Frequently Asked Questions

Grant recipients are event organizers or individuals verifiably authorized by them who plan and carry out events in Bavaria.
Eligible applicants are:

• legal entities under private or public law,
• partnerships with legal capacity,
• self-employed and freelance professionals.

In particular, the federal government, the states, and municipalities, as well as local authorities governed by public law, political parties, or comparable foreign organizations, are not eligible to apply. Further details are set forth in Section 3 of the funding guidelines.

Yes, agencies are eligible to apply if they can provide proof that they are acting on behalf of the event organizer. Only one agency per event is eligible to apply. The engagement agreement must be signed by both contracting parties.

Yes, event organizers and agencies from abroad are also eligible to apply.

Funding is available for events that meet the following requirements:

• The event takes place in Bavaria. The organizer’s location is irrelevant for funding purposes.
• The event must have at least 100–300 in-person participants on each day of the event, depending on the venue. Hybrid events are eligible for funding; however, online participants are not counted when determining the total number of participants.
• The event lasts at least two days, with at least four hours of substantive programming per day. Breaks and program segments intended primarily for entertainment do not count toward the substantive program.
• The event must be held for the first time, or at least one of the three previous events must not have taken place in Bavaria; alternatively, for events that have been held only once or twice to date, at least one event must not have taken place in Bavaria. Events may be funded up to two times within five consecutive years. (Further details are set forth in Section 4.1 of the Funding Guidelines)
• The event venue may not be provided or rented by the applicant itself or by an organizational unit legally affiliated with the applicant (e.g., a subsidiary).

Funding is available for conferences and conventions that are closed-door events aimed at a specialized audience. This includes conferences and conventions held in conjunction with trade shows, as well as those held in conjunction with (legally required) membership meetings. In principle, there are no restrictions regarding the subject matter of the conference. Possible examples include medical conferences, scientific conferences, or conferences focused on a single or multiple business sectors.

The following, among others, are not eligible for funding:

• trade shows, exhibitions, cultural and sporting events, and similar formats—even if they are aimed exclusively at a professional audience and/or are associated with an eligible event—as well as recreational events
• Events organized solely by companies, associations, or clubs, as well as events held within the context of existing business relationships, events within a scientific institution, and comparable conferences and events
• Events that the applicant or a third party is legally obligated to organize.

Further details are set forth in Section 2 of the Funding Guidelines.

In particular, the conclusion of a supply or service contract that is attributable to the execution of the project is to be considered a so-called “premature start of activities” that is detrimental to funding. This includes, for example, lease agreements for event venues, service or rental agreements for technical equipment, catering contracts, or contracts for promoting the event.

If such commitments are entered into prior to submitting the application, the entire event is ineligible for funding.
Exceptions to this rule include existing framework agreements for the procurement of individual services prior to the procurement of such services that are directly related to the funded project, as well as the conclusion of contracts attributable to the organizer’s revenue side.

The so-called “approval for early commencement of activities” allows you to proceed without jeopardizing funding even before a grant award notice has been issued. With this approval, contracts may be entered into and commitments made without jeopardizing funding.

In this funding process, approval for early commencement of activities is granted as quickly as possible, upon successful submission of the digital funding application.

It should also be noted that consent to commence activities early does not in itself establish a right to funding. Until the grant award notice is issued, the applicant acts at their own financial risk in this regard.

No, the event must take place within Bavaria.

Yes, if they are rented as event venues for a fee. However, universities are excluded as event venues if the university itself is the applicant or if the applicant is an organizational unit legally affiliated with the university.

As a general rule, the event venue may not be provided or rented by the applicant itself or by an organizational unit legally affiliated with it (e.g., a subsidiary).

Yes, this is possible. It does not matter whether the event takes place at a single venue or is spread across multiple venues. For example, it may be necessary to use multiple venues or rooms for an event due to capacity constraints (or the facilities available in individual spaces). Example: Using the city’s ballroom and conference rooms at a hotel or convention center. This event is eligible for funding provided that it is a single, comprehensively planned event and not a series of parallel events lacking a unifying theme.

The eligibility requirements (duration, number of participants, etc.) must be met when considered as a whole. The use of multiple venues or rooms at the event location in Bavaria therefore does not preclude funding for a cohesive, integrated event.

An event may take place at a company location and be part of the eligible professional program if the company location is used as a professionally suitable venue and the event’s professional content is the main focus. This applies in particular when technical presentations, demonstrations, technical discussions, exchanges of experience, or knowledge transfer take place there, and the specific location offers a demonstrable technical added value for these activities.

In contrast, a company tour is ineligible for funding if the visit, presentation, or tour of the specific company or business itself constitutes the primary purpose of the program item. Merely gaining insight into a business, its premises, facilities, or work processes does not make such a tour an eligible professional program item. This also applies even if the tour is supplemented by individual technical explanations. In particular, program items that are predominantly experiential, entertaining, social, tourist-oriented, promotional, sales-oriented, business development-oriented, or representational in nature are therefore ineligible for funding.

