Germany publishes funding guideline for the AI IPCEI

Companies, start-ups, SMEs and research institutions in Germany can now formally apply under the 'Important Project of Common European Interest' on artificial intelligence, with up to €25m of funding per project. Sixteen EU member states are taking part; European matchmaking of the nationally pre-selected project outlines has been running since spring 2026.

The funding guideline was published in the Federal Gazette on 27 July 2026, completing the national expression-of-interest procedure whose outline deadline closed in January 2026. The funding still requires state aid approval from the European Commission.