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Funding programmes for environmental sustainability

Programmes that make Berlin more sustainable

The IBB Group supports businesses and initiatives contributing to Berlin's ecological sustainability. Through various funding programmes, we help the city achieve climate targets by improving energy efficiency, advancing sustainable technologies and enhancing environmental quality in urban areas. Key focuses include optimising building performance, promoting the transition to electromobility and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

We support the Berlin economy

The IBB offers specialised funding programmes, such as the Pro FIT Programme (Promotion of Research, Innovation, and Technology), which facilitates the transfer of knowledge from research to business and supports innovation development and implementation. These programmes finance projects in phases including industrial research, experimental development, production setup, market preparation and introduction.

In other programmes, such as Berlin Innovativ PLUS, innovative, sustainable and creative companies are supported through loans with liability exemptions. With in the „Berlin Kredit Transformation“ programme, incentives are also created in the form of repayment grants to promote the achievement of sustainability and transformation targets.

Through IBB Business Team GmbH, the IBB Group supports companies with investment grants and consulting services for the transition to electromobility. IBB Business Team GmbH's product portfolio also includes the “Berliner InvestitionsBONUS” programme, which incentivises investments with sustainability bonuses for energy and resource efficiency, adaptation to climate change and contributions to climate protection.

Applications for economic development products can be submitted electronically, ensuring resource-efficient and legally binding communication with clients.

Independent experts regularly evaluate the impact of these funding programmes, both before (ex ante) and after (ex post) funding.

Funding programmes through IBB business development

  • Launched in 2024, this programme succeeds Berlin Innovativ, offering low-interest loans for investments and operating resources to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and midcaps. The IBB provides the lending bank with a 70 % liability exemption.

    New criteria now include support for the creative industries as well as green and sustainable investments, such as renewable energy, social accessibility, low-emission transport solutions, and seven additional categories.

  • To support sustainable transformation, the Berlin Kredit Transformation programme promotes investment projects by SMEs through low-interest loans arranged via their main banks – partly funded by the SME Fund, which is financed by EU funds. Support is available to SMEs in the commercial sector, social enterprises that operate predominantly in the market, and self-employed individuals. Sustainable projects benefit from additional repayment discounts under this scheme.

    Applications are submitted via the applicant’s own bank. Loan amounts typically range from TEUR 100 to EUR 10 million. Advantages include, for example, a favourable, risk-differentiated fixed interest rate over the entire term, as well as optional repayment discounts amounting to

    • 2 % of the loan amount if a sustainability criterion is met,
    • 5 % if the borrower is not eligible for the GRW grant,
    • 7 % if a sustainability report or a carbon footprint assessment with a reduction plan is also provided.

  • Certain funding requirements in the Pro FIT guidelines have long supported sustainability. For instance, project outcomes must provide a plausible basis for enhancing corporate and/or regional value creation and employment.

  • The Gemeinschaftsaufgabe "Verbesserung der regionalen Wirtschaftsstruktur" offers attractive funding opportunities for investment projects in selected sectors in Berlin's development area. The programme helps to offset locational disadvantages, create and secure jobs, and strengthen regional competitiveness.

    A new objective has been added to the current coordination framework. The focus is now also on transformation processes – towards a climate-neutral and sustainable economy.

    In this context, investment projects with special energy efficiency and/or environmental protection effects are supported, provided they exceed national and EU standards.

    Investments to cover energy needs from renewable sources, such as electricity storage or PV systems, are also eligible for funding. The requirements for depreciation and job creation have been partially eased in order to accelerate investments in sustainable technologies for companies in particular.

    The programme supports companies in their transformation activities and contributes to making Berlin a more sustainable and future-proof business location.

We support the Berlin housing market

In the real estate sector, the IBB supports property owners in:

  • Energy-efficient building renovation
  • Energy- and space-efficient new construction
  • Age-appropriate, barrier-reducing modifications
  • Social housing initiatives

All programmes take into account the long investment cycles in real estate investments through long-term interest rates and alignment with socio-cultural and demographic trends, as well as Berlin's established climate protection policy targets. These efforts aim to sustainably reduce CO2 emissions, secure housing for low- and middle-income households, and ensure future-oriented efficiency standards in new buildings, contributing to climate neutrality in the long term.

Funding programmes through IBB real estate development

  • Supports investment in renovating homes or purchasing newly renovated residential buildings.

  • Assists property owners and groups in transforming unused roofs and facades into green spaces to enhance the urban environment sustainably.

  • Focuses on creating attractive, energy-efficient apartments, reducing energy consumption, and enhancing living comfort to support climate protection.

  • Provides property owners with maintenance and modernisation assistance, with a focus on energy efficiency.

  • Encourages the construction or purchase of new, climate-friendly residential buildings in Berlin.

  • Promotes the expansion of photovoltaic systems to boost solar energy in Berlin.

Status: 1 Jun 2026