Digitalisation funding in Baden-Württemberg, the 2026 picture

The situation has changed

Anyone searching for digitalisation funding in Baden-Württemberg today finds plenty of outdated pages. Many still recommend the Digitalisierungsprämie Plus, a grant programme that supported small and mid-sized companies for years. That grant variant expired on 30 June 2025.

Since 1 July 2025, state funding runs through the L-Bank Digitalisierungsfinanzierung. The programme is built as a loan, structured in three funding tiers. Tiers two and three add a repayment subsidy that still carries the name Digitalisierungsprämie. As of today, the programme runs until 30 June 2027.

In practice this means the free grant has become a subsidised financing with a grant component. That sounds more sober, but it remains relevant for many projects, especially where financing was planned anyway.

What can be funded

The programme supports digitalisation projects of small and mid-sized companies. Typical examples from our work that point in this direction are replacing paper and spreadsheet processes with fitting software, connecting separate systems through interfaces, or a customer portal that removes queries and phone loops.

Whether a specific project qualifies is decided solely by the L-Bank programme terms. Experience with funded projects shows a pattern, though. The more clearly a project digitalises workflows and the more measurable the effect, the easier the justification. A website that is merely a business card has a harder time than a project where enquiries, appointments or orders run digitally end to end.

The three rules that almost always apply

First, the application comes before the order. Whoever commissions first and applies later is out. This is the most common and most expensive mix-up.

Second, the project needs a clear description. What gets digitalised, what changes in daily operations, how will the result be visible. Exactly the questions that belong at the start of a good project anyway.

Third, involve the house bank early. The Digitalisierungsfinanzierung is provided by L-Bank and is usually applied for through the company's own bank. Knowing the route saves weeks.

What this means for companies in the Ortenau region

For businesses in Offenburg and the region, the entry point is what changes most. Instead of waiting for the next grant call, it pays to look at the current programme and at the question which project would have the biggest effect in daily operations. The order stays the same, first understand where time and money get stuck, then set a direction, then build.

We support that sequence from analysis to operations and provide what funding programmes want to see, a clear project description with verifiable goals. Binding information on terms and eligibility comes from L-Bank, with current details on the pages of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Economic Affairs and L-Bank.