For introducing AI in SMEs, several open funding pots are available in 2026: from BAFA consulting funding to INQA coaching, state programs, and the research allowance. Which one fits depends on company size, location, and project. NordFlux checks this honestly before you spend time on applications.
Anyone searching for AI grants finds blog articles about programs that ended long ago. And anyone who finds an open program often fails on the details: wrong company size, wrong state, application too late.
As of July 2026, checked against the original guidelines. The funding check in the initial analysis matches your project to the right pot.
The BAFA funding for business consulting subsidizes conceptual consulting, such as an AI or digitalization strategy, with 50 percent in the old federal states, 60 percent in the Lüneburg region, and 80 percent in the new federal states, up to a maximum assessment basis of 3,500 euros per consultation. The current guideline expires on 31.12.2026, so the window is closing.
Grant up to €2,800 per consultationThe federal program funds up to twelve consulting days by authorized INQA coaches with 80 percent, if digitalization or AI is changing work organization. Getting started is free via an INQA advisory office. We are honest: NordFlux is not an INQA coach, we assess whether this path fits, and then take over the technical implementation.
Grant 80% on up to 12 daysSeveral states fund AI adoption directly: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern since June 2026 with 50 percent up to 50,000 euros, Hamburg with the Digital Check at 50 percent on consulting up to 7,500 euros, Bremen with up to 17,000 euros for AI and automation. What matters is the business location in the respective state.
Grant up to €50,000 depending on stateIf your company doesn't just adopt AI but develops it in-house under technical uncertainty, the research allowance applies: 35 percent for SMEs as a tax credit, with no funding-pot limit and applicable retroactively. It does not apply to pure standard-software adoption, and we address this limit openly.
Tax Credit 35% of R&D costsIn the free initial analysis, we check location, company size, and project against the open programs and tell you which path is realistic. If none fits, we say so too, a good AI project pays off even without funding, the grant just speeds up amortization.
Impact the right pot before the first applicationA strategy that ends up in a drawer isn't one. We advise in a way that results in an actionable first use case, and build it ourselves if you like.
Situation assessment, data landscape, governance, and the most sensible first use case: the conceptual AI consulting funded by BAFA and state programs. Honest even when the result is: not yet.
After the strategy comes the first AI agent: a clearly defined use case, productive within 30 days, at a fixed price. You retain control over every step.
An internal knowledge assistant answers questions from your documents, GDPR-compliant and, on request, on German servers. A common first project after the subsidized consulting.
At a fixed price instead of an open timesheet. The funding application belongs at the very start, before any signature.
In 60 minutes we clarify the project, location, and company size, and name the right funding pot along with the deadline and application path. Free and non-binding.
You receive a clearly described consulting or implementation offer with a fixed price, worded so it can serve as supporting documentation for the application.
The application goes to the responsible authority, such as BAFA, the state bank, or TBI. Commissioning happens only after the application is filed or approved, so the entitlement is preserved.
We deliver the consulting with an actionable result and build the first use case in 30 days. Reports and documentation are created so the proof of use doesn't become a second project.
With the new MV AI grant and the FuEuI guideline, the state has its own programs with a 50 percent subsidy. What specifically applies to businesses between Wismar, Rostock, and Neubrandenburg, we have summarized in a dedicated overview.
The funding check is part of the free initial analysis: 60 minutes, no obligation, and at the end you'll know which pot is realistic and what the first step costs.
Yes. In 2026, conceptual AI consulting is subsidized, among other things, through the BAFA funding for business consulting, with 50 percent in the old federal states, 60 percent in the Lüneburg region, and 80 percent in the new federal states, up to a maximum of 3,500 euros per consultation. In addition, there is INQA coaching with 80 percent on up to twelve consulting days, as well as state programs, for example in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Hamburg, and Bremen.
No. go-digital ended on 31.12.2024, Digital Jetzt and go-inno have also ended, and the Digitalbonus Niedersachsen ended on 31.12.2025. Many articles online still advertise these programs regardless. Rely on the information from the approval authorities themselves, that is BAFA, KfW, and state development banks, or ask us during the funding check.
Most programs are aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises according to the EU definition, meaning under 250 employees and a maximum of 50 million euros in turnover or 43 million euros in total balance sheet. In addition, each program has its own limits, for example a maximum of 100 employees for the MV AI funding or at least two years on the market for INQA coaching. It is also always decisive that the application is submitted before the project begins.
For BAFA, yes: the consulting firm must be registered there, our listing is in preparation, and we'd rather say that honestly than borrow someone else's credentials. For INQA coaching, only authorized INQA coaches provide consulting. For the state programs in MV, on the other hand, proven qualification through references and certificates is sufficient, so we can already get started with you there today.
That depends on the program. BAFA funding covers only conceptual consulting, not technical implementation. State programs such as the MV AI funding or the Bremen grant, on the other hand, fund the implementation itself, meaning software, setup, and training. For larger implementations, there are also low-interest loans such as the KfW ERP Digitalization Loan.
