Compare research allowance advisers: the register of 10 providers
Anyone looking for a research allowance adviser finds rankings that nobody substantiates. We built a register instead: 10 providers with what can be verified, namely legal entity, the provider's own self-description, fee model and both procedural stages. And below it the same standards, applied to ourselves.
- 10 providers, every entry dated and traceable to its source
- Two filters: group and fee model
- NOVARIS measures itself against the same standards further down
Written by Max Nodes, Founder and Managing Director · 25 of 25 supported BSFZ applications certified (as of 09/2026) · Last updated: · Law as of:
Compare the work behind the advice
Figures and details
Grouped by what the providers say about themselves, not by our assessment.
Key facts in brief
There are plenty of rankings of research allowance advisers, and none of them is substantiated. So this register only lists what can be checked: for each of the 10 providers the legal entity, the provider's own self-description, the fee model and whether it covers both procedural stages, meaning the BSFZ application and research allowance application (ELSTER). Every row is dated and traceable to the provider's own source. We deliberately left ourselves out of the list and instead measured ourselves against the same standards below it: NOVARIS since 2026 with 25 of 25 supported BSFZ applications certified (as of 09/2026) and a fee of which 70 % is due only after payout; before founding NOVARIS (2026) over 90 BSFZ applications supported for around 50 companies, on average 40 % more funding than the companies' own first application. What we can do should show in numbers, not in stars. Nationwide figures for all BSFZ applications are in the Forschungszulage Report 2026.
The essentials of the register
Which providers advise on the research allowance?
10 providers in three groups. The groups follow what the providers say about themselves, not our assessment.
| Provider | Focus | Fee model type | Both procedural stages | Size (self-declared) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FZulG specialists Providers whose own positioning puts the Research Allowance at the centre, as their focus or their only subject. | ||||
| Banhoek Consulting GmbHBanhoek Consulting GmbH, GräfelfingAmtsgericht München, HRB 258813Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Research Allowance only | Success-based · timing n/a | Yes | n/a |
| CF Clever Funding GmbHCF Clever Funding GmbH, KölnAmtsgericht Köln, HRB 98204Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Research Allowance focus | n/a | Partly | n/a |
| Grantonomy GmbHGrantonomy GmbH, Monheim am RheinAmtsgericht Düsseldorf, HRB 113939Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Research Allowance only | Success-based · timing n/a | Yes | n/a |
| Seedwise GmbHSeedwise GmbH, Bad BramstedtAmtsgericht Kiel, HRB 27393 KIRetrieved: September 1, 2026 | Research Allowance only | Success-based · timing n/a | Yes | n/a; one location |
| Grant consultancies covering several programmes Providers that treat the Research Allowance as one instrument among several, alongside ZIM, EU and regional programmes. | ||||
| Ayming Deutschland GmbHAyming Deutschland GmbH, DüsseldorfAmtsgericht Düsseldorf, HRB 56580Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Funding + international tax | Success-based · on approval notice | n/a | approx. 70 employees in Germany (self-declared) |
| EurA AGEurA AG, EllwangenAmtsgericht Ulm, HRB 728305Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Many programmes, international | n/a | n/a | 200+ experts, 14 offices in 4 countries (self-declared) |
| Leyton Deutschland GmbHLeyton Deutschland GmbH, DüsseldorfAmtsgericht Düsseldorf, HRB 89458Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Many programmes, international | n/a | n/a | 3,000+ employees worldwide, 18 countries, in Germany since 2020 (self-declared) |
| Steinbeis Technologie- & Innovationsberatung GmbHSteinbeis Technologie- & Innovationsberatung GmbH, MünchenAmtsgericht München, HRB 291205Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Research Allowance + grants | Degressive | Yes | Own headcount n/a; reference to the Steinbeis network |
| GrantLift GmbHGrantLift GmbH, HamburgAmtsgericht Hamburg, HRB 183538Retrieved: September 2, 2026 | Broad funding advisory | Success-based · timing n/a | Yes | n/a; one location |
| Software and platform providers Providers offering a documentation or compliance platform, expressly excluding individual advisory from their scope of services. | ||||
| innoscripta SEinnoscripta SE, TutzingAmtsgericht München, HRB 302244Retrieved: September 1, 2026 | Documentation platform | n/a | No | 11 offices, 5 countries (self-declared); headcount n/a |
Entries follow the providers' own verifiable statements. No rating, no ranking, no prices. NOVARIS is not in the register.
