How to apply?

When evaluating applications, the jury pays particular attention if the projects fit into our two funding focus areas, being:

Data security
Data security tools focus on protecting sensitive data from loss, unauthorized access or manipulation. This could be an easier or more secure access to VPN encryption, a software testing tool or an application that implements security by design in another way.

Software infrastructure
Software infrastructure refers to the tools, e.g. code libraries or standardized implementations of protocols, that are necessary for developers to write programs for users and make them usable. Corresponding software projects are therefore generally not aimed at end users but at programmers. The same infrastructure elements are often used for a wide variety of cases. These versatile modules can be exchanged, reused and developed via code repositories. They form the foundation of all the applications we use every day.

The Prototype Fund only funds projects that meet the following criteria:

• You are an individual developer or part of a team of up to four people. As a team, you form a Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GbR) after being selected for funding. Payments to companies, associations, universities, and other institutions are not possible.
• Your idea is a software project and will be published under an open source license. It fits in with our funding focus areas.
• You are of legal age.
• As an individual developer, you are a resident of Germany, self-employed*, or a freelancer and pay your taxes here.
• For teams, you have to be able to found a GbR with a base in Germany, if you are selected for funding. Individual team members may reside in other EU countries.
• Your application must be submitted in full and on time via our application platform in either German or English. If you have any questions or problems, please contact us as soon as possible.

*or released from work by your employer for the duration of the project (pro rata). This means that you can continue to be employed part-time.

Our jury evaluates the projects in terms of innovation, social added value, technical feasibility, and potential for sustainable development. It submits its funding proposal to the BMBF.

jury members

To apply, you must answer a few questions on our application platform. These are as follows:

• Project title
• Briefly describe your project
• Which social issue do you want to address with the project?
• How do you want to realize your project on a technical level?
• Have you already worked on the idea? If so, briefly describe the current status and explain the planned new features.
• What similar approaches already exist and what will make your project different or better?
• Who are the potential users of your project and how do you want to reach them?
• Briefly outline the most important milestones that are to be implemented during the funding period.
• Are you applying for funding as a team?
  For teams: Names of the team members (binding statement)
• In English: Which software projects have you worked on so far?
  For open source projects, please provide a link to the repository
• How many hours in total do you (or does the team) plan to work on the realization of the project during the 6-month funding period?
• Experience, background, motivation, perspective: What should we know about you and take into account when assessing your application?
• Do you apply for the four-month Second Stage funding extension after the six-month regular funding ends?
• If you would like to apply for an extension: Tell us briefly what your project needs to move beyond the prototype stage and how you intend to build your project sustainably over the four months.
• Briefly outline the most important milestones that are to be implemented during the four-months funding extension period.

In addition, you can/must provide some information, e.g., for account creation. These questions may change again at the start of an application phase.

Last updated: September 2025 – subject to change.

Before applying, you should carefully check if you've completed the following:

• I have read the Prototype Fund website and I am familiar with the new focus and structure of the fund.
• I am applying for a software project.
• I am not applying as a company, institution or association, but as a private individual. My team consists of a maximum of four members.
• My application is entirely written in German or English.
• I have written my application in such a way that even someone who is not an expert in my field can understand what I want to do.
• In doing so, I answered the questions: What (do I want to do?), How (will I implement my project?), Why (is this needed?), Who (is my target group?).
• I have considered whether Second Stage funding might be useful for my project. If so, I have applied directly for this funding. I understand that I cannot receive Second Stage funding later if I do not apply for it now.
• I had my application read by an external person. An external view can provide good indications that, for example, something is not clear or important information is missing.
• I have provided a link to a website (Github/Gitlab/Bitbucket or similar). This helps the jury to understand that I am competent to implement the project.
• I have described the technical implementation of my project in concrete terms: specific tools, programming languages, libraries, architecture, etc.
• I have identified my target audiences and thought of how to reach them.
• I have listed the milestones for the implementation of the project. "1/ Backend, 2/ Frontend" is not sufficient for the application.
• I have checked whether there is already an open source version of my project. It is better to acknowledge the existence of similar projects and explain how your project differs from them than to pretend they don't exist – or to refrain from applying if you realize that your idea is not significantly different from existing tools.
• I have assessed that my project can be implemented in the number of hours I have indicated.

The Prototype Fund 's funding consists of two phases: each class consists of the regular six-month funding phase and the subsequent four-month Second Stage. During the regular funding phase, up to 30 projects per class are funded. During these six months, the projects mainly work on developing their software prototypes. Individual developers receive a maximum of €47,500 and teams a maximum of €95,000.

Following a selection process, up to 15 projects have the opportunity to receive four months of follow-up funding in the Second Stage. During this time, the focus is no longer on technical work. The explicit goal of this funding is to bring more projects into sustainable use. Therefore, the focus is less on the technical development of the software and more on disseminating and improving its usability, building a (development) community, or securing financial backing for the project. In this second phase, the recipients take part in start-up coaching, conduct public relations work, carry out user tests, or take care of documenting their work—depending entirely on what the individual project needs. During the Second Stage, individuals receive a maximum of €31,667 and teams a maximum of €63,333.

