FAQ

• Financial support
  • for individuals of up to €47,500 for six months or €79,167 for ten months
  • for small teams (max. of four people) of up to €95,000 for six months or €158,000 for ten months
• Support through consulting and coaching, e.g. in the areas of user-centered design, project management, security, founding, licenses
• Exposure for your project through our channels
• A network consisting of other grantees and alumni, other sponsors, potential partners and other contacts

Data security:
These are tools that focus on protecting sensitive data from loss, unauthorized access or manipulation. For example, this could be simpler or more secure access to VPN encryption, a tool for software testing or another application that implements security by design.

Software infrastructure:
Software infrastructure refers to the tools, e.g. code libraries or standardized implementations of protocols, that are necessary for developers to write programs for users and make them usable. Corresponding software projects are therefore generally not aimed at end users but at programmers. The same infrastructure elements are often used for a wide variety of cases. These versatile modules can be exchanged, reused and developed via code repositories. They form the foundation of all the applications we use every day.

The submission period lasts for two months (October 1 to November 30). We will let you know whether the jury has recommended your project for funding within two to three months of the submission deadline. We ask that you refrain from making inquiries about the status of applications before the end of February.

We will invite all selected projects, or one person per team, to a consultation hour on the formal application via video call. There you will receive support in preparing the formal application, which will then be submitted to the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space which will make the final decision on funding. Due to necessary processing times, the final funding decision from the ministry may not arrive until the start of the funding period in exceptional cases. Please bear this in mind if, for example, you want to arrange changes to working hours with employers.

We are convinced that ideas that are shared offer new starting points for projects and collaborations. We want to ensure that funded projects can continue to be developed in the future.

Here you can find the guideline *Software Sprint - Funding for Open Source Developers* from the BMFTR (then BMBF) dated November 15, 2024.

See announcement

The application phase runs from October 1 to November 30. Funding starts on June 1 of the following year.

Example: You can apply from October 1 to November 30, 2025 for funding to start on June 1, 2026.

• You are an individual developer or part of a team of up to four*.
• Your idea is a software project.
• You are of legal age.
• As an individual developer, you are residing in Germany, are self-employed** or a freelancer and pay your taxes here.
• In the case of teams, the registered office of your GbR is in Germany, the places of residence of individual team members may be in other EU countries.

*Teams: Before applying, please read the questions under Funding to find out what requirements apply to you.
**or (partially) released from work by your employer for the duration of the project. This means that you can continue to be employed part-time.

No. Teams must join together as a GbR to receive funding.

Not at all. Using the application form, you can briefly and clearly describe to the jury what you would like to implement: in concise texts that explain the core of your idea, describe the effort involved in the project ( is a team needed?) and make clear the connection to our funded focus areas.
If your project is selected by the jury, you will then have to submit a somewhat more extensive formal application in accordance with the BMFTR’s funding guideline. We will help you with the application and organize a joint application workshop for this purpose.

Yes, but the Prototype Fund project should be clearly distinguishable within the project and have an independent degree of novelty, for example, if you plan to expand or supplement your project with a module. In any case, it must be clearly recognizable what will be developed during the funding period.

Yes.

Yes.

No. The Prototype Fund only funds software projects – however, we do have a sister project, the Prototype Fund Hardware:

More Information

The following applies to those of retirement age who are interested in funding: Only those who have reached the so-called standard retirement age are allowed to earn an unlimited amount in addition to their statutory pension. The standard retirement age is defined in the Sozialgesetzbuch VI (§ 35 Sentence 2 SGB VI) and is reached at the age of 67. Those who retired earlier are subject to income limits.

As a student, you must observe the working student rule: You cannot work on the project full-time while studying full-time, but only for a maximum of 20 hours per week during the semester for a period of six months.

At the start of the application phase, you will find the link to the application platform here on the website. Answer all the questions on our application platform and click on “submit for review”. You will then receive an automatic e-mail to set your password for the application platform.

If you need support or something is not working properly, you can reach us here: info@prototypefund.de.

Our application manual (in German, English version is currently being updated) will guide you step by step through the application questions.

No, we do not offer individual consultation appointments. To be fair, we do not comment on the content of your application idea - in addition, our jury will evaluate your submission at the end. However, if you have any questions about the application or funding that are not answered on this page or in the application handbook (German only, the English verison is curently being updated), please do not hesitate to email us at info@prototypefund.de. We also offer several online consultation hours during each application phase. The dates will be announced in advance.

Yes, applications will be accepted in German or English.

The BMFTR’s funding decision is based on a recommendation from our jury. The jury supports us with its knowledge and experience in the areas of IT security, infrastructure, software building blocks and Open Source. The jury evaluates the numerous submissions in terms of their prospects of success, meaningfulness and added value for society.

The jury proposes 25 to 30 projects per round for funding.

After the jury meeting and the release by the BMFTR, acceptances and rejections will be sent to the applicants. If you have any questions about the reasons for rejection, you can always ask for feedback at info@prototypefund.de.

Please understand that we cannot proactively send feedback to all applicants, provide notes from the jury, or give more specific information than general statements about the reasons for rejection

If your project is selected by the jury, you will then have to submit a formal application in accordance with the BMFTR’s funding guideline. We will support you in this process in the formal application workshop and help you complete the formalities. If the jury has imposed conditions on your project idea, these will be incorporated. In addition, further documents must be submitted. The BMBF will use this application to decide whether a project will receive funding.

Here is a checklist of the documents to be submitted for project approval:

For all:

• Project description (essentially consists of the initial application),
• de-minimis declaration (you will receive a template from us),
• a bank statement (at least the balance of your own contribution to the scope of the project).

