AI Funding DACH Mid-Market 2026: 6 Active Programmes + Workflow

Digital Jetzt has ended. Funding under section 82 SGB III, what applies from 1 December 2026, and 6 active programmes with workflow.

Key numbers at a glance

Digital Jetzt expired on 31.12.2023, ZIM has temporarily not accepted grant applications since 7 July 2026 (exception: applications with international partners in bilateral and multilateral calls), and we no longer list go-digital as an active programme. Whoever searches for these programmes in 2026 finds no application route for Digital Jetzt and only the stated exception for ZIM.
Funding under section 82 SGB III (Qualifizierungschancengesetz, unofficial translation: Qualification Opportunities Act): depending on company size, the Federal Employment Agency (BA) can cover up to 100 percent of course costs and up to 75 percent of salary costs during training (under 50 employees). For 50 to under 500 employees it is up to 50/50 percent, from 500 employees up to 25/25 percent. Important: only approved measures of more than 120 hours are funded, short workshops do not qualify.
New from 1 December 2026: BA directive 202607017 makes advice and funding for employee training uniform nationwide. The employer service (Arbeitgeber-Service) handles employer applications.
Mittelstand-Digital Centres: free offerings for SMEs. Funding for the existing network runs out by the end of 2026, a new network is planned from 2027.
Digitalbonus Bayern for small companies in Bavaria: Standard up to 7,500 EUR, Plus up to 30,000 EUR, in each case at most 50 percent of eligible expenses, applications possible until 31.12.2027.
Federal labour ministry (BMAS) programme on AI in business and work: deadline 14 October 2026, 4 pm. Research institutions can submit, so it is not a direct route for your employee training.

If you are a managing director, CFO or HR lead in DACH mid-market in 2026 asking "how do we finance AI buildup?" the typical first answer is "we have to pay this from operating budget." That is not always true: the funding stack has changed, some programmes have ended or paused, others continue, and funding for employee training under section 82 SGB III is one possible lever.

This post gives the overview of active funding programmes in 2026, the ended or paused ones, and a 5-step application workflow for funding under section 82 SGB III. Plus: typical mistakes in applications.

As of October 2026

Who this post is for and who it is not

This post is for managing directors, CFOs, HR leads and IT responsible parties in DACH mid-market (10 to 500 FTE) wanting to start or scale AI initiatives in 2026 and needing to know which funding levers are really available. Concretely: you are either planning a first productive AI initiative (see our 90-day use case matrix), or you have initiatives running and want targeted funding for employee training (see AI literacy mandate post). What Article 4 of the AI Act requires, what training costs and how the funding works in detail is covered in AI training for employees: obligation, cost, funding.

Not a fit for very large companies that no longer fall under most SME funding thresholds. For those the funding stack is structurally different (research allowance, EU programmes like Horizon Europe).

What has ended or paused

Before we get to active programmes: programmes with ended or restricted applications. This matters because funding searches that start with these names can end in a dead end.

Digital Jetzt (BMWK): investment grant for SMEs. The programme was time-limited to the end of 2023 (according to the funding notice for the Mittelstand-Digital network of 15.12.2025).

go-digital (BMWK): consulting grant for SMEs. We do not list it here as an active programme; check the status on the BMWE's official programme page before planning.

ZIM (Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand, unofficial translation: Central Innovation Programme for SMEs): funding programme for research and development in SMEs. Since 7 July 2026, 12 noon, applications for grants are temporarily not accepted, including project outlines. Exempt are applications with international partners in bilateral and multilateral calls. Check the status on zim.de before you invest time in an application.

State programmes that are closed or only partly open:

Baden-Württemberg: the grant variant of the Digitalisierungsprämie Plus (unofficial translation: Digitalisation Premium Plus) ended on 30.06.2025. The state names the Digitalisierungsfinanzierung (digitalisation financing) as its successor.
Hesse: the application portal of the DIGI-Zuschuss Hessen (unofficial translation: Hesse digital grant) is closed, no further calls are planned.
Saxony: the Digitalisierung Zuschuss guideline (unofficial translation: digitalisation grant) has had an application stop since 17 July 2026 for the transition region (including Dresden, Chemnitz, Zwickau). In the more developed region (Leipzig, district of Leipzig, Nordsachsen) applications are still accepted.

