Bavarian Research Alliance

What Bavarian Research Alliance does

Bavarian Research Alliance (Bayerische Forschungsallianz GmbH, operating as BayFOR) is a Munich-headquartered private limited company established in 2006 to serve as the central competence centre for research and innovation funding advisory in Bavaria. The company provides free advisory, application support, project partner search, project management, dissemination, and conflict management services to Bavarian scientists at universities and universities of applied sciences, small and medium enterprises, and municipalities seeking access to EU framework programmes (notably Horizon Europe with its EUR 95.5 billion budget), SME-specific instruments (EIC, Innovation Fund, DIGITAL Europe), and other European funding mechanisms.

BayFOR is structurally embedded in the Bayerische Forschungs- und Innovationsagentur (BayFIA), alongside Bayern Innovativ, the Bavarian Patent Alliance, and the Bavarian Transformation and Research Foundation. It maintains offices in Munich (headquarters, Prinzregentenstr. 52), Nuremberg (regional office), Brussels (EU Liaison Office at Rue du Trône 98/7), and Tel Aviv (bilateral cooperation), and operates scientific coordination offices (WKS) with Québec/Alberta, Israel, and Africa, plus a Regional Leaders Summit network across Upper Austria, Shandong, Western Cape, São Paulo, and Georgia. The company administers the BayIntAn initial funding programme (up to EUR 10,000 per project) and is a partner in the pan-EU Enterprise Europe Network.

BayFOR's revenue model is non-commercial: it is funded primarily through grants (Zuwendungen) from the Bavarian State Ministry for Science and Art and the Bavarian State Chancellery, supplemented by membership contributions from Universität Bayern e.V. and Hochschule Bayern e.V. and EU co-financing. The company has no external private investors. Martin Reichel has served as sole Managing Director since April 2012.

Name

Bavarian Research Alliance

Legal name

Bayerische Forschungsallianz GmbH

Website

https://bayfor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) is a Munich-based, state-funded GmbH providing free EU research funding advisory and project support to Bavarian universities, SMEs, and municipalities, operating within the Bavarian Research and Innovation Agency (BayFIA) since 2006.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Research Funding Advisory Services

NAICS

Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Research, Monitoring, Evaluation & Learning (MEL) Partnerships (EDADALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

Keywords

• EU funding advisory
• Research innovation consulting
• Horizon Europe support
• SME funding services
• International research cooperation

Headquarters

HQ city

Munich

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding (Bavarian State): Primary funding from the Bavarian Ministry for Science and Art (Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wissenschaft und Kunst) and the Bavarian State Chancellery (Bayerische Staatskanzlei) for advisory and support services.
2. EU Project Funding: BayFOR receives EU funding as an active project partner in Horizon Europe and other EU framework programs, serving as project manager and communication/dissemination partner in funded consortia.
3. Membership Contributions: Contributions from members of University Bayern e.V. and Hochschule Bayern e.V.
4. Enterprise Europe Network: As a partner organization in the EU co-funded Enterprise Europe Network, BayFOR receives partial EU co-financing for its network activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) is a competence centre providing advisory and support services for Bavarian researchers, universities, SMEs, and municipalities seeking EU and international research and innovation funding. Its core offering is the EU-Förderzentrum (EU Funding Centre), which delivers free consultation on EU programmes (Horizon Europe, EIC, Innovation Fund, DIGITAL Europe, and others), application support, project partner search, and project management for EU-funded consortia. Complementary offerings include the BayIntAn initial funding programme, Scientific Coordination Offices for international partnerships, the Bavarian Research Associations network, and Enterprise Europe Network activities.

Product overview

Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR) is a competence centre providing advisory and support services for research and innovation funding in Bavaria, Europe, and internationally. The organisation offers a portfolio of advisory services focused on EU funding programmes including the EU-Förderzentrum core service, which encompasses EU funding advisory, application support, project partner search, SME advisory, project management, dissemination, and conflict management. Supporting these core services are the BayIntAn initial funding programme (up to €10,000 for international research cooperation), the Scientific Coordination Offices (WKS) for international partnerships with Québec/Alberta, Israel, and Africa, and the Bavarian Research Associations for domestic collaborative research. BayFOR also provides access to the Enterprise Europe Network and targeted advisory for specific EU programmes including Horizon Europe, SME funding schemes (EIC, Innovation Fund, DIGITAL Europe), and other European funding mechanisms. The organisation operates offices in Munich, Nuremberg, and Brussels, and its services are free for eligible Bavarian actors. BayFOR operates as an independent company within the Bavarian Research and Innovation Agency (BayFIA).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BayIntAn: Bayerisches Förderprogramm zur Anbahnung internationaler Forschungskooperationen (Bavarian funding programme for initiating international research cooperations) - an initial funding programme administered by BayFOR
• BayFIA
• BayFOR

