Support programmes

NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft: New programme to implement the transformation

Good news for companies in North Rhine-Westphalia: The new NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft loan programme will be launched in May 2025. This will provide companies that invest in sustainability, digitalisation and innovation with additional support from NRW.BANK. The programme offers an interest rate that is up to two percent lower than the market rate and repayment discounts of up to 20 percent. Funding will be much simpler, as the new programme combines four existing funding programmes. This means that companies can benefit from the advantages quickly and conveniently. The aim of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and NRW.BANK is to make investments more attractive, increase the competitiveness of companies and speed up the transformation process.

Economics and Climate Protection Minister Mona Neubaur: "The German and North Rhine-Westphalian economies are facing major structural challenges. With the new NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft programme, we are creating a highly reduced-interest promotional loan with a high repayment discount of up to 20 percent for the first time outside of crisis programmes. Together with the recently launched special guarantee programme "Green Transformation", we are thus igniting an investment turbo for North Rhine-Westphalia and sending a clear signal for the future viability of our business location. With the turnaround in the expansion of renewable energy and the acceleration package for planning and approval procedures, this is a real booster for North Rhine-Westphalia."

NRW.BANK also sees the programme as an important stimulus for the business location. Johanna Antonie Tjaden-Schulte, member of the Managing Board of NRW.BANK responsible for transformation and innovation: "In order to shape the economic future in North Rhine-Westphalia, we need companies that invest in sustainable and digital transformation as well as in innovation. We are actively promoting this with better conditions than ever before through our NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft programme. In this way, we ensure that change and profitability go hand in hand - and that as many companies in NRW as possible can benefit from this. We are convinced that we are providing an important impetus to accelerate progress in the state."

What is subsidised?

The NRW.BANK.Invest Zukunft programme provides companies with financial support for a very broad range of investments, for example in:

• Renewable energies
• Emission-free mobility
• Digitalisation and AI
• Circular economy
• Innovations
• Efficiency and savings
• Climate and environmental protection
  

NRW.BANK's new programme also supports the introduction and development of innovative business models, products and processes. A simple proof of use is all that is required to utilise the funding - thus reducing bureaucracy to a minimum.

Who can benefit?

All companies in North Rhine-Westphalia can take advantage of the subsidised loans - regardless of their size. Small and medium-sized companies also receive a repayment discount of five, ten or 20 per cent - depending on the investment amount and company size. The maximum loan amount is ten million euros. The highest possible saving for a small company investing ten million euros is two million euros.

Sample calculation:

With a loan amount of 500,000 euros and a term of ten years, a small company can save up to 170,000 euros. The rule of thumb is: the smaller a company is and the more it invests in transformation, the higher the savings on financing costs.

How can I apply for the programme?

All loans from the new programme can be applied for via the respective house bank from 19 May 2025 . Further information on the new funding programme can be found at: www.nrwbank.de/investzukunft.

The holistic circular economy ("circular value creation") plays a central role in the sustainable transformation of the economy and securing long-term growth opportunities in North Rhine-Westphalia. With the "Circular Economy Cooperations" funding programme, the state and the EU support companies in developing circular production and economic models.

Funding is provided for support services for cooperative alliances of at least five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) along a value chain. The funding enables the cooperating SMEs to commission external service providers for technical and organisational advice on the path to a circular economy.

The service providers work together with the companies for a limited period of up to twenty-four months. In addition to the coordination of an external service provider, the preparation of potential and feasibility analyses as well as other support services for the cooperation are also eligible for funding. Contractors can be, for example, research institutions, business development organisations, associations or consulting firms and others.

A consortium in the form of a civil-law partnership (GbR) consisting of at least five small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that have their registered office or a branch in North Rhine-Westphalia is eligible to apply.

There is no restriction to specific fields of technology or sectors.

Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. Please use the counselling service in advance.

Applications for funding are submitted online via the ERDF.NRW online portal.

Contact persons:

Andreas Kunsleben

Efficiency Agency NRW
Dr.-Hammacher-Str. 49
47119 Duisburg

aku@efanrw.de

0203 37879-30

or

Stefanie Weigel

Advice on application / funding law issues
North Rhine-Westphalia State Agency for Nature, Environment and Climate (LANUK)
40208 Düsseldorf

stefanie.weigel@lanuk.nrw.de

02361 305-6048

or

Carola Pfretzschner

Advice on application / funding law issues
North Rhine-Westphalia State Agency for Nature, Environment and Climate (LANUK)
40208 Düsseldorf

carola.pfretzschner@lanuk.nrw.de

02361 305-2431

Climate change has long since arrived in North Rhine-Westphalia - as shown by the data from the NRW Climate Atlas and the technical report "Climate development and climate projections in North Rhine-Westphalia" recently published by the State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection (LANUV) - and will continue to progress. The aim of the state government is to limit the negative effects of climate change in North Rhine-Westphalia through consistent climate change prevention and by strengthening the adaptability and resilience of the environment, economy and society.

