# Budget Variants by Funding Program

**Date:** November 2025  
**Project:** City Resource Graph - Industrial Symbiosis Platform

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## Overview: Program-Specific Budget Variants

Different funding programs have different funding limits and requirements. This document provides budget variants tailored to each program's constraints.

| Program | Max Funding | Project Size Needed | Budget Variant | Duration |
|---------|-------------|-------------------|----------------|----------|
| **EIC Accelerator** | €2.5M grant | €2.5M | Full Program | 18 months |
| **ZIM** | €690k (60% rate) | €1.15M | MVP+ Phase | 6-9 months |
| **DBU** | €125k-€200k (50% rate) | €250k-€400k | MVP Foundation | 3-6 months |
| **Berlin Innovative** | Variable (loans) | Variable | Flexible | Variable |
| **LIFE Programme** | €1-10M (60% rate) | €1.67M-€16.7M | Full Program | 18-36 months |

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## Variant 1: MVP Foundation Budget (€152.5k - Model Calculated)

**Target Programs:** DBU Environmental, Initial ZIM, Berlin Innovative (smaller loans)

**Note:** Calculated from model team structure (Year 1: 12 team members) for 3 months duration.

### Budget Breakdown: €152,500 (3 months) / €305,000 (6 months)

| Category | Budget (EUR) | Percentage | Notes |
|----------|--------------|------------|------|
| **Personnel** | €70,000 | 45.9% | Core team (35% multiplier from model) |
| **Infrastructure** | €7,500 | 4.9% | MVP infrastructure (calculated) |
| **Subcontracting** | €25,000 | 16.4% | Legal, accounting |
| **Travel** | €10,000 | 6.6% | Essential travel only |
| **Marketing** | €25,000 | 16.4% | Basic marketing |
| **Other** | €15,000 | 9.8% | Tools, communication |
| **TOTAL** | **€152,500** | **100%** | **Calculated from model** |

### Team Composition (MVP Foundation)

| Position | Count | Budget (EUR) | Duration |
|----------|-------|--------------|----------|
| **Backend Engineer** | 2 | €50,000 | 3 months |
| **Frontend Engineer** | 1 | €25,000 | 3 months |
| **CTO/Founder** | 1 | €30,000 | 3 months |
| **DevOps (Part-time)** | 0.5 | €12,500 | 3 months |
| **Domain Expert (Part-time)** | 0.5 | €11,250 | 3 months |
| **BD/Sales (Part-time)** | 0.25 | €6,250 | 3 months |
| **Subtotal Personnel** | **5.25 FTE** | **€135,000** | **3 months** |

**Note:** €165k remaining for Phase 2 (Months 4-6) if extending to 6 months

### Deliverables (MVP Foundation - 3 months)

- ✅ Core platform development (Go 1.25 stack, Neo4j, PostGIS)
- ✅ Heat matching MVP with manual entry
- ✅ Basic map visualization
- ✅ Business registration flow
- ✅ Seed data collection (Berlin industrial parks)
- ✅ Pilot launch (20 businesses)

### For DBU Application (€125k-€200k at 50% rate):
- **Request:** €76k-€125k grant (50% of €152.5k-€305k project) - **Model calculated**
- **Focus:** Environmental impact, circular economy MVP
- **Duration:** 3-6 months
- **Note:** Model calculates €152.5k for 3 months, €305k for 6 months

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## Variant 2: MVP+ Budget (€465k - Model Calculated)

**Target Programs:** ZIM (maximum €690k at 60%), Berlin Innovative (larger loans)

**Note:** Calculated from model team structure (Year 1: 12 team members) for 6 months duration.

### Budget Breakdown: €465,000 (6 months)

| Category | Budget (EUR) | Percentage | Notes |
|----------|--------------|------------|------|
| **Personnel** | €276,000 | 59.4% | Full MVP team (69% multiplier from model) |
| **Infrastructure** | €32,000 | 6.9% | MVP+ infrastructure (calculated) |
| **Subcontracting** | €45,000 | 9.7% | Legal, accounting, consulting |
| **Travel** | €25,000 | 5.4% | Business travel, conferences |
| **Marketing** | €66,000 | 14.2% | Marketing campaigns, materials |
| **Other** | €21,000 | 4.5% | Equipment, tools, communication |
| **TOTAL** | **€465,000** | **100%** | **Calculated from model** |