Classification is based on an overall assessment of the specific program item. Professional and non-professional components at the event venue must be distinguished from one another.

Yes, under certain conditions. The general meeting must be held at a time distinct from the convention for which funding is being requested. For example, if a general membership meeting (or a comparable, related closed-door event—whether held before or after—organized by an association, club, or company) takes place in the lead-up to a conference, this does not automatically result in exclusion from funding. Rather, it must be ensured that the funding criteria (particularly regarding duration and number of participants) for the actual conference—that is, without taking the general meeting into account—are met. The conference may therefore immediately follow a general meeting or transition into a conference.

Yes, this is possible. Financial contributions from third parties do not preclude funding, but may reduce the eligible expenses, if applicable.

No, funding is generally still possible even if some or all of the participants attend the event free of charge.

Only expenses that have actually been incurred and can be substantiated by invoices, and that are directly related to the eligible event, are eligible for funding.

Eligible expenses include:

• Rent for event venues, including operating and ancillary costs;
• Expenses for catering;
• Expenses for technology, equipment, or similar items;
• Fees, travel expenses, and expenses for lodging and meals for moderators, speakers, and interpreters;
• Expenses for general organization;
• On-site registration and hostesses;
• Public relations expenses;
• Expenses for security, unless these arise from a legal obligation;
• Safety and hygiene measures, unless they are required by law.

For combined events—i.e., conferences and congresses held in conjunction with trade shows or (legally required) member meetings—a clear distinction between the respective expenses is required.

Any financial contributions from third parties (sponsors, etc.) do not preclude funding but may reduce the eligible expenses.

Expenses for a supporting program are not eligible for funding. A supporting program is defined as event components that take place alongside the main technical program items and are not primarily intended to facilitate professional exchange. Examples of a supporting program that is not eligible for funding include:

• Dinners held inside or outside the event venue;
• Gala evenings;
• Company tours;
• Field trips.

Sales tax is eligible for funding (i.e., it is included in eligible expenses) only to the extent that the grant recipient is not entitled to claim an input tax credit for the funded event.

The amount of the applicant's contribution does not need to be reported during the grant processing. However, the grant amount may not exceed the eligible expenses.

Yes, in accordance with the funding table in Section 5.3 of the funding guidelines.

Not automatically. A notification of such a change may be submitted either before or after the grant has been approved, but no later than the start of the event.

Applications are prioritized based on the time they are received by Bayern Innovativ GmbH.

Under certain conditions, the EU’s de minimis rule permits aid to be granted to companies (economic entities, regardless of their legal form) without extensive state aid approval procedures. Funding from the Congress Initiative for the Bavarian Tourism Industry generally constitutes state aid for the recipients under European Union (EU) regulations, which can be processed through the de minimis procedure if, in particular, the total amount of dede minimis aid granted by a Member State within a rolling three-year period does not exceed 300,000 euros.

The grant recipient must report all de minimis aid granted to them and, if they have affiliated companies, also the de minimis aid granted to those companies during the aforementioned period via the application portal (so-called de minimis declaration).

The grant recipient receives a de minimis certificate along with the grant award notice. Effective January 1, 2026, for a transitional period of three years, the publicly accessible eAidRegister must be completed by the authority issuing the grant decision in addition to the de minimis certificate and declaration. However, until the end of the transition period at the end of 2028, the certificate must still be submitted with future applications as proof of past de minimis aid.

Universities, colleges, and research institutions are also required to submit a de minimis declaration whenever the event is classified as an economic activity of the respective institution and is therefore subject to state aid regulations under the de minimis Regulation.

If the planned event falls within the non-economic sector, the institution must submit a corresponding written confirmation.

Multiple funding from public sources is not permitted. Thus, for expenses subsidized under the guidelines of the Congress Initiative for the Bavarian Tourism Industry, no funding from other public sources—in particular, budgetary funds of the Free State of Bavaria, other federal states, the federal government, or the EU—may have been applied for or received.

This restriction does not apply to public loans and guarantees from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the LfA Förderbank Bayern.

Income from sponsorship agreements also does not preclude funding.

Yes, applications can generally be submitted at any time during the program’s term, as long as sufficient funding is available. The funding agency reserves the right to close the application portal (temporarily).

Applications are submitted online via the Bayern Innovativ GmbH application portal. You can also upload all required documents there. Please note that the application must be completed in German.

As part of the application process, various details regarding the applicant and the planned event must be provided. This information is required to assess the project’s eligibility for funding and must be submitted in full before a funding decision is made. If the application is submitted by an agency, the organizer must submit the engagement agreement signed by both contracting parties.

In addition, a so-called de minimis declaration must be submitted (see question: “What is the de minimis rule?”).

Please also note that proof of booking the event venue in Bavaria must be submitted to Bayern Innovativ GmbH no later than six months after the grant is approved.

Yes, that is possible. The maximum amounts under the de minimis rule must be observed (see the question "What is the de minimis rule?")