Next review of the register: December 1, 2026.
The column on both procedural stages says the most: the BSFZ application is technical work, research allowance application (ELSTER) is tax work. A provider covering only one stage leaves you to find someone for the other.
How do you recognise solid consulting?
By four answers you should get before you sign. Anyone who dodges them has a reason.
| Criterion | Question for the First Consultation | Answer That Counts |
|---|---|---|
| Project description | Who writes the project description? | A person with a technical background who answers BSFZ queries themselves |
| Fee due date | When does the fee fall due? | A clear point in time, ideally after the payout |
| Procedural stages | Does the work cover both stages? | BSFZ application and research allowance application (ELSTER), with a clear handover to the tax adviser |
| BSFZ follow-up queries | What happens when the BSFZ asks questions? | The deadline is short; the same person writes the reply |
How was the register built?
A provider is listed if it positions itself publicly on the research allowance and its statements can be verified.
- Source: the provider's own website, with a retrieval date per entry
- Legal entity: from the imprint, with seat and register number
- Fee model: the type only, never an amount or a percentage
- Procedural stages: whether the provider covers the BSFZ application and research allowance application (ELSTER)
- Not listed: providers without verifiable statements on the research allowance
If a provider is missing or an entry is out of date, write to us. We check the source and add it with a date.
Which questions about the adviser register come up most often?
How can NOVARIS itself be measured?
The same standards as above, applied to ourselves.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Approval rate | 25 of 25 supported BSFZ applications certified · 100 % · as of 09/2026 | NOVARIS, since 2026 |
| Funding volume filed | EUR 18.85 million | NOVARIS, since 2026 |
| BSFZ processing time | 3.5 months on average to the certificate | NOVARIS, since 2026 |
| Fee due dates | 30 % at approval, 70 % only after payout | Own fee model |
| Tax audit support | Support during the tax audit included | Own service commitment |
| Experience before NOVARIS | before founding NOVARIS: over 90 BSFZ applications, 50 companies, on average 40 % more funding than the companies' own first application | Max Nodes, before founding NOVARIS |
These figures come from our own client data and our own fee structure, not from self-assessment: 25 of 25 supported BSFZ applications certified, the BSFZ certificate after 3.5 months on average. Before founding NOVARIS, Max Nodes supported over 90 BSFZ applications for 50 companies, on average 40 % more funding than the companies' own first application, in a leadership role at the largest provider of research allowance consulting in Germany. And the terms: no fee up front, 30 % with the BSFZ certificate, 70 % only once the allowance is in your account. Anyone who bills like this has to deliver, and that is exactly what we do.
Clarify your requirements before you compare
In the first consultation we work out which stages you actually need to hand over and what you can keep in house. The table is easier to read afterwards, and you know what an application with us costs: nothing up front.
Book a first consultationRead on
- R&D Tax Credit ConsultingThe criteria you can hold every provider to.
- Research allowance consultingWhat we take on and when you do not need us.
- Cost of consultingWhen support pays off and when it does not.
- The tax adviser's roleWho takes which part of the procedure.
- Filing it yourselfWhat the do-it-yourself route costs in time.
- Applying for the research allowanceThe route across both procedural stages.
Max Nodes
Founder and Managing Director of NOVARIS Consulting. Specialised in the German R&D tax credit (FZulG) since 2021; 25 of 25 accompanied BSFZ applications approved (as of 09/2026). Max Nodes