Low-Threshold Innovations in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises and Craft Businesses
Grant funding for small and medium-sized enterprises as well as craft businesses in Lower Saxony to support experimental innovation projects. Applications can be submitted at any time via the NBank customer portal.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Support for application-oriented research and development activities in SMEs and craft enterprises aimed at the development or improvement of new marketable products, production processes, or services, as well as the implementation of process and organizational innovations.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel expenses
- External services
- Material expenses
- Investment expenses
Non-eligible expenses
- Routine changes to ongoing processes
- Projects already started
- Projects by non-SMEs
- Funding from other ERDF programs
- Process innovations under €200,000 total expenditure
Eligible to apply
- Companies
Funding requirements
- Registered office or place of business in Lower Saxony
- Meet the EU SME definition
- Registration in the commercial register or crafts code
- Project goes beyond the state of the art
- Belongs to the RIS3 priority area
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Documents required for application
- Project description
- Financing plan
- De minimis declaration
- Declaration of company in difficulty
- Proof of quality criteria (scoring)
Evaluation criteria
- Quality criteria according to scoring model
Description
The Low-Threshold Innovation Support Program for SMEs and Crafts (nIFP) in Lower Saxony supports small and medium-sized enterprises as well as craft businesses in application-oriented research and development projects. The goal is the development or improvement of new, marketable products, production processes, and services, as well as the implementation of process and organizational innovations. Experimental projects that exceed the company-specific state of the art are funded. The non-repayable grant covers up to 35% of eligible expenses, and up to 45% in designated transition regions, with a maximum funding amount of €100,000. Eligible applicants are companies registered in the commercial register or according to the Crafts Code, which have their headquarters or a branch in Lower Saxony and meet the EU SME definition. Selection is based on a transparent scoring model that evaluates quality and innovation content.
For an application, applicants must submit a detailed project description, a financing plan, a de minimis declaration, a statement regarding the status of "company in difficulty," as well as proof of quality criteria. The entire project must be financially secured and fall within one of the priority areas of the Lower Saxony RIS3 strategy, such as mobility, life sciences, or digital economy. Expenses for personnel, external services, materials, and investments are eligible, while routine changes to ongoing processes, already initiated projects, or projects from non-SMEs are excluded. Applications can be submitted electronically at any time via the NBank customer portal, immediately prior to project start. The nIFP funding sustainably strengthens innovation capacity, competitiveness, and regional value creation.
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