ERDF Thuringia 2021-2027

€1.088bn for Thuringian companies, municipalities and research, structured around EU policy objectives.

The ERDF Thuringia 2021-2027 programme is the Free State of Thuringia's operational programme under EU cohesion policy. It bundles around €1.088bn from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and additionally contains a Just Transition Fund (JTF) share for the Thuringian part of the central German coal region (the districts of Altenburger Land and Greiz). As a transition region, 60% of the ERDF money has to be concentrated on research and development, SME support and CO2 reduction. Money flows through themed, time-limited calls, with Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) as the central approving body and the Thuringian funding portal as the application route.

Eligibility

A registered office or operating site (place of effect) in Thuringia (the ERDF place-of-effect principle under Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 63); for JTF calls additionally a place of effect within the JTF area of the Thuringian part of the central German coal region (the districts of Altenburger Land and Greiz; the full area is in the Thuringian territorial just transition plan)
The applicant belongs to the group defined as eligible in the relevant call (SME, large company, university or research institution, municipality, association, cluster or consortium, depending on the call)
No early start: the project may not begin before approval — no orders, no investment, no contracts before the approval notice (ANBest-P/NBest-P Thuringia; Art. 6 GBER)
The applicant company must not be an undertaking in difficulty within the meaning of Art. 2 no. 18 GBER (for company-related calls)
No outstanding EU recovery order against the applicant (Art. 1 (4) (a) GBER)
No double financing: the same costs may not be financed in parallel from the ERDF or JTF and another EU or federal programme (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 63 (9))
The project has to fit the thematic field of the relevant call (research and innovation, SMEs and digitalisation, climate/energy/GreenInvest, climate adaptation, urban and regional, JTF central German coal region, strategic technologies)
An indicator plan with baseline, targets and collection method has to be submitted with the application (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 16 and Art. 22; Annex I Regulation (EU) 2021/1058)
Total financing of the project (own contribution plus funding plus, where relevant, third-party funds) has to be demonstrably secured (proof of creditworthiness, where relevant a bank confirmation)
The project must not significantly harm any of the six EU environmental objectives (the DNSH principle under Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 9 (4)); for long-lived infrastructure projects a climate resilience assessment is required
The state aid basis per call (a GBER article or de minimis) has to be observed; note the cumulation rules
The applicant has to accept the EU publicity obligations: the EU emblem, a funding reference, a sign at the project site for investments above the threshold, and publication in the list of beneficiaries (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 47-50)

Eligible costs

Staff costs: salaries, social security contributions and ancillary costs for staff working directly on the project
Investment costs: acquiring or producing movable and immovable assets (machinery, buildings, IT hardware)
Research and development: materials, external services and project costs for R&D work
Digitalisation: software licences, IT infrastructure, digital transformation of processes
Climate and energy projects: energy efficiency, renewables, climate protection and adaptation measures
Consultancy and skilled staff: external advisory services, training, hiring specialists to deliver the project
Other material costs: materials, travel, publications and public relations (depending on the call)

Common pitfalls

ERDF Thuringia isn't a single programme

The programme consists of many individual calls with different terms. The funding rate, amount, who may apply and the deadline are always in the specific call document, not in the programme framework. Before any advice, check the current call at aufbaubank.de.

An early start excludes funding

Awarding contracts, signing agreements or making investments before the approval notice leads to complete exclusion from funding or to clawback. Planning and preliminary steps are harmless.

JTF funding only within the area

JTF calls apply exclusively to projects with a registered office or place of effect in the districts of Altenburger Land and Greiz (the Thuringian part of the central German coal region).

Impact indicators missing or unrealistic

The ERDF and JTF require measurable output and result indicators (the number of companies supported, CO2 emissions saved, jobs created). If the indicator plan is missing or the targets are unrealistic, the application is downgraded or rejected.

Underestimating the EU publicity obligation

The EU emblem and the funding reference 'Co-funded by the European Union' have to be made visible in communication material, on the website and, for investments above the threshold, on a sign at the project site. Breaches can lead to financial corrections of 2 to 25% of the grant.

Double financing not documented

If the same costs are financed from the ERDF or JTF and another EU or federal programme, clawback threatens. Combinations are possible but require a clear, documented delimitation of cost items per funding source.

