Green Start-up
A two-year grant for young companies developing innovative, environmentally beneficial business models, mainly covering founder living costs.
Αυτή η ευκαιρία είναι προς το παρόν διαθέσιμη στα Αγγλικά.
Green Start-up helps your founding team build a commercially viable company and work on it full time. The business must fit a DBU funding theme; climate-related examples include renewable energy, energy storage and reducing industrial energy use. The offer covers all eligible environmental themes.
The company receives a nonrepayable grant of up to €125,000 over 24 months, covering up to 100% of eligible costs. Founder living-cost support is limited to €2,000 per person per month for 160 hours of work; part-time work reduces that amount proportionately. Materials and outside services can also be funded but should be the smaller share of the total. If contractual pay is higher, DBU may contribute up to its limit in justified cases and you must document the remaining company contribution. You do not normally need to provide matching funds.
Payments normally arrive quarterly after the award notice. You must prove how the money was used and submit interim and final reports. DBU also provides specialist support and networking over the two-year period; a shorter funding period is not provided for.
Under the general guidelines, submit final cost evidence and the final report within three months of completion, and keep original accounting evidence for five years. Return unused or improperly claimed funds; DBU may recover money if award conditions are breached or its use is not proven.
Eligibility
- Your company must be no older than five years and be in an early phase. You can apply before incorporation or for a spinout, but the company must exist by the start of funding. Partnerships and corporations, including charitable gGmbHs, can qualify; associations cannot.
- Under the general DBU funding guidelines, recipients should have an operating establishment in Germany. This concerns the company’s establishment, separately from where its funded work takes place.
- DBU assesses environmental benefit, innovation, the founders’ suitability and commercial viability. Business models fulfilling statutory duties, providing institutional funding to another institution instead of the startup, lacking implementation prospects, seeking pure investment support, limited to basic research or monitoring environmental pollution are excluded.
- Founders normally devote 40 hours a week to the approved work. Justified part-time work, including continuation of another job, is possible with proportionately reduced support. Investor participation is generally compatible with funding.
- Parallel or duplicate grants are generally excluded. Declare in writing any funding applied for, awarded or planned for partly identical or similar work so DBU can assess whether and how much it can fund. DBU support after another grant ends is allowed.
- Funding normally counts as de-minimis aid: the total granted by one EU Member State to a single undertaking must stay within €300,000 over three years. You must declare the relevant previous aid so DBU can check this total; not every grant is de-minimis aid. Companies linked directly or through other companies by control count together as one undertaking. This includes majority voting rights, the right to appoint or remove most board members, dominant influence under a contract or articles, or an agreement giving sole control of majority voting rights.
- Follow the DBU funding guidelines. Their general rule excludes projects already started; a reasoned request for an early start can exceptionally be approved. Inform DBU immediately about interrupted work, threatened insolvency, loss of business or environmental prospects, or additional EU-relevant aid.
- The general guidelines also require results of the funded work to be made public and give DBU a nonexclusive right to use those results. Tell DBU about any third-party rights in the material you supply. Company or product advertising using the DBU funding acknowledgment or logo needs its express consent.
How to apply
- Κατάσταση
- Ανοιχτό συνεχώς
Read the DBU Green Start-up FAQ, then register in DBU online application system and submit a complete application in German. Answer the startup-sketch questions, use the system’s work and cost plan template, and upload the CVs of everyone who would receive financial support together in one file. Additional supporting material is optional; a pitch deck should be no longer than 20 pages.
Applications are accepted continuously. DBU does not offer an advance content assessment: submit first and await its response. Specialist staff assess the application and decide whether to invite you to an in-depth interview. Expect several months to the funding decision; this is a competitive selection. Incomplete applications are not processed. Relevant new documents may be submitted later only by prior agreement with DBU.