The European Union promotes a wide range of actions in line with the EU's objectives through a wide range of programmes. Here we present some selected EU funding programmes and provide sources for your research.
Through the EU Structural Funds ESF+ (European Social Fund Plus) and ERDF (European Regional Development Fund), the EU promotes the rebalancing of economic and social disparities within Europe, regional competitiveness and employment, and European Territorial Cooperation.
The ESF+ promotes educational and professional opportunities as well as social inclusion of people. The structure is new: As of 2021, it includes the previous ESF, the previous Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) and the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) measures. The Bavarian ESF+ programme amounts to around 230 million euro for 2021-2027.
The ERDF invests in equal living and working conditions throughout Bavaria and supports innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), climate and environmental protection, in particular municipalities. Around 577 million euros will be available by 2027.
The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) also supports projects in the field of training and qualification throughout Germany. The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs is responsible for the federal government.
The EU funding programme for research and innovation is called Horizon Europe. With 95.5 billion euros for the years 2021 to 2027, it is significantly better equipped than the previous research programme.
An extra tool is available for start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) within the EU research funding programme: the EIC Accelerator. This funding applies to innovative and high-risk ideas with great international market potential. Start-ups and SMEs are supported with regard to innovation and final development measures, such as the creation of prototypes. In addition to the grant-based funding, it is also possible to apply for equity capital of up to 15 million euros.
The "Enterprise Europe Network" offers advice for start-ups and SMEs.
Erasmus+ is the EU funding programme for education, youth and sport in the EU. A total of around 26.2 billion euros will be available by 2027.
On the website "Erasmus+ for schools in Bavaria", the State Institute for School Quality and Educational Research (ISB) provides information on current developments, calls and further training in the field of the Erasmus+ programme.
The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) offers young people the opportunity to participate in two- to twelve-month volunteering projects within the EU. Activities include, among others, education, creativity and culture, health, integration, inclusion, environmental and nature conservation, sport.
A European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps has also been in place since 2022. This is where young people from all over the world can take action.
The European Union's Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) funding programme supports projects on Union values, equality, civic participation and violence prevention. As of 2021, it summarises the previous funding programmes "Europe for Citizens", "Rights, Equality and Citizenship" and "Daphne".
The aim is to strengthen European values and contribute to an open and democratic society. Among other things, CERV also supports town twinnings and networks.
The EU's Creative Europe programme aims to support Europe's cultural and creative industries. The aim is to encourage cultural and creative professionals to act Europe-wide, to reach new target groups and to develop the skills needed in the digital age. The funding programme also aims to make European cultural and audiovisual works accessible to a wide audience in other countries. It promotes and maintains cultural and linguistic diversity.
The European Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) supports projects in the field of asylum, migration and integration and thus implements European asylum and migration policy.
LIFE has been the EU funding programme for environmental, climate and nature protection since 1992. For the first time in the 2021-2027 EU funding period, it will also cover the energy transition.
Further EU funding programmes can be found on the pages of the European Commission.
As a company based in an EU country, you can participate in tenders from public authorities in other EU countries. For the selection of contractors, public authorities apply harmonised procedures across the EU. Tenders can be accessed via TED – Tenders Electronic Daily.
TED is the online version of the "Supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union" for European public procurement. You can browse, search and sort contract notices by country, region, economic sector and other criteria via TED.
An overview of funding programmes of the Federal Government, the Länder and the European Union can be found in the Federal Funding Database.