the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space strengthens the innovation potential of the German SME landscape in key technologies of digitalization and mobility.