Secure up to 4.2 million € tax credits per year.

With this government funding, you can recover up to 35% of your R&D costs.

What is the research allowance?

With R&D tax credits (= research allowance), the government supports companies that invest in research and development. Businesses developing new or significantly improved products, methods, or processes may be able to recover a significant portion of their costs.

Arrange an initial consultation

Get back up to 35% of your R&D costs

Eligible costs of up to €12 million per year

4 years of retroactive application possible

Research allowance calculator

Calculate your estimated funding amount in seconds, based on your personnel costs for research and development.

5
80.000 €
70%

Mögliche Förderung / Jahr

€0

Geschätzt auf Basis der Forschungszulage

Which companies can use the research allowance?

The research allowance is aimed at companies of all sizes who are innovative
Develop products, methods, or processes.

VC-financed startups

Startups with high development costs can benefit in particular - often during the entire product development process. The research allowance can help create liquidity for further growth.

SMEs & corporations

SMEs are the backbone of Germany as a location for innovation. Many eligible innovations are created here - for example in machines, software or production processes.

Software or hardware

Whether software or hardware: If there is a technical risk, corresponding projects may be eligible for funding - such as new platforms, algorithms, prototypes, technical components or digital products.

150+ companies secure their research allowance with SectorPi.

Thanks to the combination of our funding platform and personal support from our experts, you save valuable time and costs and maximize your success.

100%

of our funding applications were approved. *
*As of May 2026

Avg. 4h

total workload for our customers.

Avg. €400k

are distributed to our customers.

This expenditure is encouraged

As part of the research allowance, extensive spending on research and development can be funded - SMEs benefit from particularly attractive funding rates.

personnel expenses

25-35% of personnel costs for employees subject to social security contributions in research and development - e.g. in software development, product management or technical areas, are funded.

Contract costs & freelancers

15-24.5% of expenditure for external parties is funded - for example by research institutions, development service providers or freelancers within the EU or an EEA state.

Depreciation of assets

25-35% of depreciation on assets used for research and development, such as machinery, laboratory equipment or technical systems, are funded.

Funding in just a few steps with SectorPi

“We had a lot of questions because the process was new to us. But SectorPi's commitment, combined with expertise, was exceptional. That was not standard advice, but real support.”

Max Krumbholz
Senior Data Privacy & Quality Manager
Climedo Health GmbH
1. Free consultation

In the initial interview, we will analyse together whether the research allowance is the right instrument for you. Should other funding opportunities be a better fit, we will give an honest assessment.

In a non-binding appointment, we will discuss your project in detail. We estimate funding opportunities and give you a forecast of the expected amount and time of payout - even before a binding cooperation begins.

2. Submitting an application

Our experienced R&D consultants create the content for you - precisely and to the point. You provide the project data, we do the preparation.

The research and development activities are clearly presented in our platform so that you always have a full overview.

Transfer your employee data directly from DATEV or your HR tool to our platform. In combination with work planning in the tool, our platform automatically calculates the eligible costs and creates all important billing documents such as time sheets and tabular evaluations.

If there are any questions from the certification body after the application has been submitted, we will help you answer them. We are even by your side until an objection is reached.

As soon as you have received the positive funding notification, we will show you how to apply to the tax office - step by step.

3. Scalable process

You can apply for the research allowance annually. Your master data is retained in our platform - you don't have to start from scratch every time.

Your data can be transferred to other funding agencies in the future, making the process faster and easier.

We are constantly developing our product to apply for funding even more efficiently. Leave your email to stay informed.

Our experts We would be happy to advise you.

Our team combines 20 years of experience in research and innovation funding to provide you with optimal support.

More about SectorPi
150+ happy customers

You don't have to be a funding expert - we'll do that for you.

Find out without obligation whether your development is eligible for funding and how SectorPi can help you with your funding application.

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