The consequence: whoever lands in a classical funding research process in 2026 (Google search, funding database keyword) can get outdated hits. The next 6 programmes are the ones we found active when we checked on 5 October 2026.

Make it measurable

How to tell whether AI is working

See the KPI framework

The 6 active funding levers 2026

1. Funding under section 82 SGB III (Qualifizierungschancengesetz)

What it is: funding instrument of the Federal Employment Agency for training of employees (section 82 SGB III, often called Qualifizierungschancengesetz). The BA can cover course costs and a salary subsidy during the training. Even if all prerequisites are met, it remains a discretionary decision of the employment agency.

Funding level by company size (as of October 2026):

Under 50 employees: up to 100 percent of course costs + 75 percent salary subsidy (the employer contribution is meant to be waived)
50 to under 500 employees: 50 percent of course costs + 50 percent salary subsidy
500 employees and more: 25 percent of course costs + 25 percent salary subsidy
With a works agreement or collective agreement on training, the employer share drops by 5 percentage points (BA directives, section 82(4)).

Prerequisites (section 82(1)): measure of more than 120 hours, measure and provider are approved (AZAV), the training teaches skills that go beyond exclusively workplace-specific short-term adaptation training, the vocational qualification (with a training period of at least two years) is as a rule at least two years in the past, the person had no training funded under section 82 in the two years before the application, no training the employer is legally obliged to provide. The 120 hours do not have to be completed in one block. Apply before the training starts, if possible.

New: uniform process from 1 December 2026. BA directive 202607017 of 20 July 2026 makes advice and funding of employee training (sections 82, 81(2) and 82a SGB III) uniform in all employment agencies nationwide. The employer service handles employer applications, including the collective application procedure (Sammelantragsverfahren) and the qualification allowance (Qualifizierungsgeld). Digital application via the eServices has priority, and advisers are to point customers to the training portal mein NOW. The rates and prerequisites above do not change as a result.

Where the funding fits, and where not:

✅ Fits: approved, multi-week or modular courses totalling more than 120 hours
❌ Does not fit: short workshops and training under 120 hours. This includes our licence: the course (599 EUR per licence, one-time, Cowork and Claude Code, 22 lessons in 7 modules) is not fundable under section 82 on its own. You pay for the licence from the running budget. Separately, the Mittelstand-Digital Centres (point 2) offer free services.

Details on funding levels, the qualification allowance and the exceptions are in our post AI training for employees: obligation, cost, funding.

2. Mittelstand-Digital Centres, free consulting instead of writing applications

What it is: nationwide network of regional centres funded by the federal economics ministry. The offerings are free of charge for the target group of small and medium-sized enterprises. Topics include digitalisation and AI.

Status: funding for the existing centres ends step by step by the end of December 2026. For a new network from 2027 the ministry's (BMWE) funding notice dated 15 December 2025 applies. The focus on cybersecurity is meant to grow there. Ask your regional centre which offerings are running.

How you get in: contact your regionally responsible centre (list on mittelstand-digital.de). A free starting point is also our AI Readiness Check: 12 questions, about 5 minutes, anonymous and without sign-up.

Limitation: the centres advise and orient, and in part also accompany implementation projects, as a rule within pilot and transfer projects. For ongoing AI use case delivery you still need external implementation partners or internal buildup (see make/buy/partner post).

3. Bildungsgutschein (education voucher) of the Federal Employment Agency (section 81 SGB III)

What it is: funding of vocational training under section 81 SGB III, for which an education voucher can be issued. At its core it requires that the training is necessary to integrate someone into work in case of unemployment, to avert imminent unemployment, or to obtain a vocational qualification. An education voucher can also be used for the funding of employees under section 82 (section 82(6)).

