The BMWE promotes creative business models and social solutions
With its Innovation Programme for Business Models and Pioneering Solutions (IGP), the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) specifically supports non-technical innovations from small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The programme focuses on novel ideas for solving societal challenges – regardless of technological prerequisites. It opens up diverse opportunities for creative business models, social innovations, and new platform formats, which are of particular interest to innovation-intensive regions such as North Rhine-Westphalia.
Funding is provided through topic-specific calls for proposals, which take place approximately every six months. The current call, dated June 4, 2025, focuses on innovative approaches to securing skilled workers and integrating them into the labor market. Projects eligible for funding include those related to vocational training, the integration of disadvantaged groups, work-life balance, and the promotion of mental health and inclusion in the workplace. The application deadline is August 19, 2025, at 3:00 p.m.
Another call for proposals is planned for the end of 2025 and will focus on business models for increasing the attractiveness and quality of life in urban and rural areas. This includes concepts for co-working, smart city approaches, regional mobility and energy projects, and innovations in local supply – topics that are also highly relevant for cities and regions in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Eligible participants include SMEs, start-ups, freelancers, non-profit organizations, and cooperating research institutions. Funding is available for both smaller feasibility studies and larger projects aimed at market readiness – as individual or collaborative endeavors. A high degree of innovation is the decisive factor.
Source: www.bundeswirtschaftsministerium.de
