The Enterprise Europe Network announces:
October 15, 2026
Germany and the United Kingdom are once again promoting joint research and development projects. They are seeking innovative, market-oriented projects by German and British partners aimed at developing new products, processes, or technical services with high market potential.
The Call for Proposals at a Glance
- Funding Objective: Bilateral, market-oriented research and development projects between Germany and the United Kingdom aimed at developing innovative products, processes, or technical services.
- Target Group: On the German side, companies are eligible to apply under the applicable ZIM guidelines, as are cooperating research institutions that meet the relevant requirements.
- Minimum number of partners: At least one German SME and one British SME. The companies must be independent of one another and not affiliated with each other.
- Funding on the German side: For German companies participating in international ZIM cooperation projects, funding rates of up to 60% of eligible costs apply, depending on company size and other requirements. Non-commercial research institutions may receive funding of up to 100% of eligible costs.
- Project duration: 12 to 24 months.
- Balanced cooperation: The project must demonstrate a balanced technological contribution from partners in both countries. No single project partner and no single country may account for more than 70% of the total project costs.
- Deadline for Germany: December 1, 2026. German partners must submit their application through ZIM.
- Deadline for the United Kingdom: December 1, 2026, 11:00 a.m. UK time. The British partners submit their application via Innovate UK’s Innovation Funding Service.
Important: Additional thematic restrictions on the UK side
While the call for proposals on the German ZIM side is technology-neutral, additional thematic requirements apply on the UK side.
On the UK side, the joint project must fall under at least one of the following areas:
- Clean Energy
- Life Sciences
- Engineering Biology
For a joint project to be successful, both the German ZIM requirements and the British funding and scope requirements must be met.
Special Note
The German-British call for proposals can be utilized despite the current temporary general suspension of ZIM applications.
To the ZIM UK Call
Legal Notice
All information is provided without warranty. Only the applicable ZIM funding conditions and guidelines, as well as the conditions of the German-British call for proposals and those of Innovate UK, are binding. There is no legal entitlement to funding. The current ZIM Guideline 2025 has been in effect since January 1, 2025: View the guideline
Application Process in Germany
German project partners apply for funding through the ZIM. Applications are submitted entirely digitally via the Funding Center Germany:
Go to the German Funding Center
In addition, the UK call requires a joint overview form, which can be requested from AiF Projekt GmbH at get.uk(at)aif-projekt-gmbh.de.
Our EEN Services for You
We’d be happy to advise you on developing your international project idea, finding partners, and preparing your application.
To assist with the search for suitable German and British cooperation partners, a B2Match platform from Innovate UK is set to launch shortly. As soon as the platform is available, we will publish the link and further information on finding partners.
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