Who We Are
IraSME is a network of R&D funding programmes from different countries / regions that share the same goal: Supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in their innovation efforts.
The network coordination is financed by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) and carried out by AiF Projekt GmbH in Berlin.
Our Mission
The idea is to fund international projects on a national / regional level with as little extra effort as possible. We try to make the application process as easy and the evaluation as quick as possible. At the same time we aim at keeping the administrative aspects of the projects as easy as possible for the participating agencies and ministries.
Our Vision
Innovation without borders. Especially in the context of SMEs and technological innovation, transnational calls for proposals are often a lot more complicated than applying for funding on a national / regional level.
The goal of the IraSME network is to reduce the threshold for international cooperation by making local funding schemes available to international projects.
USEFUL INFORMATION
How to get funded
IraSME is not a funding programme. It is a joint initiative by independent national/regional funding organisations, which means that SMEs apply for financial support directly with their corresponding national/regional institutions or funding programmes, such as COIN for Austrian project partners, ZIM for German partners, etc. IraSME functions as an umbrella to make sure you apply with the same project in all jurisdictions involved.
The decision if you get a grant or not will always be based on your national applications. We recommend making your national applications your first priority. Once prepared, it should be an easy task to fill in the joint IraSME Application form which serves as a summary for the whole project.
If you have questions regarding concrete funding conditions that are not answered in the Countries / Regions pages, please contact the corresponding representative listed on those pages. If you have questions regarding the formal procedure or the overall concept of IraSMe, please contact the coordination office.
You can also complete a short self-check on your idea and documents in the How to build a project section.
OVERVIEW
Providing Best Solutions For
Growing Your Business
Get your funding locally but cooperate internationally
IraSME was initiated in 2005 as an ERA-NET. Until 2010 it was supported by the European Commission’s 6th and 7th Framework Programme for Research and Development.
Since January 2011 IraSME is a self-sustained network of several national funding agencies coordinated by the German AiF Projekt GmbH with financial means from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK).
CLIENT'S TESTIMONIALS
What Our Clients and Partners Say
We use the successful IraSME format for the first steps in international development cooperation between international SMEs, R & D institutions and us.We appreciate the simple structured application process and the very good support from the IraSME team. The application process is transparent and easy to understand because it is based on regional funding conditions.Due to the constant extension of the program towards participating countries, very good long-term international development cooperation can be established. Without such a program, such international risky R & D projects will not be feasible.
Klaus Richter, Executive Director, ITP GmbH – Society for Intelligent Textile Products
Weimar, Germany
The IraSME network has allowed us to easily coordinate our funding program with those of numerous other jurisdictions, thus vastly increasing opportunities for the companies we support. The network provides numerous benefits, creates significant additional impact, and allows our applicants to work with the very best partners, all while streamlining effort and administration.
Katelyn Petersen, Ph.D. Executive Director, German-Canadian Centre for Innovation and Research
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
IRASME promotes cooperation between the countries in research and development, the application in this funding program is very easy and it is processed quickly. The employees of ZIM international support us in the application and are helpful to the side, the application process is unbureaucratic and there is a fair evaluation of the project idea with a high approval rate. Competent institutions are also available in the partner countries for the project application, to which the foreign cooperation partners can turn. I can only recommend IRASME and look forward to many exciting new projects with international partners.
Dr.-Ing. Barbara Leydolph, Leiterin Forschungsbereich Baustoffe, IAB – INSTITUT FÜR ANGEWANDTE BAUFORSCHUNG WEIMAR gemeinnützige GmbH
Weimar , Germany
IraSME projects offer a great opportunity for Flemish SME's to get into contact and work together with foreign companies and research centres.
Ria Bruynseels, Call management, Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship
Brussels, Belgium
To apply for an IRAsme proposal was worth the effort. The unbureaucratic procedure and the good support by AiF Projekt GmbH paved the way to be successful in the first run. After getting a go on the international level we had no problems to achieve national fundings for all partners. The international cooperation opens up new opportunities in technology and business.
Ruediger Moll, IMST GmbH
Kamp-Lintfort, Germany
Information on our partner network CORNET:
If you are an SME association and your SME members have a common R&D question that needs to be solved by research centres or universities, you may benefit from the transnational funding opportunities the CORNET network can offer. CORNET links national and regional funding programmes for Collective Research in order to promote cooperation between SME associations and research organisations across the globe: www.cornet.online