Expertenthemenbeschreibung Research Funding

Research Funding

Research Funding – How-to

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In order to support long-term and future-oriented research and development, innovative projects are granted financial backing. In addition to collaborative and joint research, companies may also benefit from tax-based research funding.

Who is promoting what and how? Where can you receive advice and information? Where and how can you submit applications? We will provide you with an overview of what the funding landscape has to offer.

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Aus unseren Inhalten

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"The right incentives for investment - implement them quickly now!"

The federal government's planned immediate tax investment program sends important signals to the economy. The improvement in the research allowance in particular is good news.

NRW.BANK.Invest Future

New NRW.BANK development program for SMEs with up to 20 percent repayment discount

Member information "Water and wastewater technology marketplace"

Exclusively for members, the specialist department for water and wastewater technology provides a new information service with its publication "Marketplace Water and Wastewater Technology".

Key demands of the VDMA for the 21st legislative period

To ensure the competitiveness of the mechanical and plant engineering industry, the VDMA is calling for reliable economic framework conditions. A strong industry means a strong economy.

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Where do the parties stand on VDMA demands?

The VDMA has addressed extensive demands to politicians. What do the parties think? Our overview shows the extent to which the mechanical and plant engineering industry is taken into account in the programs for the federal election on February 23, 2025.

BMWK funding for SMEs: new ZIM guideline

The Central Innovation Program for SMEs (ZIM) is a nationwide funding program that is open to all technologies and sectors.

Fostering Innovation and Shaping the Future

The high pace of innovation in mechanical and plant engineering requires more industry orientation in funding, strengthening of collaborative research, transfer platforms, and the expansion of research funding for future-proof jobs.

Institute of Machine Tools and Production Technology

The Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering (IWF) is jointly headed by Prof. Klaus Dröder and Prof. Christoph Herrmann.

Tax incentives for research

Tax incentives for research offer small and medium-sized companies in particular incentives to invest in research and development.

Leibniz Institute of Photonic Technology (Leibniz-IPHT)

The Leibniz-IPHT is researching biophotonic methods and technologies that are entering new dimensions in terms of resolution, sensitivity, specificity, speed, accuracy and automation.

"An end to overregulation and far too high cost burdens"

Heavy seas and no calm in sight: the mechanical engineering industry expects a decline in production and a slight reduction in jobs in 2025. A political turnaround is needed to strengthen the industry.

Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 RWTH Aachen

The Institute of Materials in Electrical Engineering 1 (IWE 1) researches new technologies in the field of micro- and nanosystems and develops bio- and chemosensors for applications.

Innovation Award 2025 - prize for practice-oriented problem solutions

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia is awarding the NRW Innovation Prize for the year 2025.

Facts and figures: Research and innovation

In our theme publication you will find facts and figures on research and development, innovations and patents in machinery and equipment manufacturing.

State of NRW awards innovation prizes

The innovation prize honors practical solutions to problems. This year, it went to a VDMA member for the development of an energy-saving burner, among other things.

"Research allowance strengthens companies efficiently and sustainably"

The state should efficiently strengthen the competitiveness of the economy. The research allowance meets all the criteria for this and also strengthens companies in the face of unfair competition.

"Relieve the economy now without ifs and buts"

The draft for the Tax Reform Act has both light and shade. The fact is: Germany needs relief for the economy. Now.

Meet the deadline! Still apply for research allowance for 2020!

The new research allowance is becoming increasingly popular in the mechanical engineering sector. The Federal Ministry of Finance has now issued an important statement regarding the application deadlines for previous years.

"Expansion of state research funding instead of scrappage scheme"

Tax money for the scrappage scheme is not being put to good use. It would be better to use it at the beginning of the value chain in production research. This would benefit jobs and technologies.

"Federal funding for industry and climate protection" promotes decarbonization

The Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) published the new funding guideline "Federal Funding for Industry and Climate Protection (BIK)" on August 23.

Research and funding measures in the HealthTech sector

VDMA HealthTech provides information on research topics in medical technology and the entire industrial healthcare sector, as well as on current guidelines for funding projects and the general framework conditions.

Germany remains the best R&D location

According to the VDMA survey, Germany remains in first place in the ranking of research locations. Companies want to expand their R&D both at home and abroad.

European Partnership "Textiles of the Future"

"Textiles of the Future" will be one of nine priorities in the EU Framework Programme for Research & Innovation "Horizon" from 2025 to 2027 - implemented as a "European co-programmed partnership".

VDMA research network

The Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau e.V. (FKM) bundles and coordinates pre-competitive research for mechanical and plant engineering.

VDMA Research and Innovation: New tasks, new management

VDMA bundles its activities in the area of "Research and Innovation" and establishes a new joint office. Research and innovation processes can thus be further optimized. Dr. Eric Maiser and Martin Nitsche take over from Dietmar Goericke.

Focus on the future

Research secures value creation and jobs in Germany and Europe. Politicians must create innovation-friendly framework conditions. Openness to technology is essential.

EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation

Horizon Europe is the EU framework program for research and innovation for 2021 to 2027 with the aim of building a knowledge- and innovation-based society and a competitive economy.

