Zeitmaker
Free intro call
ZeitmakerConsultancy for the Forschungszulage

Get
35% of your R&D costs
back from the state

success-based
100%success-based pay
companies supported
40+companies supported
avg. funding per year
€400kavg. funding per year
Free intro call

Download whitepaper

The Forschungszulage summary as a PDF — straight to your inbox.

Trusted by leading companies

Kitekraft
Junto
IH
Shopvibes
Kokoro
Gitpod
Camp3
Voize
Gavel
Berlin Collective
Future Maps
Scaneca
Kitekraft
Junto
IH
Shopvibes
Kokoro
Gitpod
Camp3
Voize
Gavel
Berlin Collective
Future Maps
Scaneca

Who is it for?

Is your industry on the list? Most likely yes.

What matters isn't your industry, but whether you do technical development with new approaches. This is how applications break down nationwide:

And no matter your size:

86%of applications come from SMEs and startups

  • Software, IT & AI
  • Mechanical & plant engineering
  • Electronics, optics & electrical engineering
  • Metals, chemicals & materials
  • MedTech, health & life sciences
  • Automotive & mobility

& many more – Your industry not listed? Get it checked for free in 15 minutes →

8 Vorteile

Warum ist die Forschungszulage so eine gute Fördermöglichkeit?

Im Vergleich zu klassischen Förderprogrammen ist die Forschungszulage für die meisten Unternehmen die bessere Wahl.

  • 1

    Rechtsanspruch

    Kein Wettbewerb um Budgets — wenn die Kriterien erfüllt sind, muss gefördert werden.

  • 2

    Bis zu 4 Jahre rückwirkend

    Auch abgeschlossene Projekte können noch gefördert werden.

  • 3

    Branchenoffen

    Software, Maschinenbau, MedTech, Bau — F&E ist F&E, egal in welcher Branche.

  • 4

    Auch ohne Gewinn

    Keine Steuerlast nötig — die Zulage wird als Gutschrift ausgezahlt.

  • 5

    Weniger Bürokratie

    Kein Projektplan vorab, keine Zwischenberichte, kein Verwendungsnachweis.

  • 6

    Voll digitaler Prozess

    Antrag über BSFZ-Portal und ELSTER — kein Papier, kein Postweg.

  • 7

    Thematisch offen

    Kein starrer Themenkatalog — Produktentwicklung, Prozessinnovation, alles zählt.

  • 8

    Breite Kostenbasis

    Personalkosten, Auftragsforschung und Wirtschaftsgüter sind förderfähig.

Alle 8 Vorteile im Detail →

Common doubts

Does one of these thoughts sound familiar?

“We don’t even do research.”

Most companies do research & development every day without calling it that. New products and improvements almost always involve technical innovation — so you very likely meet the eligibility criteria for the allowance.

“Why have I never heard of this?”

9 out of 10 companies leave money on the table — bad experiences with other grants, or simply never having heard of it. Yet the Forschungszulage has been a legal entitlement since 2020. We’re happy to send you the official documents first.

“It’s not worth it.”

Many had applied before and were disappointed by the amount. Once we scope the projects cleanly together, capture every cost and structure the process, that changes — on average 400k € paid out per year and company.

Dein Partner für die Forschungszulage

100% success-based — zero risk for you

We carry the risk with you. Payment only after funds have arrived — not two flat fees upfront like typical agencies.

Free intro call

Scope of service

Zeitmaker

Full support through payout

Typical agencies

Consulting ends after BSFZ certificate

Who writes the application?

Zeitmaker

We write — you just provide input in calls

Typical agencies

Questionnaires for self-completion

Time required

Zeitmaker

Under 5 hours of your time

Typical agencies

Weeks of own effort

Documentation

Zeitmaker

Digital timesheets, audit-proof

Typical agencies

Excel lists without templates

Cost structure

Zeitmaker

100% success-based

Typical agencies

Fixed upfront fees, costs even if rejected

Technical understanding

Zeitmaker

Founder & developer — understands your project

Typical agencies

Generalist without technical background

Software, die strukturiert

Wasserdichte Anträge, kein Excel-Chaos, alles auf deutschen Servern.

Mit der eigenen Software von Zeitmaker wird der Antragsprozess strukturiert und durchdacht.

Mehr über unsere Beratung →
Our software for the Forschungszulage

Successfully funded projects

€315,000 Forschungszulage
for AI & Healthcare

From AI to hardware to SaaS — these types of projects get funded through the Forschungszulage.

voize

AI-powered voice documentation for nursing care. €315,000 in Forschungszulage for advancing their AI models.

voize

YW22AI & Healthcare€315,000 Forschungszulage

Read case study →
Free intro call
Berechnung

Wie viel Förderung steht dir zu?

Größenordnung in 60 Sekunden. Verstell die Schieber für deinen Fall — die Zahl ist grob, reicht aber, um zu entscheiden, ob sich der Aufwand lohnt.

