Go-Digital is a funding program from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi) that supports small and medium-sized companies in the commercial industry and trade financially in the digitization process. Due to the Corona virus, this nationwide program is now being extended to financially support the setup of home workplaces.
The program “Go-Digital” offers three different modules that support digitization in different was: “Digital market development”, “IT security” and “Digitized business processes”. The first two modules focus on aspects such as the development of online marketing strategies, internet presence, risk analysis and security systems in the IT area. The area of home workplaces has recently become a component of the module “Digitized business processes”.
What is funded?
Under the module “Digitized business processes”, SMEs can have the setup of home workplaces funded from now on. This includes, for example, IT services that are required when setting up home workplaces, as well as the installation and setup of the respective hardware. Software that is used and that goes beyond current standards may be funded.
The funding applications go through one of the 1,000 or so authorized Go-Digital consultants. These consultants are obliged to provide advice on a product-neutral basis and submit the application together with the company for the eligible resources, tools and services officially via the portal easy-Online.
What is not eligible for support
Due to the urgency of the current situation, a premature start of measures is now also possible without an award notice. SMEs that are planning to use Go-Digital do not have to wait for 8 weeks, as is the case for the first two modules “Digital market development” and “IT security” – after receipt of the application has been confirmed by the project management agency Euronorm, consulting can start.
The module does not cover any pure investment measures, hardware or standard software. Independent professions, agriculture and forestry enterprises, as well as management consulting companies are generally excluded from the Go-Digital program.
Which criteria does a company need to meet?
The SMEs need to meet certain criteria:
- less than 100 employees (related to full-time equivalents),
- an annual turnover or a balance sheet total of maximum 20 million Euros in the year before conclusion of the contract
- eligibility according to the de minimus regulation