The application process

1. Identify the call. Research the current call at aufbaubank.de/Foerderprogramme/Ueberblick-Aktuelle-Calls-Wettbewerbsaufrufe and efre-thueringen.de. Note the thematic field (research and innovation, SMEs and digitalisation, climate/energy/GreenInvest, JTF central German coal region, urban and regional) and the call deadline.
2. Run an eligibility check. Confirm a registered office or place of effect in Thuringia; for JTF calls check the area (Altenburger Land, Greiz). Clarify company status (not an undertaking in difficulty, no EU recovery order), de minimis usage and the state aid basis.
3. Submit an outline or expression of interest (stage 1). For competitive calls a project outline has to be submitted first through the Thuringian funding portal (thueringer-foerderportal.eu). The TAB assesses it substantively; if successful, an invitation to apply in full follows.
4. Prepare and submit the full application (stage 2). Submit a complete project description arguing the policy objective, the indicator plan, a cost and financing plan, SME/GBER/de minimis declarations, the DNSH self-assessment, proof of creditworthiness and where relevant a consortium agreement, all through the Thuringian funding portal.
5. Wait for the TAB's assessment; don't start the project. The TAB assesses substantively, under state aid law and formally. During the assessment phase the project may not begin. The eligible period only starts with the approval notice.
6. Deliver the project and collect indicators. Document contract awards under UVgO/VOB/VgV/ThürVgG, gather records, collect impact indicators continuously and implement the EU publicity obligations (the EU emblem, a sign at the project site, a website reference).
7. Submit the statement of use. Submit a substantive report, an indicator balance, a list of receipts, invoices, proof of payment and procurement records to the TAB. Then keep the records for at least 5 years after programme closure (Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 Art. 82).

How upsmart helps

We match your project against all active ERDF and JTF calls and check the thematic field, eligibility, the state aid basis (a GBER article or de minimis) and the deadline. We clarify the cumulation rules and the DNSH obligation before you submit. Your team decides; we deliver the draft application ready for assessment. Fixed terms, independent of the grant amount.

Combining it with other programmes

ERDF and JTF Thuringia can be combined with ZIM (BMWK), KfW loans and GRW money, provided the cost items are clearly delimited and no costs are financed twice. Combination with Horizon Europe is possible where the project is clearly divided. ESF+ Thuringia covers labour market and training components and is used as a complement.

Frequently asked questions

SMEs, large companies, universities, research institutions, municipalities, associations and consortia can apply, each with a registered office or place of effect in Thuringia. The exact group of eligible applicants varies by call. For JTF calls a place of effect within the JTF area (the districts of Altenburger Land and Greiz) is additionally required.

SMEs generally receive 60% of eligible costs, and up to 85% in R&D and JTF calls. Large companies usually get 40 to 60%. The typical grant runs between €50,000 and €5,000,000 per project. Specific rates and amounts are always in the relevant call.

Identify the current call at aufbaubank.de or efre-thueringen.de, then submit a project outline through the Thuringian funding portal (thueringer-foerderportal.eu). After a positive assessment, the full application follows, also through the funding portal. Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) is the contact for most calls: service line 0361 7447-0.

As a transition region, 60% of the ERDF money has to be concentrated on research and development, SME support and CO2 reduction. The call landscape is therefore particularly dense in those areas. Other topics are climate adaptation, urban development and, in the JTF share, structural change in the central German coal region.

Starting work early — awarding contracts, concluding agreements or beginning investments before the approval notice — leads to complete exclusion from funding or to clawback of money already paid. Planning and preliminary steps are not affected.

Read on in the blog

Funding strategy across the innovation process

Primary sources

ERDF portal Thuringia (official)— Free State of Thuringia / TMWWDG
Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB) — funding portal and current calls— Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB)
TAB — overview of current calls and competitions— Thüringer Aufbaubank (TAB)
Thuringian funding portal (application portal)— Free State of Thuringia
Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 — Common Provisions Regulation (CPR)— European Union / EUR-Lex
Regulation (EU) 2021/1058 — the ERDF and Cohesion Fund Regulation— European Union / EUR-Lex
Regulation (EU) 2021/1056 — the JTF Regulation (Just Transition Fund)— European Union / EUR-Lex
Förderdatenbank des Bundes — ERDF Thuringia— Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action

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