aws Preseed — Deep Tech

aws Preseed Deep Tech sits under Austria Wirtschaftsservice Gesellschaft mbH (aws) and serves as the earliest deep-tech grant in the programme family. It is built for natural persons or microenterprises before foundation, or within six months after registration, and it focuses on six fields: Digitalisation, ICT, Physical Science, GreenTech, Quantum Technology, and Life Science. The ceiling is €267,000, with public support covering up to 80% of eligible costs and rising to 90% under the gender bonus. The programme asks for a real equity contribution from founders or shareholders, with at least 10% of costs coming from their side. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, and jury decisions are taken several times a year, typically quarterly. The process runs through aws Fördermanager, and the application language is German. In the record, the historical success rate sits at about 25%, which is a useful signal for teams sizing the odds. Preseed is the right fit for founders who are still at company formation rather than scale-up financing. The stage gate is strict: the applicant must be pre-foundation or newly registered, and the project must clear the bar of an exceptional technological or scientific challenge. Teams that can connect a credible deep-tech thesis to a clear ownership structure and a concrete equity contribution are best placed to compete here.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.