Products and services

• EU-Förderzentrum (EU Funding Centre) Central advisory offering providing consultation on EU research and innovation funding programmes (Horizon Europe, EIC, Innovation Fund, DIGITAL Europe, ERDF, etc.), EU funding application support, project partner search, SME-specific funding advisory, project management for EU-funded projects, dissemination and communication, and representation of interests to European institutions. Targeted at Bavarian universities, SMEs, and municipalities.
• BayIntAn – Bayerisches Förderprogramm zur Anbahnung internationaler Forschungskooperationen Initial funding programme providing up to EUR 10,000 per project to support Bavarian state and church universities and universities of applied sciences in initiating international research cooperations with partners in Québec/Alberta, Israel, Africa, and Regional Leaders Summit regions.
• Wissenschaftliche Koordinierungsstellen (Scientific Coordination Offices – WKS) Offices facilitating international scientific cooperation between Bavaria and designated partner regions including Québec/Alberta, Israel, Africa, and Regional Leaders Summit regions (Upper Austria, Shandong, Western Cape, São Paulo, Georgia). These offices support matchmaking, joint calls, and bilateral research activities.
• Bayerische Forschungsverbünde (Bavarian Research Associations) Interdisciplinary research networks covering four thematic areas (Culture, Information, Life, and Matter) that support collaborative research in Bavaria and connect Bavarian researchers with relevant partners and funding opportunities.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN) BayFOR Branch BayFOR's branch of the EU co-funded Enterprise Europe Network, providing SMEs with access to international business cooperation, technology transfer matchmaking, partner search, and innovation support services across the European network.
• BayFOR-Newsletter Free monthly email newsletter providing news on EU research and innovation funding, current F&I project highlights, expert tips on application practices, and event announcements for researchers, SMEs, and other stakeholders.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully supported numerous EU-funded research projects with total funding exceeding €50 million (e.g., InShaPe €7.2M, Circular Flooring €5.4M, SMHYLES €6M, LIGNOFLAG €25M, TwinVECTOR €1.3M, HyFlow €4M, IntelliMan €4.5M)

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Universität Bayern e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2006University Bayern e.V. is a founding shareholder of BayFOR. The organization initiated the idea to create BayFOR to better network Bavarian universities at regional, national, and international levels and to make them fit for European research funding.
• Hochschule Bayern e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2006Hochschule Bayern e.V., representing 20 universities of applied sciences in Bavaria, joined the BayFOR initiative months after its conception to provide a central contact point for Bavarian higher education's research interests.
• Bavarian Research and Innovation Agency (BayFIA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayFOR is an integral part of the Bavarian Research and Innovation Agency (BayFIA), which serves as a central contact point in Bavaria. BayFIA brings together four competent organizations: Bayerische Forschungsallianz GmbH, Bayerische Transformations- und Forschungsstiftung, Bayerische Patentallianz GmbH, and Bayern Innovativ GmbH.
• Bavarian State Ministry for Science and ArtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary funder of BayFOR operations, providing Zuwendungen (grants) to support advisory and support services for Bavarian research actors.
• Enterprise Europe Network (EEN)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBayFOR is a partner organization in the Enterprise Europe Network, an EU co-funded network providing technology transfer and business cooperation services. BayFOR leverages EEN for SME support and international cooperation matching.
• European CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayFOR receives EU funding as an active project partner in Horizon Europe and other EU framework programs. The Brussels office maintains ongoing dialogue with European Commission representatives.
• European Union (EU Framework Programs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayFOR supports Bavarian actors in accessing funding from EU framework programs including Horizon Europe (€95.5B budget), SME-specific programs (EIC, Innovation Fund, DIGITAL Europe), and other European funding mechanisms.
• Bavarian State Government (Bayerische Staatsregierung)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayFOR is mandated by the Bavarian State Government to maintain bilateral scientific-technical cooperation with Québec, Alberta, Israel, and Africa, and to manage scientific activities in the Regional Leaders Summit (RLS) network.
• Technische Universität München (TUM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTUM coordinated the EU project InShaPe (€7.2M funding) which BayFOR supported as a project partner. TUM's Professorship for Laser-based Additive Manufacturing led the research consortium.
• Fraunhofer Institute for Process Engineering and Packaging (IVV)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFraunhofer IVV coordinated EU projects CIRCULAR FoodPack (€5.4M) and Circular Flooring (€5.4M) which BayFOR supported as a partner.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• NBank Niedersachsen: Lower Saxony's investment and development bank, supporting regional SMEs and researchers with EU and state-level innovation funding — comparable in function and scope to BayFOR but serving a different German region.
• Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB): Saxony's development and funding bank, administering EU and national research/innovation funding for Saxon stakeholders — a comparable regional funding-advisory role but in a different Bundesland.
• FFG (Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft): Austria's national research funding agency, supporting Austrian actors in accessing EU and national research funding — same functional role as BayFOR but operating at national scope and outside Bavaria's geographic boundary.

Others

• Forschungszentrum Jülich: Large German Helmholtz research center with significant EU project management capabilities and EU liaison functions, an adjacent ecosystem participant that performs comparable coordination activities for major research consortia.
• Bayern Innovativ GmbH: Sister organization within BayFIA focused on innovation, knowledge and technology transfer; shares overlapping client base (Bavarian SMEs and researchers) and is co-located with BayFOR in the same government-mandated ecosystem.

Direct peers

• Steinbeis 2i GmbH: Steinbeis Group's international and innovation subsidiary, offering EU project coordination, proposal writing, and partner search for German research and SME clients — directly analogous services to BayFOR's EU Funding Centre.
• Zenit GmbH: North Rhine-Westphalia's central innovation agency and Enterprise Europe Network partner, providing EU funding advisory, SME support, and technology transfer — directly comparable to BayFOR's mandate for Bavarian stakeholders.
• VDI Technologiezentrum GmbH: German engineering research advisory organization supporting federal ministries on R&D program design and providing EU funding advisory, serving a similar intermediary role between policy, research institutions, and SMEs as BayFOR.
• KoWi (EU Liaison Office of the DFG): Provides EU research funding advisory and project management for German universities and research institutions across all German states, overlapping heavily with BayFOR's Horizon Europe and EU framework program advisory.

Broad incumbents

• EU-Büro des BMBF (German Federal Ministry of Education and Research): Federal-level EU research liaison of Germany's Federal Ministry of Education and Research, operating at broader national scope and setting the policy backdrop within which BayFOR and other regional NCPs operate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bayfor
• Xx.com/bayfor

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bavarian Research Alliance