aws Digitalization - special Terms / Conditions AI-Start
The aim of AI-Start is the first-time implementation of trusted AI projects in SMEs in collaboration with a cooperation and implementation partner.
Industries
All sectors
Company size
Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
Requirements
- The application is submitted before the start of the project.
- The company's registered office or permanent establishment is in Austria.
- Compliance with state aid limits according to AGVO or de-minimis.
- An offer from a potential cooperation and implementation partner must be available uploaded upon application (potential cooperation and implementation partners can be found on the aws KI-Marktplatz).
- A trustworthy AI project is implemented in an SME for the first time.
For more information on the requirements, please refer to the program document (available in German)
Success rate
25 %
Type of funding
Non-repayable grant
Funding amount
Up to 50% of the eligible project costs and up to EUR 15,000
Project duration
9 months
Eligible costs
Consulting and implementation costs:
Costs for external consulting and implementation services directly related to the planning, implementation, and execution of the initial AI project. This includes, for example:
- Survey of the potential of AI use in the SME.
- Identification of suitable use cases
- Creating the (data) requirements and/or project planning
- Implementation and realization of an (pilot) AI-project
Approval period
1-4 Monate
Disbursement
You will receive the grant at the end of the project after final completion of the project accounting.
Repayment
Non-repayable
Costs
None
Additional funding / Complementary services
What cannot be funded?
- Projects that are not first-time AI projects.
- Projects without an existing offer from a cooperation and implementation partner.
- Projects in which the application is not submitted by an SME.
- Projects where the trustworthiness of artificial intelligence has not been sufficiently considered.
- Projects in which the use of artificial intelligence does not provide a significant technical or economic advantage.
- Projects that do not meet the formal and content criteria (see program document available in German).
- Projects that were started before the application was submitted.
- Projects for which full financing cannot 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.
- The formal and conceptual review is carried out by the aws experts according to the best-of principle.

