Design is important.

Design is needed - to place products optimally on the market. There is widespread agreement on this and interesting studies prove this time and again. (see also "Is design a cost factor or a sales driver?" - McKinsey study)

Wouldn't it be nice if you could get financial support for this decisive success factor, which in many cases feels "expensive" to buy in from outside, i.e. public funding for design?

We are repeatedly asked this by start-up companies, but of course also by established brands: whether our design consultancy, or the services of a design agency in general, cannot be supported with public funds. Over the years, we have had many positive experiences with various funding programs and therefore the question can be answered with a general yes.

But you have to take a closer look. Not all programs are equally suitable and often the application and documentation effort is not commensurate with the grant. Funding can be a considerable burden, especially for urgent projects.

Best suited: Consulting programs

We have had the best experiences with consulting programs because these can generally be applied for and implemented without red tape (e.g. compared to so-called ZIM or BMBF-funded projects). Here, consulting days are funded and the scope ranges from 1-2 days (initial consulting) to 20 to 30 days (intensive consulting) and sometimes even more.

Ideal introduction to a sustainable design commitment

This scale has proven to be ideal for entering into a sustainable commitment to design, as it allows a trusting relationship to be established with an external design team. The respective funding control center is an additional instance that facilitates and secures the entry into long-term cooperation.

Design consulting is often not called that

In most cases, consultancy funding is available at state level and the names and content of the programs vary greatly from state to state. There are a number of interesting funding programs in the design and innovation sector, although these change relatively frequently. For this reason, the selection below can only provide an initial indication and we strongly recommend that you carry out your own research.

In most cases, the word design is not explicitly mentioned in the program description, but in the past we have often been able to make the topic of design relevant to funding through clever application. The quickest way to clarify the initial situation is to talk directly to the responsible funding management offices. We are always surprised at how cooperatively those responsible respond to our inquiries.

Design advice from experienced consultants

Many state funding programs not only promote, they also explicitly require consulting by approved or accredited consultants. Our design agency is experienced in many programs ranging from innovation management and resource-oriented product development to design management and has been accredited accordingly. In individual cases, however, there are also central institutes that carry out the consultancy themselves or ensure that the assignment is awarded locally (i.e. within the federal state).

So how do you go about finding the right funding program?

The simplest solution: You give us a brief description of your project and we will see if we know of a suitable program. Simply contact simply contact us.

Second easiest solution: Start a search. Right here ...

Either way, we recommend that you do your own independent research. To help you get started, we have compiled a number of useful links here. We try to keep this list as up-to-date as possible, but as a precaution we would like to point out that there may be one or two dead links.

-> The funding database of the BMWI

The first port of call for comprehensive research is the funding database of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. You can find everything here, but you can also get lost in the variety.

Some interesting programs from this pool are

-> Advice for founders

-> Innovation vouchers

Things get interesting at state level

There are a number of different funding programs at state level, of which we are most familiar with those in North Rhine-Westphalia. The keyword consulting funding makes the most sense for the design process. We have listed them in alphabetical order, although this does not mean that there are no suitable programs in the other federal states:

-> Bavaria

-> Berlin

-> Hesse

-> Lower Saxony

-> North Rhine-Westphalia

-> Resource-efficient product development

-> NRW.innovation partner

-> Mittelstand Innovative & Digital

-> Rhineland-Palatinate

-> Saarland

-> Saxony

-> Saxony-Anhalt

-> Thuringia

Further information on funding opportunities in the individual federal states can also be found here.

So: to promote or not to promote?

This can only be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The framework conditions for each project are different and play a major role in deciding whether to apply for funding. It's always worth researching and asking, but you shouldn't build a project around a funding opportunity.
Do you know of any other funding opportunities? Use the comment function and tell us about them. It would be great if the collection continued to grow.