Funding under the ERP Mezzanine for Innovation

The KfW's "ERP Mezzanine for Innovation" program is aimed at commercial enterprises, sole proprietors, and freelancers domiciled in Germany. The goal is to promote innovative projects that either surpass the international state of the art or are new to the applicant company.

The "ERP Mezzanine for Innovation" program supports investments and working capital for market-oriented research and development projects. This includes both the development of entirely new products, processes, or services, as well as their further development and improvement up to quality assurance.

Funding is provided as an integrated financing package consisting of a traditional loan and a subordinated loan. The financing can cover up to 100 percent of eligible costs, with the funding amount ranging from 25,000 Euros to a maximum of 5 million Euros per project.

Specific legal and content conditions apply to funding through the ERP Mezzanine for Innovation, ranging from adherence to the innovative character to compatibility with environmental and social standards. Special attention is also paid to the exclusion of companies in difficulty.

The application procedure for the ERP Mezzanine for Innovation is bank-based. Interested companies submit their application to a house bank or another credit institution before the start of the project, which then forwards the application to KfW.

The legal basis of the "ERP Mezzanine for Innovation" program is the KfW Information Sheet (360/361/364), which regulates the specific conditions and framework of the funding in detail.