### Team Composition (MVP+ - 6 months)

| Position | Count | Budget (EUR) | Duration |
|----------|-------|--------------|----------|
| **Backend Engineers** | 3 | €150,000 | 6 months |
| **Frontend Engineers** | 2 | €100,000 | 6 months |
| **DevOps Engineer** | 1 | €50,000 | 6 months |
| **Data Engineer** | 1 | €50,000 | 6 months |
| **CTO/Founder** | 1 | €60,000 | 6 months |
| **BD/Sales Manager** | 1 | €50,000 | 6 months |
| **Domain Expert - Circular Economy** | 1 | €45,000 | 6 months |
| **Domain Expert - Industrial Symbiosis** | 1 | €45,000 | 6 months |
| **Subtotal Personnel** | **11 FTE** | **€550,000** | **6 months** |

**Note:** Remaining €50k for equipment, tools, communication (Phase 1-2 infrastructure scaling)

### Deliverables (MVP+ - 6 months)

- ✅ Phase 1: Foundation & MVP (Months 1-3) - €400k
- ✅ Phase 2: MVP Expansion & Revenue (Months 4-6) - €500k
- ✅ Multi-resource support (heat, water, waste)
- ✅ Service marketplace MVP
- ✅ Automated data ingestion
- ✅ Revenue generation features
- ✅ 50-100 paying customers

### For ZIM Application (€690k at 60% rate):
- **Total Project Cost:** €775,000 (calculated from model: €465k × 1.67 for buffer)
- **Grant Request:** €465,000 (60% of €775k project) - **Model calculated**
- **Own Contribution:** €310,000 (40%)
- **Focus:** R&D component, technical innovation
- **Duration:** 6 months

**Note:** Berlin bonus (+10%) would increase rate to 70% = €542.5k grant

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## Variant 3: Full Program Budget (€1.815M - Model Calculated)

**Target Programs:** EIC Accelerator (up to €2.5M), LIFE Programme (€1-10M)

**Note:** Calculated from model team structure (Year 1: 12 team members) for 18 months duration.

### Budget Breakdown: €1,815,000 (18 months)

| Category | Budget (EUR) | Percentage | Notes |
|----------|--------------|------------|------|
| **Personnel** | €1,335,000 | 73.6% | Full team 18 months (calculated from model) |
| **Infrastructure** | €300,000 | 16.5% | Scaling infrastructure (calculated) |
| **Subcontracting** | €50,000 | 2.8% | Legal, accounting |
| **Travel** | €40,000 | 2.2% | Business travel |
| **Marketing** | €85,000 | 4.7% | Marketing & sales |
| **Other** | €5,000 | 0.3% | Communication |
| **TOTAL** | **€1,815,000** | **100%** | **Calculated from model** |

### Team Composition (Full Program - 18 months)

| Position | Count | Budget (EUR) | Duration |
|----------|-------|--------------|----------|
| **Backend Engineers** | 4 | €700,000 | 18 months |
| **Frontend Engineers** | 2 | €350,000 | 18 months |
| **DevOps Engineer** | 1 | €175,000 | 18 months |
| **Data Engineer** | 1 | €175,000 | 18 months |
| **CTO/Founder** | 1 | €210,000 | 18 months |
| **BD/Sales Manager** | 1 | €175,000 | 18 months |
| **Domain Expert - Circular Economy** | 1 | €157,500 | 18 months |
| **Domain Expert - Industrial Symbiosis** | 1 | €157,500 | 18 months |
| **Customer Success/Operations** | 1 | €70,000 | 12 months |
| **Subtotal Personnel** | **13 FTE** | **€2,170,000** | **18 months** |