"Ressource.NRW" call for funding

The Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia is providing funding for innovations in the circular economy with "Ressource.NRW". The submission deadline for the first round ends on April 1, 2024.

New form for applying for the research allowance

At the end of January, the Research Allowance Certification Office updated the form for applying for the research allowance.

EU "Made in Europe" program deals with circular economy

The EU research program "Made in Europe" not only offers a dialogue platform for topics related to Industry 4.0, but also an opportunity to participate in EU projects. One focus here is the circular economy.

Research and development at a glance

Since 2012, spending on R&D by the manufacturing sector in Germany has increased by more than a third. The machinery and equipment manufacturing industry has seen above-average develeopment.

EU support for photonics

With over 200 high-ranking representatives from industry, science and politics, the Photonics Partnership Annual Meeting 2023 took place in Brussels on April 26 – 27, 2023. The annual meeting of Photonics21 is one of the most important events for the

Research for a climate-neutral construction site

Joint research with the goal of more sustainability on the construction site - three new projects are at the start on the topics of temperature control, hydrogen and energy management.

Still too few female engineers in mechanical and plant engineering

Change is needed in various areas of education and working life to attract more women to technical professions. The latest study by the VDMA's Impuls Foundation investigates exactly what is needed. For the first time, the study focuses on the link between studies, career entry and the first years of employment for female engineers.

Der VDMA-Hochschulpreis – Eine Erfolgsbilanz

Wertschätzung für die Lehre, Unterstützung guter Lehrvorhaben und Rückenwind für innovative Konzepte – darum geht es beim höchstdotierten Lehrpreis in den Ingenieurwissenschaften auf Bundesebene, dem VDMA-Hochschulpreis „Bestes Maschinenhaus“.

New research reports of the FK Textile

VDMA Textile Machinery provides the results of the Industrial Collective Research (IGF) of the Textile Research Association (FKT).

Research Council for Refrigeration Technology

The Research Council for Refrigeration Technology (Forschungsrat Kältetechnik e.V. - FKT) promotes joint industrial research in the field of refrigeration and heat pump technology.

Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF

Institute profile of the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF

Transformation needs a powerful industry

Mechanical and plant engineering creates the technological prerequisites for the desired transformation of the economy and society.

#btw21: Final spurt - entrepreneurs comment on the tax election campaign

Dr. Manfred Wittenstein, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of WITTENSTEIN SE on tax policy in the Bundestag election campaign

Funding Competition "Innovative and Practical Applications and Data Spaces in the GAIA-X Digital Ecosystem

With the GAIA-X funding competition, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy will support the implementation of applications based on GAIA-X in the future. Consortia of users and providers can apply with their project outlines until May 7, 2021.

Research funding for the future of value creation

The BMBF supports innovations in production, services and work that focus on people through various funding measures.

Joint research for the future

The Fluid Technology Research Fund takes up industry-related topics in the pre-competitive area and carries them out with research centers and industry project-accompanying working committees.

New R&D survey

In April, the "Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft" started its new survey on research and development (R&D) in the industry in 2020. The results are highly significant.

Research and development remain strong pillars in mechanical and plant engineering

The machinery and plant engineering sector spent a record amount on research and development in 2019. And even during the Corona pandemic, companies continue to focus on innovation

#btw21: Tax policy for more investments

As a globally networked industry, the mechanical and plant engineering sector has been hit hard by the effects of the Corona crisis. After securing liquidity through tax measures, among other things, the task now is to flank the recovery and strengthen growth.

Research & development remain strong pillars in mechanical engineering

Mechanical engineering in Germany spent a total of €8.2 billion on research and development in 2019.

Advice offered by the federal government on how to get started in research funding

Almost every company in the mechanical and plant engineering sector has R&D projects and ideas. Public funding is available for them. You can find an overview here.

Research roadmap for digitalization in photovoltaics

Recommendations from the German PV industry for research funding

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Weitere VDMA Leistungen

Weitere VDMA Leistungen
Overview of research institutions Artificial Intelligence
The Learning Systems Platform, initiated by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with the BMWi, provides an overview of research institutions in the field of artificial intelligence.

More expert and focus topics

More expert and focus topics
Industrial collective research
Industrial Collective Research (IGF) serves as a unique innovation platform for small and medium-sized enterprises. Being a thematically open and industry-driven program, IGF represents an important building block in pre-competitive research for the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
Innovation and transfer networks
Research, innovation and transfer networks allow us to reach a broad range of companies with offers suited for practical application. Key success factors include networking and maintaining a dialog with the parties involved, consolidating a wide range of competencies and quickly transferring research results to companies in the mechanical and plant engineering sector.
Corporate Foresight
Corporate Foresight means conducting futurology from a corporate perspective in order to „manage“ the future. It is a vision-building process which complements classical innovation management and prepares for all kinds of change – achieving resilience no matter what kind of trend or forecast will become real.

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VDMA partners

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Forschungskuratorium Maschinenbau e.V.
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IMPULS-Stiftung

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