Question 1

Does my company already have to be founded to submit an application?

Accepted Answer

No – and it is often even strategically smart to submit the grant application before founding. The golden rule is: You must not have started the project yet. Founding and bank account opening can happen after submission or approval. You only need a physical address in Austria for registration with the funding agencies. Important: The founders must be predominantly based in Austria and at least 51% of the project costs must be incurred in Austria.

Question 2

Which legal form is optimal for maximum funding?

Accepted Answer

GmbH and FlexCo are the ideal vehicles – they offer limited liability and a clean separation of private and company assets. Partnerships (OG, KG) can also be funded under certain conditions. Sole proprietorships are eligible in some programs but are less suitable for scaling tech projects, as no own salary can be billed as personnel costs.

Question 3

Does the company headquarters play a role in funding eligibility?

Accepted Answer

Yes. For national funding (FFG, aws), the company must have a permanent establishment in Austria. For regional programs (e.g. Wirtschaftsagentur Wien or SFG Styria), the value creation and establishment must be located in the respective federal state. Employees billed via the project must generally be employed in Austria.

Question 4

Can we apply for funding if we already generate revenue?

Accepted Answer

Yes, revenue is actually a plus as it demonstrates economic viability. What matters is: The specific innovation project for which you apply must not yet be on the market and must not have started yet (incentive effect). Existing products and company revenues are not an obstacle.

Question 5

What is the "company in difficulty" (UiS) regulation and when is a company excluded from funding?

Accepted Answer

According to the GBER (General Block Exemption Regulation), a "company in difficulty" is excluded from funding. This applies to companies that have existed for more than three years and where more than half of the share capital has been consumed by losses. Mitigating circumstances (e.g. long-term subordinated shareholder loans or a more recent annual report) can change the assessment. We check this for you in advance.

Question 6

Is my project innovative enough for funding?

Accepted Answer

You do not need to conduct basic research. What is funded is "Experimental Development" – the new combination of existing knowledge and technologies to create an improved or entirely new product. The key question is: The path to the goal must involve technical uncertainties and development risks. If it is clear upfront how it will be built and that it will work, it is considered pure engineering and is not eligible. We help you make exactly this risk visible to the funding agency.

Question 7

Do significant improvements to existing systems count as innovation?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It does not have to be an absolute world first. A significant industry novelty or radical improvement of existing technology (e.g. in performance, AI accuracy, or scalability) is sufficient, provided strong technical challenges must be overcome.

Question 8

Are non-technical projects (environment, social, diversity) eligible for funding?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Programs like FFG "Impact Innovation" fund social innovations where processes, inclusion, or methods take center stage. The Wirtschaftsagentur Wien also has special calls on topics like "Tech4People" or sustainability. Ecology plays a positive role in almost every funding application today.

Question 9

Are webshops or pure marketing measures eligible for funding?

Accepted Answer

Standard webshops (Shopify, WooCommerce) and pure marketing expenses (Google Ads, sales) are generally not eligible as the technical risk is missing. Exception: You are developing an entirely new technology (e.g. an AI-powered pricing engine). For pure digitalization, there are small programs like "KMU Digital", which we at qubitec do not cover in our core offering.

Question 10

Are already started projects eligible for funding?

Accepted Answer

No – this is an absolute knockout criterion. Due to the "incentive effect", the project may only start after the official submission of the grant application. Costs and contracts incurred before submission are not funded. Once the application is submitted, you may start on your own risk the very next day – those costs are then retroactively eligible.

Question 11

Are there minimum sizes or maximum budgets for projects?

Accepted Answer

This varies by program. FFG Small Project: up to approx. €150,000 total costs. FFG Basic Program or aws Seed: often €300,000 to over €1,000,000. At qubitec, we focus on projects from approx. €100,000 project volume, where the effort is worthwhile for both sides.

Question 12

What funding programs currently exist in Austria?

Accepted Answer

The three key players: FFG (Austrian Research Promotion Agency) – focused on R&D and technology development (Small Project, Basic Program, Projekt.Start, Research Premium). AWS (Austria Wirtschaftsservice) – focused on founding, deep tech, and scaling (Preseed, Seedfinancing, Guarantees). Wirtschaftsagentur Wien and regional agencies – focused on regional value creation and innovation. We develop the optimal strategy, often with parallel submissions to multiple agencies.

Question 13

What is the difference between a grant and a loan?

Accepted Answer

A grant is gifted money – with proper project execution, it never has to be repaid, even if the project fails technically. A loan (e.g. in the FFG Basic Program) must be repaid but is often interest-free with long grace periods. In the FFG Basic Program, total financing (grant + loan) can cover up to 70% of costs.

Question 14

What are typical funding rates?

Accepted Answer

For SMEs, non-repayable grants are usually between 35% and 45% of total costs. Through bonuses (e.g. cooperation with universities), the rate can increase to 50–60%. A 100% grant for classic R&D projects does not exist – there must always be an own contribution. Exception: FFG Projekt.Start with a flat €6,000.

Question 15

Does the equity need to be in the company account at the time of application?

Accepted Answer

No. Our most important practical tip: Show your money upfront! It is sufficient to submit private bank statements of the shareholders with the application. A signed LoI or Term Sheet from investors with a concrete sum is also recognized as proof of financing. The money is meant to be spent – it does not need to remain in the account during the project.

Question 16

How and when is the funding disbursed?

Accepted Answer

Funding is paid in installments: First installment directly after contract signing, further installments after interim and final reports. Since funding only covers part of the costs (e.g. 45%), the remaining costs (salaries, etc.) must be pre-financed from own resources. After approval and contract signing, the first payment usually arrives within a few weeks.

