On the occasion of the major innovation and start-up event  VivaTech  in Paris, a German-French  call for funding (PDF, 225 KB)  for joint research and development projects by medium-sized companies and cooperating research institutions will be launched on June 17, 2026. In Germany, funding will be provided within the framework of the Central Innovation Programme SME (ZIM) of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWE); the French project partners will be funded by the French investment bank  Bpifrance .

The focus is on R&D cooperation projects in which new products, technical services, or processes with great market potential are developed and subsequently transferred into marketable products after the project. The partners must include at least one French company and one German young, small, or medium-sized enterprise, each making significant substantive contributions to the project. SMEs and start-ups on both sides of the Rhine are invited to apply for funding with their innovative ideas by November 18, 2026.

Details on the German-French call for funding and the funding conditions are available  here (PDF, 225 KB) .

Image: © pixabay.com/RGY23