Overall Description

This funding topic supports the sustainable protection of nationally valuable cultural assets and historic cultural landscapes from harmful environmental influences. It addresses damage caused by anthropogenic emissions, climate change and chemicals previously used for conservation or restoration.

Projects should develop, demonstrate and communicate innovative strategies, methods, processes or products for preventive conservation and long-term preservation. Model projects generally follow an interdisciplinary approach involving SMEs and application-oriented research institutions.

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 concern nationally valuable cultural assets or historic cultural landscapes.
• Projects must address harmful environmental influences or the sustainable environmental protection of cultural heritage.
• Proposals should be innovative, exemplary and practically implementable.
• Model projects should normally follow an interdisciplinary approach.
• 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.
• Routine restoration or maintenance without an innovative environmental component is unlikely to qualify.
• Pure investment projects, basic research without implementation potential and studies without a concrete implementation component are excluded.

Eligible Types of Businesses

Funding is generally available to legal entities, including:

• Small and medium-sized enterprises.
• Conservation and restoration companies.
• Specialist craft enterprises.
• Museums, archives and libraries.
• Monument and heritage-management organisations.
• Foundations, associations and non-profit organisations.
• Municipalities and other local authorities.
• Universities and higher-education institutions.
• Scientific and application-oriented research institutions.
• Owners or managing organisations of nationally valuable cultural assets.
• 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.