Lower Saxony Innovation Funding Program for Research and Development in Companies

The Lower Saxony Innovation Funding Program targets small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), small mid-cap companies, and cooperating research institutions with a business establishment in Lower Saxony. The goal is to accelerate innovative developments to improve market opportunities, especially by intensifying collaborations.

The innovation funding program supports projects in industrial research and experimental development that aim to develop new or significantly improved, marketable products, production processes, or services. Projects must have a high proportion of in-house development through the use of their own personnel and be related to the specialization areas of Lower Saxony's RIS3 Strategy.

The Lower Saxony Innovation Funding Program offers non-repayable grants for project funding, which depend on the type and scope of the project, as well as company size. Aid intensities vary and can be increased through collaborations. There are fixed maximum amounts per company and research institution.

Various legal and substantive requirements must be met for funding, including securing overall financing, a high proportion of in-house development by own personnel, and adherence to quality criteria according to a scoring model. Cooperation projects require effective collaboration and a cooperation agreement.

The application procedure takes place via the NBank customer portal and requires the application to be submitted before the project begins. The approving authority decides on applications, taking into account external expert opinions.

The funding is based on a specific guideline of the State of Lower Saxony and is supplemented by various EU regulations as well as national regulations such as the GRW Coordination Framework.