Forschungszulage consulting — we understand your tech and maximize your funding
Most Forschungszulage consultants don't understand your innovation well enough to truly take the burden off your shoulders. We do, because we're technical ourselves. We handle the entire application process — you invest less than 5 hours in calls.
What does our Forschungszulage consulting cover?
The Forschungszulage application is a two-stage process: first the technical review at the certification body (BSFZ), then the assessment via your tax return at the tax office. Almost everything that decides success and funding amount happens before that: which projects and costs you claim, and how the application is written.
That's exactly where our consulting comes in. We identify your eligible projects and extract the maximum costs that can be soundly justified. And we draft the application with enough technical depth to hold up under review by the BSFZ examiners. The tax office step is done by your tax advisor — we hand over all figures fully prepared.
Projects & maximum costs
Identify eligible projects, assign employees correctly by percentage, and find every claimable cost — including the ones that get overlooked without experience.
We handle thisBSFZ application & technical review
Draft the application with technical depth so it holds up under review by the BSFZ examiners. We write and submit — you review.
We handle thisAssessment at the tax office
Your tax advisor claims the allowance in your tax return — with figures fully prepared by us. We stay available until the payout.
Your tax advisorOur process: 4 calls to your Forschungszulage
- 01
Finance Checklist
30 min
We clarify which documents you need — as a company-specific checklist. You just forward it to your tax advisor.
- 02
Finance Review
30 min
We structure your data ourselves (employees, salaries, contractors) and clarify final questions. For you, it's just review.
- 03
Product & Innovation
45 min
We identify your innovation projects, assign employees by percentage, and discuss novelty and technical risk.
- 04
Final Review & Submission
30 min
You get an async review upfront. If everything checks out, we submit — otherwise we use call 4 as a deeper product call.
Forschungszulage without consulting — what's at stake
25% rejection rate industry-wide
The average rejection rate at the certification body is 25%. Our applications have a success rate of over 92%.
“We don't do research.”
You probably do — in the legal sense. You don't need a lab. Software development, new algorithms, technical feasibility studies — it all counts. Most companies underestimate how much of their daily work is eligible.
Incomplete documentation
In a tax audit without bulletproof timesheets and records, you risk paying back the entire grant.
CTOs and innovation leaders are busy enough
Learning funding guidelines takes weeks. Time your team needs for product development.
Higher success rate, less effort
Success rate of Forschungszulage applications
How high is the success rate for the Forschungszulage? Industry-wide, the BSFZ rejects around 25% of applications. Our supported applications have a success rate of over 92%. The difference doesn't come from tricks — it comes from the technical drafting: current state of the art, concrete technical targets, and traceable uncertainties, written the way the BSFZ examiners actually review.
Success rate
vs. 75% industry-wide
Your time investment
in calls until approval
Success-based
No payment if rejected
Successful projects from our clients
280,000€ Forschungszulage
for MedTech
From AI to hardware to SaaS — these types of projects get funded through the Forschungszulage.
Mobile body scanners: a virtual copy of the body, posture analysis, and health-related parameters in a single measurement process. 280,000€ in Forschungszulage for developing the 3D body scanners.
How do you recognize a good Forschungszulage consultant?
The funding-consulting market is unregulated — anyone can call themselves a consultant. These four criteria separate good consultants from expensive mistakes:
Technical understanding, not funding-clerk jargon
The BSFZ reviewers are engineers and computer scientists. A consultant who doesn't understand your architecture writes applications that get rejected. Ask directly: who writes the application, and has that person built things themselves?
Success-based compensation
A consultant who only earns on success gives you an honest assessment of whether your project qualifies. An hourly-rate consultant earns even on a hopeless application.
They maximize the costs instead of just filling in forms
The difference is rarely the certificate — it's the funding amount: Are all eligible projects recognized? Are employees fully and correctly assigned by percentage? A good consultant prepares the figures so your tax advisor can claim them directly in the tax return.
A verifiable success rate and references
Ask for numbers and real customer testimonials. Our success rate is 92%, and our clients appear on this page with their names and companies.
What does Forschungszulage consulting cost?
There are three pricing models on the market: hourly fees, fixed prices per application, and success-based commissions. With hourly and fixed-price models you carry the full risk: if the application is rejected, you've paid anyway.
Hourly fees
Traditional funding consulting
- You pay even if rejected
- Costs keep running with every iteration
- The consultant earns even on unsuitable projects
Fixed price per application
Flat fee, regardless of outcome
- You pay even if rejected
- No incentive to maximize the funding amount
- Effort gets minimized — not your result
100% success-based
Commission on the funding actually paid out
- No payment if rejected — not even for work already done
- Due only once the money is in your account, not after the BSFZ certificate
- We only earn on the maximum justifiable funding amount
That also means: we'll tell you honestly if an application isn't worth it for you — we only earn on approved applications.
Free assessmentForschungszulage consulting with real technical expertise
We speak the reviewers' language
The reviewers at the BSFZ are engineers and computer scientists — we write applications with technical depth, not surface-level claims.
Founded by a builder, not a consultant
Erich has built multiple products as a technical founder and is a Y Combinator alumnus. He understands how innovation projects actually work.
Cross-industry experience
From AI to MedTech to mechanical engineering — we've filed successful applications across 15+ industries. Our case studies show what's possible.
Erich Lehmann · FounderProprietary software — tech company, not traditional consulting
Pipeline system
Nothing is forgotten, no iteration loops with your CTO.
Bulletproof checks
“Company in difficulty” status is verified against commercial register data.
Timesheet integration
Import from Personio & co., digital signature with one click.
Applying for the Forschungszulage without a consultant? Our guides
No problem — we've written comprehensive guides that explain everything:
Requirements
Who's eligible, which projects count, and which criteria the BSFZ really checks.
Calculation
Which costs are eligible, how the funding amount is composed, and what ends up in your account.
Application
Step by step through the BSFZ portal and tax office — deadlines and common pitfalls included.
FZulG law
The Research Allowance Act in a nutshell: paragraphs, definitions, and the statutory legal claim.
But: With Forschungszulage consulting you get a higher success rate, more funding, and save yourself the effort.
Free assessmentWhat 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.
“Erich secured €350k per year in funding, exceeding our expectations by +€75k per year.”
Kai Klasen
Head of Finance · Ona
“Erich supported us very well and we could focus on our product. Extremely efficient in just 4 calls.”
Sascha Lang
Founder · YC S23 · AiSupervision
“Super fast and efficient support with the Forschungszulage. The process was completed in just 4 calls.”
Fabio Schmidberger
Founder · YC W22 · voize
Frequently asked questions about Forschungszulage consulting
Let's figure out how much funding you're entitled to
Drop us a line — we'll get back to you personally.