Overall Description

This funding topic supports innovative and practically applicable projects that protect biodiversity, water resources, habitats and ecosystem services. It addresses pressures caused by intensive land and water use, pollutant inputs, structural changes to soil and water bodies, habitat loss and climate-related events such as droughts and heavy rainfall.

Projects should resolve conflicts between food production, energy and raw-material supply, recreation, biodiversity and climate protection through integrated, multi-benefit approaches. Stakeholder participation, ecosystem resilience, digital tools and inter- or transdisciplinary cooperation are particularly relevant.

Funding Amount

• Typical DBU funding per project: €100,000–€400,000, excluding the applicant’s own contribution.
• Maximum per project: No fixed maximum; funding is determined individually.
• Funding instrument: Earmarked, non-repayable grant.
• Co-financing: Applicants must generally provide and document an own contribution.
• Indicative funding rate: Cost-based funding is usually approximately 50%.
  • Companies generally contribute 75% of development-related project costs and 50% of research-related project costs. More favourable rates may apply to SMEs and cooperation projects.
• Grants up to €175,000 are approved by the DBU Secretary General. Larger grants require additional assessment and approval by the DBU Board of Trustees.

Submission Deadlines

• Deadline: No fixed deadline; project outlines and applications may be submitted at any time.
• Early submission is recommended because funding is competitive.
• Indicative assessment period: approximately four to six months for complete applications not requiring additional clarification or external review.

Submission Conditions

• Applications normally follow a two-stage procedure:
  1. Submission of a project outline through the DBU online portal, normally 3–10 pages.
  2. Submission of a complete funding application, normally around 20 pages, following an invitation from DBU.
• Applications and project reports must generally be submitted in German.
• Projects must be innovative, exemplary, environmentally beneficial and practically implementable.
• Proposals should demonstrate practical relevance and continued effectiveness after project completion.
• Interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and stakeholder-based approaches are encouraged.
• Projects should involve relevant landowners, authorities, users, communities and other stakeholders where appropriate.
• Projects must not begin before DBU approval unless early commencement has been expressly authorised.
• Applicants must generally provide an own contribution and document total project expenditure.
• Cooperation projects require a joint application and a separate cost plan for each partner.
• Typical project duration is 18–36 months; longer projects are considered only in justified exceptional cases.
• Compliance with DBU funding guidelines and applicable EU State aid rules is required.
• Projects limited to statutory responsibilities, pure monitoring, basic research or studies without concrete implementation are not eligible.
• Pure investment projects and projects already started are also excluded.

Eligible Types of Businesses

Funding is generally available to legal entities, including:

• Small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Agricultural and forestry businesses.
• Water-management and environmental-technology companies.
• Universities and higher-education institutions.
• Scientific and research institutions.
• Municipalities and other local authorities.
• Water associations and catchment-management organisations.
• Nature-conservation and environmental associations.
• Non-profit and civil-society organisations.
• Educational and vocational-training institutions.
• Other legally constituted organisations.

Natural persons and state institutions may be supported in individual cases following a separate assessment.

Eligible Countries

• Primary eligible country:
  • Germany
• International projects:
  • Limited funding is available for international projects, primarily in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe.
  • Projects outside these regions may be considered individually.
  • International projects must primarily be implemented abroad and substantially involve local partners.
  • DBU particularly supports cooperation between a German applicant and local international partners.