Allocate Budget in British West for New Investment Round

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism in Baden-Württemberg has announced the second funding call for the Innovation funding programme, Invest BW, in 2025. The funding call, scheduled for the third quarter, aims to support the innovation activity of the economy in Baden-Württemberg.

Eligible applicants for the funding round include companies of any size, start-ups, and research institutions. The focus of this round will be on the themes "Health and Life" and "Materials and Resources".

To make the application process more user-friendly, the ministry has implemented changes such as a sample-based use-of-funds audit, a reduced scope for the project sketch, and the option to set personal pauses for sketch submission. The project sketch should now be presented on a maximum of ten pages, significantly reducing the effort required to create an application sketch and enabling a simpler and faster submission process.

The funding should cover both technical and non-technical innovations, including new business models and process and service innovations that contribute to economic strengthening and technological sovereignty. A funding sum of 16 million euros is provided for the implementation of successful project ideas from these thematic areas.

The ministry aims to address companies that want to tap into value creation potential in new application areas, such as Virtual Worlds, Digital Twins, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity, as well as Machine Engineering, Robotics, Security, and Defense.

A web seminar will be held on May 19, 2025, to explain details of the funding call and the application process, and to answer questions. Registration for the web seminar is available online. Funding applications can be submitted to the project carrier VDI/VDE Innovation + Technology GmbH from May 8, 2025, to July 8, 2025, at 1:00 PM, via the Invest BW website.

Since 2021, the program has supported 839 projects with a total volume of 916 million euros and a funding sum of around 330 million euros. The selection of these themes is based on the future visions outlined in the impulse paper by the technology commissioner of the Minister of Economics, Prof. Dr. Katharina Hölzle.

Innovation is considered key to securing the competitiveness of companies, and the ministry aims to particularly support small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups in increasing their innovative strength. The funding criteria, application process, selection and evaluation of applications, the funding call, and the ministry's administrative guidelines can be found online. For further details, please see the ministry's online resources.

The second funding call is expected in the third quarter of 2025, and the submission deadline for the second funding call will apply. Projects submitted will be evaluated based on established funding criteria and competitive aspects. The ministry encourages all eligible applicants to take advantage of this opportunity and submit their innovative ideas for consideration.

For any queries or additional information, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labor, and Tourism can be contacted via their press office or citizen's representative, details of which can be found on their website.