Funding after go-digital: combining Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren with BAFA

Since the end of 2024/beginning of 2025, go-digital no longer exists. Many small and medium businesses have wondered since then how to fund digitalization at all. The practical answer: You can combine the free Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren with BAFAconsulting funding to sensibly link free guidance with subsidized implementation.

The short answer: combine Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren and BAFA

First use the free offerings of a Mittelstand-Digital-Zentrum to clarify your project, then commission a BAFA-subsidized management consulting for concrete implementation. The two components are not mutually exclusive as long as the same service is not paid for twice from public funds. This way you replace the discontinued go-digital funding with a combination of two offerings that already existed before.

Why go-digital is no longer an option as of 2025

go-digital expired on December 31, 2024 and became ineffective as of the start of 2025. According to the Federal Ministry of Economics, the reason was a tight budget situation. New applications have not been possible since then; only projects approved in 2024 were permitted to be implemented and billed in 2025. In the same notice, the ministry explicitly refers to alternatives, including digitalization programs from the states, the Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren network, and funding opportunities from KfW.

What Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren offers for free

Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren is a nationwide network supported by the Federal Ministry of Economics with around 30 locations. All offerings are free and provider-neutral and are aimed at small and medium-sized businesses throughout Germany. You pay nothing and are not bound to any service provider. Typical formats include:

• Workshops and presentations on topics such as AI, process automation, or IT security
• Demonstrators and showrooms where you can try applications on-site
• Office hours and individual consultations with AI trainers for initial guidance
• accompanied implementation projects where a center runs through a project with you as an example

What the centers do not provide: they do not implement a finished solution operationally in your business and do not provide ongoing support. They create knowledge and guidance. It is precisely at this boundary where subsidized consulting begins, which then implements your project concretely and operationally.

How to sensibly combine centers and BAFA funding

In practice, the combination works in two steps. First, you clarify at the center for free which project is worth pursuing and what is technically possible. Then you commission consulting, whose fee the federal government subsidizes through entrepreneurial knowledge funding. Read in the article BAFA Funding for SMEs; you'll find key details on fee and application on our page for BAFA Funding.

The advantage of this sequence: you enter subsidized consulting with a sharpened objective. This saves consulting hours and thus money because the expensive, eligible hours no longer go toward basics but flow directly into implementation. An example: a craft business clarifies at the center for free whether automated quote and invoice generation is worthwhile, then has the concrete solution set up in subsidized consulting afterward. The center provides the how in principle, the consulting provides the how in your business.

No double funding for the same service

The most important rule is called the cumulation prohibition. BAFA consulting funding may not be combined in whole or in part with other public funds for the same service, explicitly not with ESF Plus funds. However, because the offerings of Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren are not cash subsidies for your consulting but free education and guidance, no prohibited double funding arises as long as the center and subsidized consulting do not bill the exact same service content. This is a practical classification and not legal advice; the binding review of your individual case is handled by the BAFA support office or your engaged consultant.

If your project is clearly heading toward AI, it's worth taking an additional look at other funding sources. We've compiled which programs specifically support small businesses with AI in AI Funding for Small Businesses together.

How to proceed concretely

A pragmatic approach: you attend a workshop or office hour at the nearest center, refine your project there, and then get subsidized implementation consulting. If at this point you need an independent assessment of which AI or automation solution truly fits your processes, our AI Consulting is exactly for that. You maintain control over data, costs, and pace.

Frequently asked questions

Is go-digital really completely gone?

Yes. go-digital expired on December 31, 2024, new applications have not been possible since 2025. Only projects already approved in 2024 were allowed to be billed. As an alternative, the Federal Ministry of Economics points to Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren, state programs, and KfW.

Do Mittelstand-Digital-Zentren really cost nothing?

Yes, the offerings are free and provider-neutral. They are funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and are available to all small and medium-sized businesses in Germany. There is no invoice and no commitment to a particular provider.

Can I use a center and BAFA funding at the same time?

Yes, sequentially for different services. The center provides free guidance, BAFA funding subsidizes the later paid consulting. It is only prohibited to pay for the same service twice from public funds (cumulation prohibition).

What is the best starting point after the end of go-digital?

Generally the nearest Mittelstand-Digital-Zentrum. There you clarify for free what is worthwhile before you spend money. After that you decide whether subsidized consulting or a state or federal program is the right next step.