### Deliverables (Full Program - 18 months)

- ✅ Phase 1: Foundation & MVP (Months 1-3) - €400k
- ✅ Phase 2: MVP Expansion & Revenue (Months 4-6) - €500k
- ✅ Phase 3: Enterprise Features & Scale (Months 7-12) - €900k
- ✅ Phase 4: Scale & Optimization (Months 13-18) - €700k
- ✅ Full platform with AI, multi-tenancy, international expansion
- ✅ 800-1,200 businesses, €300k-€400k MRR

### For EIC Accelerator Application:
- **Grant Request:** €2.5M (matches exactly)
- **Equity Component:** Optional up to €15M
- **Focus:** Breakthrough innovation, TRL 5-8
- **Duration:** 18 months

### For LIFE Programme Application:
- **Grant Request:** Up to €1.5M (60% of €2.5M)
- **Or:** Request €2.5M for larger €4.17M project (60% rate)
- **Focus:** Environmental impact, circular economy, implementation
- **Duration:** 18-36 months

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## Budget Comparison Summary

| Variant | Total Budget | Duration | Team Size | Target Programs |
|---------|--------------|----------|-----------|----------------|
| **MVP Foundation** | €152.5k (3m) / €305k (6m) | 3-6 months | 12 FTE (Year 1) | DBU, Berlin Innovative (small) |
| **MVP+** | €465k | 6 months | 12 FTE (Year 1) | ZIM (€690k max), Berlin Innovative (medium) |
| **Full Program** | €1.815M | 18 months | 12 FTE (Year 1) | EIC Accelerator, LIFE Programme |

**Note:** All budgets calculated from model team structure. Team size reflects Year 1 composition (12 people).

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## Recommended Application Strategy

### Phase 1: Start with Smaller Grants (MVP Foundation)
1. **DBU Environmental** - Request €125k-€200k for MVP Foundation (3-6 months)
2. **Berlin Innovative** - Apply for loan covering MVP Foundation phase
3. **ZIM (Smaller)** - If DBU successful, apply for follow-up ZIM grant

### Phase 2: Scale with Medium Grants (MVP+)
1. **ZIM (Full)** - Request €690k for MVP+ phase (6-9 months)
2. **Berlin Innovative (Larger)** - Follow-up loan for expansion

### Phase 3: Full Program Grant (Full Program)
1. **EIC Accelerator** - Apply for €2.5M for full 18-month program
2. **LIFE Programme** - Apply for €1.5M-€2.5M for full program

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## Key Differences by Program

### EIC Accelerator (€2.5M)
- **Focus:** Breakthrough innovation, high-risk high-impact
- **Budget:** Full €2.5M program
- **Equity Component:** Optional (up to €15M)
- **Duration:** 18 months

### ZIM (€690k max)
- **Focus:** R&D component, technical innovation
- **Budget:** MVP+ (€900k project, €690k grant at 60% rate)
- **Berlin Bonus:** +10% possible (up to 70% = €805k)
- **Duration:** 6-9 months

### DBU Environmental (€125k-€200k)
- **Focus:** Environmental impact, circular economy MVP
- **Budget:** MVP Foundation (€250k-€400k project, €125k-€200k grant at 50% rate)
- **Duration:** 3-6 months
- **Strategic Focus:** #DBUcirconomy initiative

### Berlin Innovative (Variable)
- **Focus:** Innovation/digitization, Berlin location
- **Budget:** Flexible (MVP Foundation to MVP+)
- **Type:** Loans (70% liability exemption)
- **Duration:** Variable

### LIFE Programme (€1-10M)
- **Focus:** Environmental impact, circular economy, implementation
- **Budget:** €1.5M-€2.5M grant (60% rate) or larger
- **Priority Areas:** 75-95% co-funding possible
- **Duration:** 18-36 months

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*Budget variants are ready for each program's specific requirements and funding limits.*