Grants for Increasing Resource Efficiency and Circular Economy in the Commercial Sector and Crafts of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia

The funding program of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia is aimed at commercial enterprises and craft businesses that wish to make their production processes more resource-efficient and transition to a circular economy. Both investments in innovative technologies with a demonstration character and independent consulting services are supported. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) benefit from grants of up to 60% of eligible investment costs, medium-sized companies up to 50%, and large enterprises up to 40%. For consulting services, up to 50% of the incurred costs are reimbursed. The maximum amounts are €4 million per investment project and €100,000 per consulting project. Applications for consulting can be submitted continuously until December 31, 2026, while investment projects are eligible for funding until June 30, 2026.

A prerequisite for funding is a business location in North Rhine-Westphalia as well as compliance with the EU SME definition for projects funded by the ERDF. Investments must be based on technologies that have not yet been applied on an industrial scale, and consulting services must not constitute regularly recurring operating expenses. The aim of the consulting methods is to identify resource-saving potentials, develop circular economy-oriented measures, conduct ecodesign analyses, and close material cycles. For the application, a completed application form, a project and financing description, a de minimis declaration, a consulting contract, a current commercial register excerpt, a tax certificate, and, if applicable, a power of attorney must be submitted. The evaluation is carried out by the State Office for Nature, Environment and Climate NRW (LANUK), while the Efficiency Agency NRW supports technical consulting services.