Industries

All sectors, especially projects in energy transition, environmental and/or climate protection, circular economy, information and communication technologies, production, mobility transition, space, aviation, and health.

Company size

All company sizes

Development phase

The projects are eligible for funding in different business phases:

1. Pre-seed phase (no partnership or corporation established)
2. Formation and initial growth phase
3. Expansion phase

Requirements

1. The application is submitted before the start of the project.
2. The company's registered office or permanent establishment is in Austria.
3. Compliance with state aid limits according to AGVO or de-minimis.
4. The project aims to implement or use innovative, trustworthy AI.
5. The project is also focused on preparation for/or implementation of upcoming AI regulations, standards, norms, or certifications.

Success rate

14 %

Type of funding

Non-repayable grant

Funding amount

If de-minimis is applicable:

Up to 80% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 150,000 under de-minimis regulation.

If Article 22 of the GBER (aid for young innovative enterprises) is applicable:

Up to 80% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 150,000.

If Article 25 of the GBER (aid for experimental development projects) is applicable:

• Up to 25% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 150,000 for large companies,
• Up to 35% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 150,000 for medium-sized enterprises,
• Up to 45% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 150,000 for small enterprises. 

Project duration

12 months

Eligible costs

Costs directly related to the project:

• Personnel costs, e.g. salaries, wages
• Training costs
• Material costs – i.e. tangible and intangible investments, such as software licenses, patents, etc.
• Third-party costs, e.g. for consulting, software development

Approval period

1-3 months

Disbursement

You will receive the grant in three tranches after reaching predefined milestones.

Repayment

Non-repayable

Costs

none

Additional funding

aws AI-Start

aws AI-Knowledge (German)

aws KI-Marktplatz

• Projects without trustworthy artificial intelligence as a central project element.
• Projects, where the use of artificial intelligence does not bring any significant technical or economic advantage.
• Projects, in which the core know-how does not lie within the submitting company.
• Projects that do not focus on legal regulations, standards, norms or certifications.
• Projects that do not meet the formal criteria and objectives (see programme document).
• Projects which started before submission of application.
• Projects, where full financing can’t be demonstrated.

• Application has to be exclusively sent via aws Fördermanager.
• Submission: The call is open from 1 February 2023 to 31 March 2023 12:00.
•  Please use the mandatory templates: 
  - Business plan
  - Integral planning
• The first review (formal and program objectives) will be carried out by aws experts according to the best-of principle.
• Positively pre-evaluated projects present their project to an external jury. The jury evaluates the projects according to the best-of principle.
• The funding decision will be made by aws based on the jury's funding recommendation.
• The result is expected to be announced from 12 June 2023.