If you have any questions about the application process, please contact Bayern Innovativ GmbH using the following contact information:

Email: kongressinitiative(at)bayern-innovativ.de

Service number: 0911 20671-370

Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Address: Bayern Innovativ GmbH, Am Tullnaupark 8, 90402 Nuremberg

The granting agency is Bayern Innovativ GmbH.

You may withdraw your application at any time.

If you have any questions, please contact Bayern Innovativ GmbH.

Simply send an email to kongressinitiative(at)bayern-innovativ.de (please include the reference number) or submit a message via the application portal notifying us of the change. Notification by phone is not sufficient. As a general rule, you must report any changes that could affect eligibility or the amount of funding. For example: event location, dates, title, planned number of participants, event type, change in organizer, significant deviations from planned expenses, 30% of participants from abroad.

Changes must generally be reported immediately. If changes identified shortly before the event result in a grant amount higher than what was originally approved, these must be reported no later than the first day of the event. This may be the case, for example, if many additional registrations are received shortly before the event, causing the event to fall into a higher funding category. In addition, if the grant amount is higher than originally approved in the grant notification, a new de minimis declaration must be submitted. A notice of change will only be issued if the approved grant amount stated in the grant notification is increased.

Funds will be disbursed after Bayern Innovativ GmbH has received and reviewed the statement of funds used.

Upon receipt of the grant approval, a one-time partial drawdown of up to half of the approved funds is possible, provided these funds are needed after disbursement to cover expenses for the event venue. The invoice or payment request from the event venue must be submitted as proof. The remaining funds will then be disbursed as a second installment after the review of the statement of expenditure is completed.

According to Guideline (7.5), it is possible to apply for a partial disbursement of up to half of the approved funds after receiving the grant notification. A corresponding application form is available on the application portal. These funds are intended exclusively to cover advance payments or deposits for booking the event venue. The requested funds may not exceed the amount invoiced by the event venue. A corresponding invoice must be uploaded to the application portal as proof.

The prerequisite for the disbursement of grant funds is the submission of a statement of funds used. This can be completed and submitted via the application portal. It must be received by the granting agency no later than 7 months after the last day of the event (the funded event). The primary focus is on providing proof of expenses for the event venue and, if the grant amount exceeds these expenses, on additional invoices directly related to the organization of the event in accordance with Guideline 5.2. As part of the statement of use, payments made by the applicant must be substantiated by both invoices and the corresponding payment receipts. Upon successful review of the statement of use, a final decision will be issued, which the applicant will receive directly through the application system and which will definitively determine the grant amount. Payment is then made promptly (after the final notice is sent) by the granting agency to the applicant’s bank account.

As proof of payment, a bank statement provided by the bank or payment service provider must generally be submitted . This applies to both electronic bank statements (e.g., as a PDF) and paper bank statements.

In particular, the proof must clearly identify the grant recipient as the payer, the unambiguously identifiable account details, the payee, the payment amount, the payment date or posting/value date, and the payment description .

Screenshots or printouts of current transaction histories from online banking, banking software, accounting software, or financial software are not sufficient. However, a written or electronic confirmation issued by the bank regarding the specific payment may be accepted as proof of payment.

Irrelevant personal or business information on the bank statement may be blacked out, provided that the payment can still be clearly identified and verified.

For banks outside the EEA (European Economic Area = EU + Norway + Iceland + Liechtenstein), the format and title of the bank documents may differ. In this case, an official bank document issued by the bank must be submitted that clearly shows the required payment details.

This must be documented only if the 30% funding supplement was requested based on the international nature of the event. The exact percentage of foreign participants must be documented by submitting the participant list titled “Proof of Origin for Foreign Participants.” The list is available in the download section. A simple registration list is not sufficient.

Proof of the reservation of the event venue in Bavaria must be submitted to Bayern Innovativ GmbH no later than six months after approval.

Once the purpose of the grant has been fulfilled (i.e., the event has been held), but no later than seven months thereafter, proof of the proper use of the funds must be provided (statement of use). Upon request by Bayern Innovativ GmbH, the relevant documentation and receipts must be available for review. The use of funds is subject to random, detailed audits. In addition, on-site inspections are conducted.

If a 30% grant supplement is requested based on the international nature of the event, proof of the guests’ country of origin must be provided.

Any publications related to the funded event itself or other forms of public presentation regarding the funded event (e.g., website, invitations, promotional materials, press releases) must acknowledge the financial support provided by the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism. The following funding notice is generally required for this purpose:

“This event was funded as part of the Congress Initiative for the Bavarian Tourism Industry (Conferences in Bavaria – KiB).”

If you wish to use the funding acknowledgment in English, please use the following sentence:

“This event was sponsored as part of the Congress Initiative for the Bavarian Tourism Industry (Kongresse in Bayern – KiB).”

In this context, the logo of the Bavarian State Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry, and Tourism (StMELF) must be used. It can be found in the download section of the website.

Guidelines for using the logos:
Use 4C for print (e.g., event flyers) and RGB for digital applications. The files labeled “20mm” should be used when the width of the coat of arms is less than 20 mm.