This ERDF funding measure aims to support small and medium-sized enterprises in protecting their economic activities by adapting their properties to the negative consequences of climate change and making them more climate-resilient. The funding programme focuses on measures that use sustainable and nature-based solutions to reduce vulnerability and maintain and increase the ability of companies and their properties to adapt to the effects of climate change in the long term. The aim of the funding is to promote the sustainable and competitive development of the subsidised companies and thus also the overall economy in North Rhine-Westphalia and the sustainable preservation and expansion of jobs. The "Klimaanpassung.Unternehmen.NRW" guideline funding serves to implement ERDF/JTF Programme Priority 2 (Sustainable NRW) and contributes to Specific Objective 7 "Promoting adaptation to climate change and disaster prevention and resilience, taking into account ecosystem-based approaches".

The "Klimaanpassung.Unternehmen.NRW" funding measure is being implemented as part of European regional funding (ERDF/JTF Programme NRW 2021-2027) under the leadership of the Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (MUNV). You can find more information on the background to European regional funding under About us.

The application procedure is one-stage, project applications can be submitted until 31 March 2026.

You can find detailed information about the programme here

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia is helping companies to invest in their future and thus strengthen their competitiveness. Companies that want to switch their manufacturing processes to climate-neutral methods, for example, and thereby reduce emissions, can benefit from a special guarantee from the state in future.

The minimum amount of the loan to be collateralised by this transformation guarantee is two million euros and the maximum amount is 25 million euros.

Guarantees can replace missing loan collateral and thus make it easier for banks to grant loans to companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. The support of a financing bank is therefore an important prerequisite. The new special guarantee combines the existing high financing requirements for climate-neutral transformation projects with the state guarantee instrument. Lower collateralisation requirements, a lower fee and streamlined processes are particularly attractive for companies. Directly enforceable shareholder guarantees are not envisaged.

Interested companies can contact PricewaterhouseCoopers GmbH, the auditing firm commissioned by the state of NRW, for further information. Here you will find information on the NRW Special Guarantee Programme Green Transformation 

Discover how you can develop and implement an effective sustainability strategy in the hospitality industry in three simple steps. Start now and secure long-term benefits for your company and the environment!

Do you run a hotel, restaurant or other catering business and hear from all sides that sustainability and environmental protection are becoming increasingly important? Don't know exactly how to get started? You are not alone!

Sustainability is multifaceted and complex, and many people find it difficult to maintain an overview. It is important to recognise that sustainability is a process. We can't save the whole world overnight, but we can make a positive contribution - to the environment, to society and also to our profitability. The first step is crucial: don't hesitate, get started right away.

Further information can be found on the DEHOGA website

Self-employed professionals and freelancers can find themselves in existentially jeopardising situations even in non-crisis times. In addition to time and human resources, it is not uncommon for those affected to lack the basic knowledge needed to position themselves in a crisis-proof manner in the long term.

KOMPASS is intended to support full-time solo self-employed persons with a maximum of 1 full-time equivalent (FTE) of employees in increasing the sustainability of their business model. To this end, an unbureaucratic and low-threshold procedure is intended to facilitate access to qualification services in order to create prospects for future-proof solo self-employment.

Through centralised further training measures, the participants are to acquire extended knowledge for company management and be put in a position to make their business model as crisis-proof and future-proof as possible.

Term: 15.10.2022 - 30.04.2026

All information on the programme can be found on the website of the European Social Fund for Germany

Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs

Unit VIGru EF4 -
European Globalisation Fund
Managing Authority,
ESF Programme Implementation
10117 Berlin

E-mail: vigruef4@bmas.bund.de

With monthly support of 1,200 euros over 12 months, the NRW state government creates a secure financial foundation for founders during the start-up phase. This financial support can be extended by three months upon the birth of a child and suspended for up to 12 months while receiving parental allowance.

The change in the funding programme compared to the previous programme is intended to promote women and families in particular, in order to increase the current share of 24.5 percent of female start-ups.

With the Gründungsstipendium.NRW, a maximum of three founders of a start-up each receive the funding amount.

Interested parties from Beckum can contact Ms Marianne Koschany-Rohbeck (02521-850517, rohbeck@gfw-waf.de from the Gesellschaft für Wirtschaftsförderung im Kreis Warendorf(http://www.gfw-waf.de) for information on the NRW start-up grant.