Geschätzte Förderung€392kpro Jahr · 35% Fördersatz
4 Jahre rückwirkend€1,57 Mio.
So rechnest du es genau aus
Erich Lehmann — Gründer, Zeitmaker
Beratung

Maximale Förderung, minimaler Aufwand — weil wir eure Technik verstehen

Wir sind selbst technisch und verstehen eure Projekte.

In nur 4 Meetings begleiten wir euch zur Forschungszulage.

Mehr über uns erfahren

Warum jetzt?

Jetzt die Forschungszulage zu beantragen lohnt gerade mehr als je zuvor

Mehr Förderung als je zuvor — seit 2026

12 Mio. €

Bemessungsgrundlage

angehoben von 10 Mio. €

+20 %

Gemeinkostenpauschale, neu

Overhead ohne Einzelnachweis

bis 4,2 Mio. €

Förderung pro Jahr

KMU, 35 % Fördersatz

Warten kostet ein ganzes Förderjahr

2022läuft dieses Jahr ab
2023förderfähig
2024förderfähig
2025förderfähig

Die Forschungszulage gilt bis zu 4 Jahre rückwirkend. Wer dieses Jahr startet, sichert das Förderjahr 2022 noch komplett mit — danach fällt es weg.

In 15 Min Förderhöhe klären
Our process

Just 4 meetings to the Forschungszulage

Under 5 hours of your time. We write, you just provide input. You talk to someone who understands the tech and knows exactly how applications pass at the certification body and tax office.

  1. 01

    Finance checklist

    We clarify which documents you need — as a company-specific checklist. You simply forward it to your tax advisor.

    30 min
  2. 02

    Finance review

    We structure your data ourselves (employees, salaries, contractors) and clear up any final questions. For you, it's just a review.

    30 min
  3. 03

    Product & innovation

    We identify your innovation projects, allocate employees by percentage, and discuss novelty and technical risk.

    45 min
  4. 04

    Final review & submission

    You get an asynchronous review in advance. If everything fits, we submit — otherwise we use call 4 as a deeper product call.

Your benefits

More funding. Less effort. No risk.

You secure more funding on average than you'd ever claim on your own — at a 92% success rate, while the industry sits at around 75%. And you barely lose your technical team along the way: the entire submission runs in just 4 calls. Plus, you only pay on successful funding.

Free intro call
€0k
Avg. fundingFunding potential you wouldn't find yourself — especially as an SMB.
0%
More costs foundOn average, Zeitmaker identifies 25% more eligible costs than when you file the application yourself.
0%
Success rateAudit-ready documentation that holds up before the tax office.
€0M+
Secured so farOver 15 million euros in funding for our clients.
0+
Companies40+ companies successfully supported — from startups to the Mittelstand.
Customer voices

What our customers say about working with us

Founders and finance leads from YC companies and established mid-market businesses — on what working with us has meant for them.

Gitpod
“Erich secured €350k per year in funding, exceeding our expectations by +€75k per year.”
Kai Klasen

Kai Klasen

Head of Finance, Gitpod

AiSupervision
“Erich supported us very well and we could focus on our product. Extremely efficient in just 4 calls.”
Sascha Lang

Sascha Lang

Founder, AiSupervision · YC S23

voize
“Super fast and efficient support with the Forschungszulage. The process was completed in just 4 calls.”
Fabio Schmidberger

Fabio Schmidberger

Founder, voize · YC W22

Frequently asked questions

Most answers are right here. If not — just drop us a line below.
Under 5 hours of your time. We write everything — you just provide input in an average of 4 calls. No questionnaires, no homework. We interview you and create the complete documentation.
You don't need to do basic research. If you develop software, improve products, or optimize processes — you very likely qualify. Even abandoned projects count.
Then you pay nothing. Our fee is 100% success-based and only due when the money arrives in your account. If the application is rejected, we review the reasons and can often still achieve a positive decision through objection or revision.
The Forschungszulage is a legal entitlement under the Forschungszulagengesetz (FZulG). Not discretionary — if your project meets the criteria, it must be funded. The program has existed since 2020 but has been barely promoted. Even the tax office is bound by the BSFZ certificate.
We're not a traditional consulting firm — we're a tech company. Our founder is a developer himself and understands your project technically. From all our successful applications, we've built our own software that checks every application against hundreds of cases. On top: 100% success-based, under 5 hours of your time, and audit-ready documentation that holds up to tax office scrutiny.
Genau dafür ist es da. Wir prüfen, ob deine Projekte qualifizieren, schätzen die Größenordnung der Förderung und sagen ehrlich, ob DIY für dich reicht. 15 Minuten, kein Verkauf.

Check your Forschungszulage — free and success-based

Send us a line about your work and we'll come back to you with an initial assessment.

Before you go

How much Forschungszulage is your company entitled to?

Drop your domain — we'll review your profile and email you a personal assessment of your funding potential.

Free & no obligation. We'll get back to you personally, no newsletter spam.