Is the German Space Agency at DLR the same thing as DLR?

No. DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt) is Germany's aerospace research centre. The German Space Agency at DLR is a distinct Bonn-based unit of around 350 staff that acts as the national space agency on behalf of the Federal Government — it plans the national space programme and manages Germany's contributions to ESA and EUMETSAT.

How can a space startup get funding through the German Space Agency at DLR?

Three routes: calls under the national space programme; the agency's INNOspace initiative, whose annual INNOspace Masters competition is open to startups, companies, universities and individuals; and indirectly through ESA, since the agency manages Germany's ESA subscription — the largest of any member state at roughly 23%.

What is the German Space Agency at DLR?

The German Space Agency at DLR (Deutsche Raumfahrtagentur im DLR) is Germany's national space agency. Based in Bonn with around 350 employees, it implements the Federal Government's space strategy: it plans and implements the national space programme and manages Germany's contributions to the European Space Agency (ESA) and EUMETSAT.

Agency, not research centre

DLR itself is Germany's aerospace research centre. The German Space Agency at DLR is the distinct unit within it that acts on behalf of the Federal Government — coordinating German space activities at national and European level and representing German space interests internationally. The budget it administers is substantial: in 2024, the combined national space programme and ESA contribution came to around €1,578 million, of which 79% was Germany's ESA contribution and 21% the National Space Programme.

Three routes to funding for founders

1. The national space programme. The agency plans and implements Germany's national programme, placing funding with companies, universities and research institutions. If you are building in Germany, these national calls are your most direct line to non-ESA public space money.

2. INNOspace. The agency's INNOspace initiative exists to commercialise space R&D and support New Space actors. Its flagship, the INNOspace Masters competition, has run annually since 2015 and is open to companies, startups, research institutions, universities and individuals; partners include Airbus, OHB and the ESA Business Incubation Centres in Germany. Across the first six rounds, more than 530 project ideas were submitted by over 1,200 participants from 39 countries. Its cross-industry networks — Space2Motion, Space2Agriculture and Space2Health — each count over 100 members, half from outside the space sector.

3. The ESA route. Germany is ESA's largest contributor at approximately 23%, ahead of France and Italy at around 16% each. At the ESA Council at Ministerial level in Bremen on 26–27 November 2025, Germany subscribed roughly €5.4 billion of the record ~€22 billion total. Since ESA places work with member-state industry broadly in line with contributions, a German-registered entity is competing for one of the largest national shares of ESA activity — programmes the agency helped shape. For how this stacks up against EU-level instruments, see our EU space funding overview.

Official source: German Space Agency at DLR.

Written by Tymofiy Badikov, founder of VIRA.space (Virtual Innovation Research Assistant) — operated by Space Tech Gateway Sp. z o.o., Kraków Technology Park. VIRA tracks live European space funding calls and checks your eligibility free: see live tenders.