Promotion of Business Consultancies for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) of the commercial economy with a registered office and business operations in Germany:

• Start-up companies (no longer than two years on the market)
• Established companies (from the third year after founding)
• Companies in financial difficulty Start-up companies and companies in financial difficulty who wish to apply for a grant must have a free information conversation with a regional contact person (e.g. IHK) of their choice before submitting the application. No more than three months may elapse between the conversation and the application.

The Promotion of Business Consultancies for SMEs programme is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection and the European Social Fund Plus.
The new funding guidelines apply to all subsidy applications submitted from 1 January 2023. Within the period of validity of the funding guidelines (until 31 December 2026), each eligible company can receive a maximum of five self-contained consultations, but no more than two per year. The date of application is decisive here. Please note that the proof of use for your funding applications can be submitted via the designated proof of use portal from February 2023.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (BMWK) supports you as a small or medium-sized enterprise in the commercial sector or as a freelancer when you want to take advantage of external advice.
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are supported for all economic, financial, personnel and organisational issues of corporate management.
General and specific consulting topics can be:

• Securing and retaining qualified personnel,
• Cost savings,
• Adaptations of the business model,
• Dealing with declining sales,
• Dealing with liquidity problems,
• Changes in the product portfolio,
• Investment planning,
• Optimisation of process flows or organisation,
• Quality management,
• Accompanying the introduction of new systems, such as IT systems,
• Sustainability and environmental protection,
• Age-appropriate design of work,
• Equality and better compatibility of family and work,
• Design of work for employees with disabilities or
• Better workplace integration of employees with a migration background.

You will receive the funding as a grant. The amount of the grant varies by region up to 80% of eligible costs. The maximum eligible consulting costs are €2,800.

Please submit your application via a control center. You can find the contact details of the control centers online at the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA). Submit your application before the start of a planned consultation online via the BAFA application platform. Each company can submit a maximum of 5 applications for funding by 31.12.2026, but not more than 2 per year. You must observe the De-minimis maximum limits.