Overall Description

This bilateral call supports market-oriented R&D cooperation between German and French companies. Projects should jointly develop innovative products, processes or technical services with strong commercial potential and a credible pathway to market after project completion.

The call is open to all technologies and application sectors. Each partner is funded separately under its national programme: German participants through the Central Innovation Programme for SMEs (ZIM) and French participants through Bpifrance innovation financing.

Funding Amount

Each country finances its participants under its own national rules.

German participants – ZIM grants:

• Funding rate: generally 40%–60% of eligible costs for international cooperation projects, depending on company size, age and location.
• Maximum eligible costs per participating company: €560,000.
• Maximum eligible costs per participating German research organisation: €280,000.
• Maximum grant for the entire ZIM cooperation project: €3 million.
• German research organisations may receive up to 100% of eligible costs.
• Funding instrument: Non-repayable grant.

French participants – Bpifrance:

• Funding amount: generally €50,000–€3 million.
• Funding may take the form of an R&D Innovation Loan or an unsecured loan.
• The precise amount and financing conditions are determined by Bpifrance based on the project and applicant.
• Eligible expenditure covers industrial research and experimental development.
• Industrialisation and commercialisation costs are not eligible.

Total call budget: Not specified.

Submission Deadline

• Opening date: 17 June 2026
• Submission deadline: 18 November 2026
• Maximum project duration: 36 months

Submission Conditions

• The consortium must submit a joint bilateral project application.
• The joint application must be prepared in English.
• Each partner must also submit its national funding application to its respective funding organisation.
• The joint application and national applications must be submitted by 18 November 2026.
• The joint application must be sent to both AiF Projekt GmbH and Bpifrance.
• French applicants must contact their regional Bpifrance innovation officer before submission.
• German applicants are strongly advised to contact AiF Projekt GmbH before submitting.
• The project must not begin before the national applications are submitted and applicable national authorisation requirements are fulfilled.
• Partners must sign a cooperation agreement covering intellectual property, responsibilities, exploitation and commercialisation.
• Applicants must demonstrate financial capacity to provide their required own contribution.
• Commercialisation and industrialisation costs are excluded from R&D funding.
• Each participant must comply with the national eligibility and funding rules of its country.

Contribution balance:

• For a two-partner consortium, neither partner may account for more than 70% of total project person-months.
• For consortia with more than two partners, no single partner may account for more than 50% of total person-months.
• Research organisations together may not account for more than 50% of total person-months.
• The German and French partners must be legally and economically independent.

Eligible Types of Businesses and Organisations

Germany:

• German SMEs.
• Small enterprises and start-ups.
• Medium-sized companies with fewer than 500 employees.
• Companies with 500–999 employees where the applicable ZIM cooperation conditions are fulfilled.
• Non-profit research and technology organisations participating as cooperation partners.

France:

• French SMEs.
• French mid-cap companies with fewer than 2,000 employees and strong international growth potential.
• French research organisations may participate as subcontractors but do not receive direct Bpifrance funding under this call.

Eligible Countries

• Germany
• France

The minimum consortium must include:

• At least one eligible German SME.
• At least one eligible French company.
• Partners must be independent of one another.

Additional German and French companies or research partners may participate subject to national rules.