Prerequisites: the employment agency assesses the necessity case by case, and measure and provider must be approved. For employees whose job changes substantially because of AI, the conversation with the employer service is therefore the first step. We cannot promise an approval.

4. Digitalbonus Bayern (and NRW: Mittelstand Innovativ & Digital)

What it is: Bavarian state funding programme for small companies of the commercial economy with fewer than 50 employees and a site in Bavaria. Grant Digitalbonus Standard up to 7,500 EUR, Digitalbonus Plus up to 30,000 EUR (for measures with a particular degree of innovation), in each case up to 50 percent of eligible expenses. The programme term is fixed until 31.12.2027, a quota is released monthly, and an ELSTER business account is required. According to the programme page, funding goes to digitalisation with a focus on robotics and AI, and to IT security. Advice and training for the introduced solution count up to 50 percent of eligible expenses, training without implementing a solution is not eligible. Liberal professions cannot apply. Measures started before the application are not funded.

NRW, Mittelstand Innovativ & Digital (MID-Digitalisierung): since 1 January 2026 a grant of at most 50 percent, maximum 15,000 EUR per project, for developing and implementing digital products, services and processes (examples named by the state: AR/VR customer solutions and chatbots), application period until 31.12.2029, for SMEs based in NRW.

Strategy: state programmes change quickly, as the paused programmes above show. Check the state's programme page and the application status before any planning.

5. KfW ERP-Förderkredit Digitalisierung and Innovation

What it is: KfW loan for digitalisation and innovation projects. According to KfW, the ERP-Förderkredit Digitalisierung (no. 511, 512) funds digitalisation projects of companies and freelancers, including the use of future technologies such as artificial intelligence, covering investments as well as running costs. Term up to 10 years, loan amount up to 25 million EUR in stages 2 and 3, plus a grant in the higher stages (according to KfW 3 percent in stage 2 and 5 percent in stage 3, in each case of the disbursed loan amount, capped at 200,000 EUR). For innovation projects there is the ERP-Förderkredit Innovation (no. 513, 514).

When useful: if you are planning a larger AI initiative and want to spread the liquidity burden over several years.

When not useful: for individual software licences a loan is usually over-dimensioned, running costs should come from the operating budget. That is our assessment, not a KfW rule.

6. Research allowance (Forschungszulage)

What it is: tax-based funding of research and development under the Forschungszulagengesetz (unofficial translation: Research Allowance Act). The allowance is 25 percent of the assessment base, and SMEs can apply for an increase of 10 percentage points to 35 percent (section 4 FZulG). For eligible expenses incurred after 31 December 2025 the assessment base is capped at 12 million EUR per financial year (section 3(5) FZulG), before that 10 million EUR (from 28 March 2024) and 4 million EUR applied. Arithmetically that gives a maximum allowance of 3.0 million EUR, or 4.2 million EUR at 35 percent.

When it fits AI: if you employ your own AI engineers working on new models or industry-specific development projects. Pure application integration of standard tools is generally not research and development within the meaning of the act.

Application: two steps. For the project you need a certificate from the Bescheinigungsstelle Forschungszulage (BSFZ, certification body for the research allowance, section 6 FZulG), and you apply for the allowance at the tax office after the end of the financial year (section 5 FZulG).

Additionally: BMAS funding call on AI in business and work (deadline 14 October 2026)

In September 2026 the federal labour ministry announced the guideline "Produktiver und beschäftigungsorientierter Einsatz von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) in Wirtschaft und Arbeit" (unofficial translation: Productive and employment-oriented use of artificial intelligence in business and work). It targets SMEs and their employees in particular and funds two areas: competence and practice spaces where AI components are tested in the company and combined with work organisation and employee skills development, and scientific analyses of AI, productivity and the labour market. Research institutions can submit proposals until 14 October 2026, 4 pm, after which the deadline has passed. The information event took place on 17 September 2026, and the programme is administered by DRV Knappschaft-Bahn-See. The ministry does not state a budget or duration. For training in your own company this is not a direct route.

