Innovation vouchers Baden-Württemberg

Up to €20,000 for external innovation services, a 50% grant for SMEs in Baden-Württemberg.

The Baden-Württemberg innovation vouchers fund external scientific, R&D and innovation-oriented services with a 50% grant. Four variants are available: Innovationsgutschein BW (up to €7,500), Hightech BW (up to €20,000), Start-up BW (up to €20,000, up to 5 years after incorporation) and Mittelstand trifft Start-ups (up to €20,000, up to 250 employees). The approving body is L-Bank on behalf of the BW Ministry of Economic Affairs. You apply online through the L-Bank funding portal, and only afterwards may you sign the contract with the external provider.

Eligibility

The company's head office is in Baden-Württemberg (evidenced by a commercial register extract or trade registration)
SME status under the administrative provision's definition: for the standard variants, max. 100 employees (FTE) and max. €20m prior-year turnover or balance sheet total; for the Mittelstand trifft Start-ups variant, max. 250 employees and max. €50m turnover or a €43m balance sheet total (include linked and partner companies)
A project with a genuine innovation link: planning, developing or delivering new products, processes or services, or substantially improving the quality of existing products. Plain standard consultancy (tax, legal, general management) is not eligible
The external provider has to be a scientific institution (a university or research institution) or a research-oriented provider with demonstrable R&D capability; for the Mittelstand trifft Start-ups variant, a qualified start-up as the provider. Not a linked or partner company, and not an owner or employee
Start-up BW variant: the company may be no more than 5 years old (the pre-incorporation phase is also eligible)
Hightech BW variant: the company has to have existed for at least 5 years
No early start: the contract with the external provider may only be signed after the approval notice is issued (§ 44 LHO BW in conjunction with ANBest-P)
The de minimis ceiling not exceeded: previous de minimis aid over the last 3 tax years plus the grant applied for is no more than €300,000 (Regulation (EU) No 2023/2831)
Not an undertaking in difficulty within the meaning of Art. 2 no. 18 GBER (Regulation (EU) No 651/2014)
No outstanding EU recovery order (Art. 1 (4) (a) GBER)
Not majority publicly owned (public holdings below 25%)
Normally only one innovation voucher per company at a time; vouchers already received have to be completed

Eligible costs

External services from scientific institutions (universities, research institutions): scientific preparatory work, delivery-oriented R&D, feasibility studies, technical concept development, design research
External services from research-oriented providers with demonstrable R&D and innovation capability: prototype development as an external R&D service, tests, measurements, trials
Market and competitor analyses with a clear innovation link
For the Hightech BW and Start-up BW variants additionally: material costs within the project
For the Mittelstand trifft Start-ups variant: services from qualified start-ups as providers (process innovation or product development)
Project management costs within the external services commissioned

Common pitfalls

Starting the work early

The most common ground for rejection: anyone signing the contract with the provider or starting the first work before the approval notice loses the funding entirely. Get L-Bank's approval letter first, then sign the contract.

Choosing the wrong variant

Start-up BW applies only to companies up to 5 years after incorporation. Hightech BW requires a company age of at least 5 years. Choosing the wrong variant risks rejection; clarify the choice in advance with L-Bank's funding advisers (0721 150-1680).

A provider with no R&D capability

General management consultancies with no demonstrable R&D link aren't recognised. The external provider has to be a scientific institution or a research-oriented provider, and may not be a linked company, a partner, an owner or an employee of the applicant.

SME thresholds not calculated correctly

Linked and partner companies are consolidated into the headcount, turnover and balance sheet total. Standard variants: max. 100 employees (FTE) and max. €20m (turnover or balance sheet). Mittelstand trifft Start-ups: max. 250 employees and max. €50m turnover or a €43m balance sheet.

The de minimis ceiling exceeded

All de minimis aid from the last 3 tax years, including linked companies, is added to the grant applied for. If the total exceeds €300,000, funding as de minimis aid isn't possible. Complete the de minimis declaration fully and on a consolidated basis.

Double funding of the same service

The same consultancy or R&D service may not be financed simultaneously through go-inno, ZIM, KMU-innovativ or another programme. A substantively clearly delimited combination with other programmes is possible where each service is unambiguously assigned to one programme.

