What Does the Criterion "Systematic" Mean for the Forschungszulage?
Summary
Systematic in the BSFZ sense means: your innovation project is not "trial and error without structure", but follows clearly defined technical tasks, objectives and a traceable project plan (e.g. work packages, schedule, resources/team, milestones and expected interim results). This traceability is often the key to having a project certified as eligible for funding.
Terms & context: BSFZ · Personenmonat · Requirements
Why This Criterion Matters
Many companies fail not because of the idea, but because of the presentation: the Forschungszulage promotes above all innovation in companies – but only if it is recognisable as a systematic, goal-oriented project. "Systematic" is therefore crucial because the BSFZ uses it to assess whether there is a genuine innovation project with technical substance – and not routine, support or pure day-to-day operations.
Definition: What Does "Systematic" Concretely Mean?
According to the BSFZ, a systematic approach requires that the work contains precisely defined tasks of a scientific or technical nature with clearly established objectives. The planning is typically evidenced by:
- Schedule or work plan (roadmap, sprint/release plan, project phases)
- Resource and personnel planning (who does what, with what hours/budget)
- Work packages (WPs) and, where applicable, milestones
- Description of process steps and the expected (interim) results
- Documentation of the approach and results (so that the procedure remains traceable)
Resource & personnel planning (context):
Important: Systematic does not mean "rigid". Agile projects can also be systematic – as long as objectives, hypotheses, iterations and results are clearly described.
What "Systematic" Is Not (Common Misconceptions)
Not systematic (or at least difficult to justify) are e.g.:
- "We'll try out a few tools and see what works."
- Pure production start-up, pure routine optimisation without technological uncertainty
- Routine debugging or support of existing systems (without technical innovation)
- Pure market analysis or data evaluation using standard methods
Debugging context:
Practical Examples: How "Systematic" Looks in Real Innovation Projects
Practical examples:
Example 1: AI/Camera Real-Time Analysis in Production (Industrial AI)
Systematic, if you define e.g.:
- Objective: detection of cycle problems/overload/process deviations in real time under production conditions
- Work packages: data collection & labelling (only as far as needed for the innovation objective), model approach, edge deployment, validation against defined KPIs
- Milestones: prototype running in test environment → pilot at the line → robustness/latency target achieved or falsified
This makes it visible: it is a budgeted, structured innovation process – not just "training a model".
Example 2: New Search Technology / New Algorithms in Software
Software can be eligible for funding when it addresses technical progress. Systematic means here:
- clear technical question (e.g. novel ranking/retrieval logic, new architecture, new encryption/security method)
- defined experiments (comparative design, benchmarks, test data, abort criteria)
- documentation of results (why approach A was discarded, why B is being pursued)
Example 3: Prompting Techniques for Consistent Image Styles (Creative Tech)
Here too, a systematic approach counts, if you set it up like an innovation project:
- hypotheses (which prompt structures increase style coherence?)
- test matrix (parameters, templates, evaluation criteria)
- reproducible templates/library as a result
Then it is systematic and traceable rather than "we just prompt around".
Mini Checklist: How to Formulate "Systematic Approach" in Your Application
Application process:
If you want to check in 10 minutes whether your project comes across as "systematic", answer:
- Target picture: What is the technical objective (not just the business goal)?
- Technical tasks: Which specific sub-problems need to be solved?
- Approach model: Which steps/phases are planned (agile also possible)?
- Resources: Who is working on it (roles) and over what timeframe?
- Milestones: Which verifiable interim states are planned?
- Results: Which artefacts will be created (prototype, tests, specification, documentation)?
Why the Forschungszulage Is So Attractive for Innovation
The Forschungszulage is one of the strongest, technology-neutral innovation incentives in Germany – precisely because it is not tied to funding calls and works even when a project fails (uncertainty is explicitly part of the logic).
Further reading:
- Forschungszulage or Invest BW – which funding fits?
- The 8 most frequently asked questions about the Forschungszulage
If you want to implement it quickly and cleanly: dieforschungszulage.de supports companies in structuring innovation projects in a BSFZ-compliant way and applying for the Forschungszulage efficiently. More information is available directly at dieforschungszulage.de.
Official Classification & Process (Brief)
- Step 1: BSFZ checks whether the project meets the criteria (incl. novelty, risk/uncertainty, systematic approach).
- Step 2: Application to the tax office via ELSTER (with BSFZ certificate).
Do you still have questions about this topic?
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