Question 17

Can different funding programs be combined?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but the ban on double funding is strict: The same cost position may never be billed to two funding agencies. The solution: We split your roadmap into cleanly separated sub-projects – e.g. Project A at the Wirtschaftsagentur Wien, Project B at the FFG. This way, we maximize your total funding legally and strategically.

Question 18

What is FFG Projekt.Start and why is it relevant for our clients?

Accepted Answer

FFG Projekt.Start pays startups and SMEs a flat €6,000 as preparation funding for external application writing. We use this as standard to refinance our €6,000 onboarding fee for you 100% tax-free – a central building block of our "Zero Net Cost" model.

Question 19

How does the submission process with qubitec work?

Accepted Answer

Our process is designed for maximum efficiency: 1) Qualification in short calls. 2) Fully automated onboarding (e-signature, Drive folder, WhatsApp group) + parallel Projekt.Start submission. 3) Deep-dive kickoff meeting (60–90 min.) where we capture your technology, team, and vision. 4) We write the complete grant application (project description, work packages, risks, cost plan). 5) You review the draft in Google Docs – after your approval, we handle the formal submission.

Question 20

What documents are needed?

Accepted Answer

We only need the raw data: CVs of core team members, commercial register extract and company data, Letters of Intent from pilot customers or partners (very important for market relevance), proof of financing (bank statement, investor LoI), and if available, an existing pitch deck or technical sketches. We handle the complete preparation and formulation.

Question 21

What does the timeline look like?

Accepted Answer

After onboarding, the kickoff usually takes place within one week. We deliver the first draft approx. 3 business days after the kickoff. Total duration from kickoff to submission is typically 4 to 6 weeks. The limiting factor is usually your response time for review and documents. From submission to funding approval, it takes about 3 months.

Question 22

How much time does our team need to invest?

Accepted Answer

Minimal. Through our process, we reduce your effort to: ~30 min. initial call, ~90 min. kickoff (deep-dive interview), ~2–3 hours for review and document procurement. Total: approx. 4 to 5 hours net working time. The rest – over 60 pages of application plus cost plan – we write.

Question 23

What happens if our application is rejected?

Accepted Answer

We analyze the detailed jury feedback and revise the application. Our base package includes one free resubmission per rejected application. Often it also makes sense to incorporate the feedback and submit to a different agency (e.g. Wirtschaftsagentur Wien instead of FFG). At qubitec, you bear no financial risk – all costs are 100% funded or success-based.

Question 24

How does the support work after submission and project completion?

Accepted Answer

We accompany you through the entire lifecycle: For inquiries from the funding agency, we prepare the answers. For hearings or pitches, you receive intensive coaching from us. After approval, we help with accounting – we tell you which receipts and timesheets you need, and formulate interim and final reports in the proper format based on your input.

Question 25

Do I need a technical co-founder (CTO)?

Accepted Answer

For software, AI, or deep tech projects, in-house technical core competence is strongly recommended. Funding agencies invest in teams that build know-how internally. A pure business team that outsources all development is usually rejected. The combination of a strong internal tech lead with supporting external service providers is ideal.

Question 26

Do all listed persons have to actively work on the project?

Accepted Answer

Yes – "pro forma" listings are worthless and risky. Funding is based on real costs: You only receive money for persons whose hours can be documented through exact timesheets. Anyone who does not actively work causes no eligible costs. During an audit, sham listings can jeopardize the entire funding.

Question 27

Can freelancers and external partners be involved?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Freelancers are included as "third-party costs" but are not considered own personnel for funding purposes. Third-party costs should ideally not exceed 30–40% of the total budget. Scientific partners (universities, universities of applied sciences) bring an enormous bonus – they significantly increase the funding rate (e.g. from 45% to 60%) and validate the innovation level.

Question 28

Can we fund personnel that we will only hire in the future?

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is actually the norm. In the application, we list positions as "N.N." (to be appointed), plan salaries, and argue which profile is needed for each role. Employees must generally be employed at the Austrian establishment for billing purposes.

Question 29

How are founders' own contributions valued?

Accepted Answer

If you work on the project as a shareholder without paying yourself a salary, you can claim "notional own contributions" (max. approx. €86,000 annual gross basis). This reduces the need for cash resources – typically 15–20% of the project volume can be covered this way. Important: The FFG recognizes this, the aws often does not.

Question 30

What happens if a team member leaves the company?

Accepted Answer

No problem – this is normal business. You inform the funding agency (usually in the interim report) that Person A has been replaced by Person B. As long as the project goal remains achievable and the qualifications match, this is uncritical.

Question 31

Is there personal liability for managing directors?

Accepted Answer

Funding is granted to the company (e.g. GmbH). Personal liability only exists in cases of gross negligence, fraud, or intentional false accounting. If the project is conducted properly – even if it fails technically – nobody is personally liable. Research risk is explicitly anticipated.

Question 32

Are my data and project ideas protected during submission?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We work with integrated NDAs in the client agreement. The funding agencies and their jurors are also subject to the strictest confidentiality. Your technology will not be published.

Question 33

What happens during an audit by the Court of Auditors?

Accepted Answer

Since funding comes from tax revenue, the Court of Auditors can conduct spot checks years later. That is why clean documentation (invoices, timesheets, reports) is essential. We set up the documentation from the start so that you can rest easy during any audit.

Question 34

Can I bring investors on board during the project?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. Fresh capital pleases the funding agency as it further secures the co-financing. A change of shareholders is also generally not a problem as long as the core technological competence remains in the company and the project continues. Important changes only need to be reported.

Question 35

What happens to the funding in case of insolvency?

Accepted Answer

In case of insolvency during the project, the funded project is typically terminated. Grants already correctly spent on completed work generally do not need to be repaid. Outstanding installments will no longer be paid out. Details depend on the respective contract terms.

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