For Teams:

• (Civil-law) partnership (GbR) contract (one person must be authorized to represent the partnership, you will receive a template from us)
• the postal addresses of all GbR members,
• details of the GbR bank account (can also be done after approval),
• GbR tax number/registration with the tax office (can also be done after approval),
• if required, proof of personal securities of the GbR members (e.g. SCHUFA information).

The maximum funding amount of €47,500 for an individual developer in the regular funding phase is calculated based on the total number of working hours of a full-time position for one person, i.e. 950 working hours at an hourly rate of €50 for six months.

The maximum funding amount of €95,000 for teams in the regular funding phase is calculated based on the total number of working hours of two full-time positions, i.e. 1900 working hours at an hourly rate of €50 for six months.

If the hourly rate is to be higher, the number of hours must be reduced accordingly. You must provide invoices to prove that you have already earned higher hourly wages as a freelance developer.

In second-stage funding, individual developers can claim up to 633 h / €31,667, teams up to 1267 h / €63,333. The hourly rate is capped at €50 for everyone in the second stage.

Teams of up to four people nominate and price work packages which, when added together, may not exceed the maximum funding amount.

Important: The number of hours specified must be proportionate to the project idea. Think in advance about how much time you will need to invest to implement the proposed prototype. Realistic planning of the scope of the project is also one of the jury's assessment criteria. If you are employed part-time in addition to receiving support from the Prototype Fund, the laws on occupational health and safety also determine the limit on the amount of time you can invest.

The funding is mainly provided for the working hours on the project as well as a small amount of overhead costs. Personnel costs are calculated based on the hours you work multiplied by your approved hourly rate. Overhead costs are all costs that cannot be directly attributed to individual cost units, such as costs for office supplies. For these costs, you can claim a flat rate of 5% of the personnel costs in the application process.

The funding amount is always a maximum of 95% of the total project budget, i.e. with a funding amount of €47,500, the total project budget is €50,000. The remaining minimum of 5% is the self-contribution – i.e. the time you invest in the project. You have the option of proving that you can actually contribute this time free of charge by providing evidence of other income (e.g. from an employment relationship or from contracts) or savings.

Payment is made in installments based on work performed at the beginning of each new quarter.
Example: If funding begins on June 1st, 2025, you can retroactively access the funding amount for the work performed in this quarter at the beginning of the new quarter from July 1st, 2025.

Teams must form a Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GbR). No other legal form is permitted for teams that receive funding through Prototype Fund.

All team members receiving funding from the Prototype Fund must be registered as resident in the EU. However, the registered office of the GbR (and the place of residence of the managing director) must be in Germany. Teams selected for funding by the jury submit the formal application as a civil-law association (GbR). The applicant is always the GbR – all persons who are to receive funding must be united in the GbR: subcontracting to third parties is not permitted. You appoint a project manager or another partner as managing director, who legally represents the GbR externally (and, for example, participates in the application workshop and signs the appilcation).
We will provide you with a template for setting up a GbR when you submit your application – only then is it necessary to set one up. If you want to be funded as a team, you should also identify the individual components of the project and assign them to the people in the team.

The Prototype Fund is also a research program: It is important to us to be in active exchange with our projects in order to better understand how developers cooperate, how innovation is created and where we can particularly support you along the way. That’s why there are a couple of obligatory and voluntary exchange formats, and a sustainability evaluation. We ask all projects to take the exchange seriously, because this way we can address problems more quickly and help you if necessary. In addition, the exchange helps us to evaluate the program and make improvements if necessary.

These are the mandatory dates for the funding recipients:

• kick-off workshop (full day in Berlin, all team members, around June 1st)
• scheduled exchanges during the funding period (digital)
• demo day (full day in Berlin, all team members, around December 1st)
• Second Stage final workshop (full day in Berlin, all team members of Second Stage projects, around April 30th).

In addition to the regular six-month funding, there is the option to apply for a ten-month funding. You indicate this in your initial application and describe what you want to achieve in the four additional months - the so-called Second Stage. The Second Stage is no longer primarily about technical work on the project, but about bringing the project into use and making it known. The focus is on user testing, outreach, community building, licensing, and, if applicable, developing a business model. In the Second Stage, you will be obliged to participate in coaching sessions that match your needs.

In the fourth month of the regular funding phase, you submit a (short) application for the Second Stage. This is followed by a presentation to a committee of judges, representatives of the Prototype Fund and the DLR Projektträger. After this presentation, a decision will be made on whether to grant Second Stage funding.

In the Second Stage, you can apply for a maximum of €63,333 as a team and €31,667 as an individual; these sums are based on two or one full-time positions over four months. The hourly wage is capped at €50.

Projects that receive funding for ten months also take part in the Demo Day after six months. After the Second Stage has been completed, a workshop is held with a few guests, at which the project results are presented and discussed in detail.

At the end of the six-month project period, we invite all grantees to a Demo Day. This day is designed to showcase the prototypes and share the experiences you have had as developers during the funding period. The Demo Day is open to the public, so you can also talk to future users and other interested parties. We will connect you with coaches and other sponsors during the project period. As part of the Prototype Fund network, you will remain closely connected to the program and other participants even after the project period. The project descriptions will also remain available on our website after the end of the funding period.

After ten months, a semi-public final workshop will be held for the Second Stage participants, with a few invited guests. The focus here is on a detailed presentation of the projects.

In addition to publishing the code in an Open Source repository at the end of the project, you will create a short and generally understandable project report for the funding agency, which will also be published. Examples from previous years can be found here. About a year after the funding, we will also contact you for a sustainability evaluation – a follow-up discussion in which we look forward to learning about further project development.

The software must be published under an Open Source license. The code must be publicly accessible (e.g. via a public Github or Bitbucket repository). Here is a guide on open source licenses.