A ZIM cooperation project funds research and development delivered jointly by at least two partners. Compared with a single project it brings five percentage points more funding, a higher cost cap and the option of bringing in research institutions at 100 per cent of their non-economic costs. The extra work is coordination: all partners have to submit their applications within 14 days, and each partner has to make an independent R&D contribution to the project.
What is a ZIM cooperation project?
ZIM distinguishes three main funding formats: single projects, cooperation projects and innovation networks. A cooperation project exists where at least two legally independent partners — either SMEs with each other, or an SME with a research institution — apply for and deliver an R&D project jointly[2]. Each partner files its own application, carries its own cost plan and takes on a clearly delimited part of the project. Substantively the project is one unit; administratively it is a sum of separate decisions.
Which partners are permitted?
Companies with up to 1,000 employees, a registered office or operating site in Germany and a market-oriented R&D project can apply as SME partners. The ZIM definition extends the EU SME limit to 499 employees for core SME status, but also admits companies with up to 1,000 employees as cooperation partners[1]. Linked companies — parents, subsidiaries and sister companies with holdings above 25 per cent — are aggregated for the SME test. Anyone not calculating that cleanly risks losing SME status after the fact.
The second partner type is research institutions. These are universities, Fraunhofer institutes, Leibniz institutions or comparable non-economic research organisations. They have to make an independent research contribution to the project; purely delivering a service or contract research without substantive co-authorship isn't enough.
Large companies can be admitted as cooperation partners in exceptional cases where the project wouldn't be technologically feasible without them. The normal case is an SME-SME or SME-research institution constellation.
Funding amounts in a cooperation project
For SMEs the funding rate is five percentage points above the corresponding single-project rate. A small company in a structurally weak region that would receive 45 per cent on a single project therefore reaches the state aid ceiling in a cooperation project. Medium-sized companies typically reach 40 per cent, larger companies with up to 1,000 employees 30 per cent[1].
In international cooperations through the IraSME initiative, rates of 55 to 60 per cent are achievable. Research institutions receive 100 per cent of their non-economic costs, which means that as an SME you don't have to fund any of their R&D participation yourself.
Since the 2025 reform the maximum eligible costs per cooperation partner have been €560,000 per company. The overall ceiling for a cooperation project is €3 million. Research institutions in a cooperation project are capped at €280,000[1]. Projects that couldn't be fully covered under the old caps (€450,000 per company) can now be brought together into one application.
The state aid basis is Article 25 of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER). The ZIM rates are normally below the maximum permitted under state aid law, so in the standard case the GBER limit is no operational constraint[4].
Process and application
Since 1 January 2025, AiF Projekt GmbH has been solely responsible for cooperation projects. Applications run digitally through the ZIM-KOOP portal. ZIM has no fixed deadlines: applications are accepted all year and processed in the order they arrive[3]. The time of arrival is the legally decisive date for assigning rates.
The typical process looks like this:
- Partner alignment: divide the project substantively, set the cost shares per partner, prepare the cooperation agreement.
- Outline (optional): some agencies allow a pre-check via a project outline. Worth doing if you aren't yet sure whether the project qualifies.
- Full application per partner: each partner submits its own application with a project description, cost and financing plan, milestones and exploitation plan.
- Assessment: external reviewers assess the degree of innovation, technological risk, market potential and feasibility. Typically 3 to 5 months pass from arrival to decision.
- Funding decision: if the assessment is positive, all partners receive separate decisions. The project may only start once the decisions have arrived.
- Delivery and evidence: interim reports every 12 months, statements of use at the end of the project. Records must be kept for 10 years.
The 14-day rule
The most important coordination duty in a cooperation project: all partner applications have to reach the agency within 14 days for them to count as belonging together[1]. If one partner's application arrives beyond that window, the arrival date shifts for the whole project. That can mean the project falls into a different budget period or, if the funds have been exhausted in the meantime, cannot be approved for the time being.
The rule isn't new with the reform, but splitting the agencies between AiF Projekt GmbH (cooperation projects) and VDI/VDE Innovation + Technik GmbH (single projects and networks) makes it more significant for coordination. If you are running a single project and a cooperation project in parallel, from 2025 you have two separate agencies with separate portals and status logics[3].
Common mistakes
- No independent R&D contribution per partner: every partner has to contribute substantively to the project. A mere financial contribution or pure contract research is not eligible.
- Starting the project early: any project-related expenditure, staff assignment or contract signed before the application arrives disqualifies the project, separately for each individual partner.
- Missing the 14-day deadline: a lack of coordination between the partners pushes the arrival date of the whole project back.
- SME status not properly checked: linked companies are aggregated. Anyone ignoring holdings above 25 per cent may lose SME status retroactively, with clawback as the consequence.
- Double funding with the Forschungszulage: ZIM and the Forschungszulage can be combined, but not on the same staff hours. A clean cost separation in the accounts is mandatory[4].
FAQ
How many partners do I need for a ZIM cooperation project? At least two: one SME plus another SME or a research institution. There is no statutory upper limit on the number of partners, but total funding is capped at €3 million per cooperation project[1].
How much more funding is there in a cooperation project than a single project? Five percentage points more. An SME receiving 35 per cent on a single project gets 40 per cent of its eligible costs in a cooperation project[1].
Who is responsible for ZIM cooperation projects? Since 1 January 2025, AiF Projekt GmbH is solely responsible for cooperation projects. Applications run digitally through the ZIM-KOOP portal[3].
What happens if a cooperation partner submits its application late? All partner applications have to reach the agency within 14 days for them to count as belonging together. If one partner misses that window, the legally decisive arrival date for the whole project shifts[1].
Can a research institution receive 100 per cent funding in a ZIM cooperation project? Yes. In the non-economic area, research institutions are funded at 100 per cent of eligible costs. That makes them attractive cooperation partners for SMEs, because your own budget isn't burdened by their share[1].
ZIM funding: application, eligibility, process
Single, cooperation and network projects, rates between 25 and 45 per cent, applications all year round: an overview of ZIM funding.
ZIM single project vs cooperation project: which suits your plan?
Up to €690,000 alone or up to €3m in a consortium: the ZIM guideline has four project types with markedly different funding rates, cost caps and coordination demands.
ZIM funding rate: what percentage you get, by company size
Whether 25, 35 or 45 per cent: the ZIM funding rate depends on your company size, the project type and your location. Here is what you get, and why.
Filing a ZIM application: the process step by step
No fixed deadline, two project management agencies, one clearly defined process: how to submit a ZIM application properly, from pre-check to statement of use.
All the detail, eligibility and pitfalls:
- [1]Guideline "Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand (ZIM)" — consolidated PDF version— Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), 2024 Source
- [2]ZIM guideline 2025 — publication page with full text and key content— BMWE / ZIM (zim.de), 2025 Source
- [3]Applications open under the 2025 ZIM guideline— BMWE / ZIM office, 2025 Source
- [4]Regulation (EU) No 651/2014 (General Block Exemption Regulation, GBER), Article 25 — aid for research and development projects— European Commission, EUR-Lex, 2014 Source