Important: Only projects that have already indicated in their original application that they wish to continue developing their project in the Second Stage are eligible for follow-up funding. It is no longer possible to change your decision during the regular funding phase.

No. What is important for the regular funding phase is a convincing concept of what you want to implement and are capable of implementing. Qualification for the Second Stage takes place separately from the regular application process. Applying for the Second Stage or not applying for the second stage does neither increase nor decrease your chances of receiving regular funding.

Applicants can (and have to) indicate in their initial application that they wish to develop their project further in the second stage. Three months after the start of the regular funding phase, interested funding projects submit their applications for the second stage. Shortly thereafter, an online presentation takes place in which applicants present their project progress and future plans to a panel consisting of jurors, representatives of the Prototype Fund, and the project management association. Based on the submission and the pitch, the panel decides which maximum of 15 projects will receive Second Stage funding.

There is a problem with technology funding, and FOSS funding in particular: innovations are readily financed, but it often remains unclear what happens next. Few technologies are ready to go into productive operation and become financially self-sustaining after the initial funding.

We have also seen this with many projects in the Prototype Fund. The idea is good, as is the code, but in six months, the team was unable to build a community, promote the project at conferences, or develop a business model in addition to their technical work. When the funding period ends, many return to paid work, their studies, etc. However, this rarely leaves time to continue developing the (former Prototype Fund) project on the side. The result is that the prototypes often do not gain enough visibility, are not used sufficiently, and no community forms around them to support maintenance or user testing, for example.

We want to counteract this with the Second Stage funding phase.

The BMFTR’s funding decision is based on a recommendation from our jury. The jury supports us with its knowledge and experience in the areas of IT security, infrastructure, software building blocks and Open Source. The jury evaluates the numerous submissions in terms of their prospects of success, meaningfulness and added value for society.

The jury proposes 25 to 30 projects per round for funding.

At the start of the application phase, you will find the link to the application platform here on the website. Answer all the questions on our application platform and click on “submit for review”. You will then receive an automatic e-mail to set your password for the application platform.

If you need support or something is not working properly, you can reach us here: info@prototypefund.de.

Our application manual (in German, English version is currently being updated) will guide you step by step through the application questions.

Not at all. Using the application form, you can briefly and clearly describe to the jury what you would like to implement: in concise texts that explain the core of your idea, describe the effort involved in the project ( is a team needed?) and make clear the connection to our funded focus areas.
If your project is selected by the jury, you will then have to submit a somewhat more extensive formal application in accordance with the BMFTR’s funding guideline. We will help you with the application and organize a joint application workshop for this purpose.

Yes.

Yes, but the Prototype Fund project should be clearly distinguishable within the project and have an independent degree of novelty, for example, if you plan to expand or supplement your project with a module. In any case, it must be clearly recognizable what will be developed during the funding period.

No. The Prototype Fund only funds software projects – however, we do have a sister project, the Prototype Fund Hardware:

More Information

No. Teams must join together as a GbR to receive funding.

As a student, you must observe the working student rule: You cannot work on the project full-time while studying full-time, but only for a maximum of 20 hours per week during the semester for a period of six months.

The following applies to those of retirement age who are interested in funding: Only those who have reached the so-called standard retirement age are allowed to earn an unlimited amount in addition to their statutory pension. The standard retirement age is defined in the Sozialgesetzbuch VI (§ 35 Sentence 2 SGB VI) and is reached at the age of 67. Those who retired earlier are subject to income limits.

Teams must form a Gesellschaft bürgerlichen Rechts (GbR) after being selected by the jury. No other legal form is permitted for teams that receive funding through Prototype Fund.

All team members receiving funding from the Prototype Fund must be registered as resident in the EU. However, the registered office of the GbR (and the place of residence of the managing director) must be in Germany. Teams selected for funding by the jury submit the formal application as a civil-law association (GbR). The applicant is always the GbR – all persons who are to receive funding must be united in the GbR: subcontracting to third parties is not permitted. You appoint a project manager or another partner as managing director, who legally represents the GbR externally (and, for example, participates in the application workshop and signs the appilcation).
We will provide you with a template for setting up a GbR when you submit your application – only then is it necessary to set one up. If you want to be funded as a team, you should also identify the individual components of the project and assign them to the people in the team.

If your project is selected by the jury, you will then have to submit a formal application in accordance with the BMFTR’s funding guideline. We will support you in this process in the formal application workshop and help you complete the formalities. If the jury has imposed conditions on your project idea, these will be incorporated. In addition, further documents must be submitted. The BMBF will use this application to decide whether a project will receive funding.

Here is a checklist of the documents to be submitted for project approval:

For all:

• Project description (essentially consists of the initial application),
• de-minimis declaration (you will receive a template from us),
• a bank statement (at least the balance of your own contribution to the scope of the project).

For Teams:

• (Civil-law) partnership (GbR) contract (one person must be authorized to represent the partnership, you will receive a template from us)
• the postal addresses of all GbR members,
• details of the GbR bank account (can also be done after approval),
• GbR tax number/registration with the tax office (can also be done after approval),
• if required, proof of personal securities of the GbR members (SCHUFA information).