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The 5-step application workflow for funding under section 82 SGB III

Here is the concrete process for the application.

Step 1: identify a fundable training. Only measures of more than 120 hours are funded, and the 120 hours do not have to be completed in one block. Short courses and our licence on its own do not reach that. You pay for the licence from the running budget, and the Mittelstand-Digital Centres separately offer free services. Output: list of employees who should complete a training of more than 120 hours.

Step 2: choose an approved provider. Provider and measure must be approved (AZAV, Akkreditierungs- und Zulassungsverordnung Arbeitsförderung, unofficial translation: accreditation and approval regulation for employment promotion). You can find suitable courses via the training search in the BA portal mein NOW, and you clarify the approval with the employer service before booking.

Step 3: apply before the training starts. The first point of contact is the employer service of your employment agency. From 1 December 2026 digital application via the eServices has priority. If the application covers several employees, the employer can submit it collectively, provided they are comparable in qualification, educational objective or training need and they or the employee representation have consented (section 82(5)). The application names the training, provider, costs, period and the employees concerned.

Step 4: wait for the decision, then start. Start the training only after the agency has decided. Whoever starts earlier risks losing the funding.

Step 5: documentation. Attendance confirmations and course content belong in the file. For Article 4 of the AI Act the European Commission says no certificate is needed; organisations can keep an internal record of trainings and other measures. Our free AI policy template offers a template for the policy and a record sheet.

The typical three mistakes in funding applications

Mistake 1: submit the application AFTER training start. The BA advises applying as early as possible before the qualification starts, and Digitalbonus Bayern expressly does not fund measures that have begun. There, a legally binding order or a placed contract already counts as a start. Common mistake with "spontaneous" training bookings.

Mistake 2: measure under 120 hours or provider without approval. Under section 82 SGB III only approved measures of more than 120 hours are funded. Short in-house workshops, trainer days or consultants without approval get nothing. Check the duration and approval status before booking.

Mistake 3: overlook the free consulting. The Mittelstand-Digital Centres are free of charge for SMEs. Whoever goes into their own research without this consulting gives up an orientation on regional offerings.

Frequently asked questions

We have under 10 employees, is funding worth it at all? Possibly. With under 50 employees the BA can cover up to 100 percent of course costs and 75 percent of salary costs, provided the measure is approved and covers more than 120 hours. For short workshops the funding does not apply, there the free offerings of the Mittelstand-Digital Centres can be an alternative.

What if our employees are not unemployed, do we still have a claim? Section 82 SGB III is designed for employees. There is no entitlement, the agency decides at its discretion. The education voucher under section 81, by contrast, at its core requires that the training is necessary to integrate someone in case of unemployment or to avert imminent unemployment. It can, however, be used for the funding of employees under section 82.

Can we apply for funding retroactively? For funding under section 82 SGB III, Digitalbonus Bayern and the NRW funding: submit applications before the measure starts. The research allowance is different: you apply for it after the end of the financial year at the tax office, and the BSFZ certificate is needed beforehand.

How long does the application take? That depends on the programme and on the agency or bank. The programme offices themselves give reliable timeframes, ask before you start.

Is an external funding consultant worth it? For section 82 the application is manageable, and the employer service of the agency advises first. For complex programmes such as the research allowance, advice can make sense. For Digitalbonus Bayern the application may only be made by the company itself, and use of the ELSTER certificate by third parties is not permitted according to the programme page.

What if our headquarters is in Austria or Switzerland? This post refers to German funding programmes. Austria and Switzerland have different programmes that we have not checked here.

Which AI stage are we? The 15-minute maturity check →

Sources

About the author

Sebastian Lang is co-founder of Sentient Dynamics and leads the Agentic University programme.

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AI Funding for DACH Mid-Market 2026: 6 Active Programmes Plus the Discontinued Ones