Erich Lehmann — Gründer, Die Forschungszulage

Forschungszulage consulting — we understand your tech and maximize your funding

Most Forschungszulage consultants don't understand your innovation well enough to truly take the burden off your shoulders. We do, because we're technical ourselves. We handle the entire application process — you invest less than 5 hours in calls.

Our process: 4 calls to your Forschungszulage

1

Finance Checklist

We clarify which documents you need — as a company-specific checklist. You just forward it to your tax advisor.

30 min
2

Finance Review

We structure your data ourselves (employees, salaries, contractors) and clarify final questions. For you, it's just review.

30 min
3

Product & Innovation

We identify your innovation projects, assign employees by percentage, and discuss novelty and technical risk.

45 min
4

Final Review & Submission

You get an async review upfront. If everything checks out, we submit — otherwise we use call 4 as a deeper product call.

30 min

Forschungszulage without consulting — what's at stake

25% rejection rate industry-wide

The average rejection rate at the certification body is 25%. Ours is 8%.

"We don't do research."

You probably do — in the legal sense. You don't need a lab. Software development, new algorithms, technical feasibility studies — it all counts. Most companies underestimate how much of their daily work is eligible.

Incomplete documentation

In a tax audit without bulletproof timesheets and records, you risk paying back the entire grant.

CTOs and innovation leaders are busy enough

Learning funding guidelines takes weeks. Time your team needs for product development.

Real example: One company tried it themselves: filed one project, received €50,000. In doing so, they likely lost millions — the formal error made the decision final.

Technical expertise — not just paperwork

We speak the reviewers' language

The reviewers at the BSFZ are engineers and programmers — we write applications with technical depth, not surface-level claims.

Founded by a builder, not a consultant

Erich has built multiple products as a technical founder and is a Y Combinator alumnus. He understands how innovation projects actually work.

Cross-industry experience

From AI to MedTech to mechanical engineering — we've filed successful applications across 15+ industries. Our case studies show what's possible.

Erich Lehmann

Proprietary software — tech company, not traditional consulting

Pipeline system

Nothing is forgotten, no iteration loops with your CTO.

Bulletproof checks

"Company in difficulty" status is verified against commercial register data.

Timesheet integration

Import from Personio & co., digital signature with one click.

GDPR compliant
Hosted in Germany
Made in Germany
Zeitmaker Software — Pipeline system for Forschungszulage

Higher success rate, less effort

92%
Success rate
vs. 75% industry-wide
<5h
Your time investment
in calls until approval
100%
Success-based
No payment if rejected

Want to do it yourself?

No problem — we've written comprehensive guides that explain everything:

But: With Forschungszulage consulting you get a higher success rate, more funding, and save yourself the effort.

Customer testimonials

€350,000/year
Erich secured €350k per year in funding, exceeding our expectations by +€75k per year.
Kai Klasen
Kai Klasen
Head of Finance, Gitpod
€333,523
Erich supported us very well and we could focus on our product. Extremely efficient in just 4 calls.
Sascha Lang
Sascha Lang
Founder, AiSupervision · YC S23
€314,825
Super fast and efficient support with the Forschungszulage. The process was completed in just 4 calls.
Fabio Schmidberger
Fabio Schmidberger
Founder, voize · YC W22

Successful projects from our clients

voize
AI & Healthcare

voizeY CombinatorW22

AI-powered voice documentation for nursing care. €314,825 in Forschungszulage for advancing their AI models.

Read case study

Trusted by leading startups and SMEs

Kitekraft
Junto
IH
Shopvibes
Kokoro
Gitpod
Camp3
Voize
Gavel
Berlin Collective
Future Maps
Scaneca
Kitekraft
Junto
IH
Shopvibes
Kokoro
Gitpod
Camp3
Voize
Gavel
Berlin Collective
Future Maps
Scaneca
Erich Lehmann

Let's figure out how much funding you're entitled to

Free initial call with Erich Lehmann — founder, Y Combinator alumnus, and expert on the Forschungszulage.

We work 100% on a success basis. You only pay when the funding is in your account — not after the BSFZ certificate, but after the payout by the tax office. Unlike traditional funding consultants, you pay no hourly fees.
Less than 5 hours in calls total — spread across your team. We handle the writing and structuring, you just provide technical input and review the draft.
Higher success rate (92% vs. 75% industry-wide), higher funding amounts because we know what's maximally possible, bulletproof documentation for tax audits, minimal time investment for your team, support until payout (not just until the certificate), and 100% success-based — no risk for you.
Our software ensures a bulletproof application and complete documentation. Through our pipeline system, nothing is forgotten, there are no iteration loops, and the entire process is clearly structured — from the finance checklist to submission.
Then you pay nothing. Our success rate is 92% because we write applications with technical depth and know exactly what the reviewers expect.
In principle, yes — we've even written guides for that. The risks without consulting: lower success rate, less funding, and the tax office decision is final and cannot be corrected.