An incomplete statement of use

Invoices, proof of payment (bank statements) and the substantive report have to cover the approved cost plan in full. Cash payments and self-issued receipts aren't recognised. Prepare the statement of use in good time before the funding period ends.

The application process

1. Contact L-Bank's funding advisers. An initial discussion on eligibility, the choice of variant (BW / Hightech BW / Start-up BW / Mittelstand trifft Start-ups) and the state aid classification. Hotline 0721 150-1680, innovationsgutschein@l-bank.de. Hold it before signing a contract with the provider.
2. Choose the external provider and obtain a quote. Choose a university, research institution or research-oriented provider with R&D capability; for Mittelstand trifft Start-ups, a qualified start-up. Obtain a written quote, but don't sign a contract yet.
3. Submit the application online to L-Bank. Online through the L-Bank funding portal (l-bank.de). The application form, a project description (degree of innovation, state of the art, the external service, exploitation perspective), a cost plan, the provider's quote and self-declarations (SME status, de minimis, not an undertaking in difficulty, subsidy relevance).
4. Formal review and the innovation commission. L-Bank checks formal eligibility. An innovation commission assesses the degree of innovation, marketability and the provider's suitability on the substance. The review phase normally takes a few weeks.
5. Wait for the approval notice. Only after receiving L-Bank's written approval notice may the contract with the external provider be signed.
6. Deliver the project and pay your own share. Have the external service delivered within the funding period (normally 10 months, extendable by 2 months where justified). Pay all invoices in full by bank transfer. No cash payments, no self-issued receipts.
7. Submit the statement of use. Submit a substantive report, a list of receipts, the external provider's invoices and proof of payment (bank statements) to L-Bank. L-Bank checks them and pays the grant in arrears.

How upsmart helps

We match your project against all four variants, including the age and size thresholds, and check your de minimis headroom on a consolidated basis across linked companies. In parallel we look at whether ZIM, go-inno or KMU-innovativ cover the same service better or can be combined without risking double funding. We keep an eye on the approval notice date so no premature contract endangers the funding.

Combining it with other programmes

A substantive combination with go-inno (federal, BMWE/EURONORM), ZIM or KMU-innovativ is possible where each service is unambiguously assigned to one programme and double funding of the same service is ruled out. The Innovationsgutschein BW is often the entry building block before larger R&D programmes such as ZIM or KMU-innovativ. Using the Innovationsgutschein BW and go-inno in parallel for the same consultancy service is ruled out.

Frequently asked questions

SMEs in the commercial economy and members of the liberal professions with their head office in Baden-Württemberg can apply. For the standard variants (BW, Hightech BW, Start-up BW): max. 100 employees (FTE) and max. €20m prior-year turnover or balance sheet total. For Mittelstand trifft Start-ups: max. 250 employees and max. €50m turnover or a €43m balance sheet total. Linked and partner companies are counted in. Founders are also eligible.

The funding rate is 50% of eligible external costs. The maximum grant is €7,500 for the BW variant (max. eligible costs €15,000) and up to €20,000 for the Hightech BW, Start-up BW and Mittelstand trifft Start-ups variants. The funding is granted as de minimis aid, with a ceiling of €300,000 over 3 tax years.

The application is made online through L-Bank's funding portal (l-bank.de). An initial discussion with L-Bank's funding advisers (hotline 0721 150-1680) before applying is recommended.

Only external services from scientific institutions (universities, research institutions) or research-oriented providers are eligible: R&D work, feasibility studies, prototype development, tests and innovation-related market analyses. For Hightech BW and Start-up BW, material costs are also eligible. Not eligible are your own staff costs, general management consultancy with no R&D link, machinery and software, and any work begun before approval.

Yes, a combination with go-inno, ZIM or KMU-innovativ is possible where the services are clearly delimited from each other and each service is assigned to only one programme. The same consultancy or R&D service may not be financed by several programmes at once. The Innovationsgutschein BW often serves as the entry building block before larger R&D programmes.

Read on in the blog

Funding strategy across the innovation process

Primary sources

Programme page, BW Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism— Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg (StM-WiBW)
Innovationsgutschein — the L-Bank programme portal— L-Bank (Landeskreditbank Baden-Württemberg — Förderbank)
Förderdatenbank Bund — innovation vouchers BW— Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)
Press release StM-WiBW: launch of Mittelstand trifft Start-ups (January 2026)— Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism Baden-Württemberg (StM-WiBW)

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