- Germanys 26 June 2025 draft budget provides no new funding for additive manufacturing or lightweight construction, limiting support to existing programs and prior commitments.
- A roughly 19% cut to the BMWK budget signals tighter innovation spending and helps explain why new AM initiatives were dropped despite coalition pledges.
- Formnext leaders and experts warn the funding gap could erode Germanys global AM leadership and technological sovereignty versus better-funded rivals.
- Industry, research, and associations are urging a revised strategy and near-term policy action to restore support and keep Germany competitive.
Read More
The German government entered into its governing coalition (CDU/CSU/SPD) under Chancellor Friedrich Merz with a formal commitment to promote additive manufacturing, lightweight construction, and 3D printing, as laid out in their coalition agreement. This commitment was reaffirmed mid-2025 by the Conference of Economic Ministers of Germany’s states, which stated that AM and related sectors remain political objectives to be backed by concrete measures.
However, the draft budget released on 26 June 2025 breaks from those promises. New funding for AM and lightweight construction is absent; instead, the budget caps funding to ongoing programs and obligations already established in previous years. No new initiatives are budgeted.
This divergence is especially notable due to a significant budget reduction in the BMWK—the ministry most responsible for industrial innovation. The ministry’s allocations dropped from around €11.1 billion to €9.0 billion, a decrease of roughly 19 percent. This suggests that AM funding was sidelined as part of broader austerity measures and budget reallocation efforts.
Industry stakeholders are sounding alarms: Formnext leadership asserts that neglecting funding now places Germany’s AM industry—long considered a global leader—at risk. Experts like Prof. Christian Seidel warn that without short- and medium-term policy interventions, Germany may fall out of the “leading group” globally in AM. Markus Heering of VDMA highlights concerns about maintaining technological sovereignty in critical industrial sectors.
Strategically, this funding vacuum may weaken Germany’s competitive position compared to nations already scaling up their investment in AM. The pause in new investment could erode Germany’s edge in industrial supply chains, materials science, and advanced manufacturing tools. It may also strain industrial sectors that rely on AM for future-facing solutions related to sustainability, lightweighting, and production efficiency.
Open questions include: Will Germany reinject new funding for AM closer to the Formnext trade fair in November 2025? How will industry, states (Länder), and private sector players compensate for reduced federal funding? To what extent can Germany preserve its leadership in AM through regulation, public-private partnerships, or EU funding streams?
Supporting Notes
- On 26 June 2025, Germany’s draft federal budget included no new funding for additive manufacturing or lightweight construction; only existing commitments are financed.
- The coalition agreement of CDU/CSU/SPD, beginning in 2024-25, explicitly committed to promoting lightweight construction, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing.
- The Conference of Economic Ministers of the German states confirmed in June 2025 that promotion of AM remains a political objective.
- Sascha Wenzler (Vice President of Formnext) warned that Germany’s AM industry’s world-leading position is at risk without new government support.
- Prof. Christian Seidel called for “systematic support both in the short and medium term” to keep Germany competitive globally; he warns that “business as usual” could lead to mediocrity.
- The BMWK budget was cut by approximately 19 percent (from ~€11.1 billion to ~€9.0 billion), illustrating tighter fiscal constraints in innovation policy.
- Markus Heering (VDMA) emphasized that innovations in AM are crucial for Germany’s technological sovereignty and competitiveness in machine and plant engineering.