Digitalbonus Bayern: How Small Bavarian Companies Can Co-Fund an AI Project

An AI project in a small company is rarely only software. It has to be set up, connected to the way the team works, and learned. In Bavaria, Digitalbonus Bayern can pay up to 50% of that kind of project.

This article covers what the programme is, who can apply, what it pays for and what it doesn't, the steps, and the mistakes that cost companies the grant. The figures come from the official programme pages, linked at the end.

What the programme is

Digitalbonus Bayern covers up to 50% of eligible costs. There are two levels: Digitalbonus Standard, with a grant of up to €7,500, and Digitalbonus Plus, with up to €30,000 for projects with a particular degree of innovation.

The programme runs until 31 December 2027. A new quota of applications is released every month, so the timing of your application is part of the plan.

Who qualifies

Your company needs to meet all of these:

• A commercial company with a business location in Bavaria.
• Fewer than 50 employees, and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of no more than €10 million.
• Not a liberal profession. Liberal professions (freie Berufe) are excluded, as are some other groups listed on the programme page.
• A project that has not started. You apply before the project starts.
• An ELSTER business account. The company applies itself, from its own ELSTER business account.

What it pays for, and what it doesn't

Eligible costs include software from external providers and the work of putting the solution in place, such as installation, adaptation, programming and documentation. Consultancy and training count when they come with putting a solution in place.

Not funded: standard software such as ordinary office software or operating systems, the company's own staff, administration and travel costs, and projects with eligible costs under €4,000.

The steps

1. Check eligibility. Company size, location, sector and an ELSTER business account.
2. Define the project. What will be put in place, who will do it, and which costs are eligible.
3. Apply before you commit. The company submits the application from its own ELSTER business account to the responsible district government (Bezirksregierung), before the project starts.
4. Wait for the confirmation of receipt. Once it arrives by email, you may start the project and sign contracts at your own risk. The funding decision itself comes later.
5. Carry out the project. Put the solution in place, with the consultancy and training that go with it.

Mistakes that cost the grant

• Ordering too early. A project counts as started as soon as a binding order is placed or a contract awarded, even verbally. Projects that have already started are not funded.
• Letting someone else apply. The company has to submit the application itself, from its own ELSTER business account.
• Leaving the application to the last week. Applications run against a quota released every month, so build the application into your timeline.
• Counting standard software. Office software and operating systems are not funded.
• Training with no solution behind it. Consultancy and training count when they come with putting a solution in place, not as a standalone course.

How we help

We help you choose the project, describe it clearly and put the solution in place, including the consultancy and training that go with it. Your company submits the application from its own ELSTER account, and we help you prepare what goes into it.

The programme decides on every application, so we never promise a grant. We also plan the work so that nothing is ordered before the confirmation of receipt arrives.

To check whether your company and your project fit, book the free workshop. The key figures are also on our funding page.