Sovereign AI,
funded & implemented.
From baseline assessment to grant application to a production-ready AI solution in your own infrastructure. Strategy phase funded up to 80%, development up to 55%.
Systems are already running - uncontrolled
Sensitive data ends up with cloud services outside Europe because sovereign alternatives seem absent at first glance. Meanwhile, employees are already using their own AI tools - often without organizational oversight.
Regulatory Pressure
Article 4 of the AI Act has required demonstrable AI literacy since February 2025. From August 2, 2026, transparency obligations and GPAI enforcement take effect.
Loss of Control
Every prompt containing internal context is a data leak - unlogged, irreversible, and missing from IT governance.
Untapped Potential
As long as AI remains restricted to individual chats, no searchable archive, forecasting, or automated process is built - just faster isolated tasks.
AI adoption and data protection are not mutually exclusive - provided the infrastructure is built for it from day one.
Tailored Systems in Your Infrastructure
Based on open-source technology, in your own environment rather than third-party data centers - without long-term lock-in.
Custom LLMs & Agent Systems
Language models and agents operating autonomously within your own infrastructure. Inference behind the firewall, zero external API calls.
Sovereign Searchable Archives
Search and analyze documents, data, and reports without leaving your private environment. Access permissions integrated with existing IAM.
Analytics & Predictions
Transform existing data into actionable forecasts that support planning, decision-making, and process transparency.
Three Partners, One Goal
We combine strategic clarity, public funding, and professional technical implementation. Handover artifacts ensure smooth execution between phases.
Analysis & Strategy
DENKraum Solutions12 consulting units, up to 80% funded. Current state audit, pain-point analysis, stakeholder workshops, and change management planning.
Funding & Compliance
Fördermittel WegbereiterIdentification of matching funding programs, grant application, and approval management - from interim status reports to audit-proof final reporting.
Development & Implementation
NexPatchArchitecture, development, testing, and validation within digital sovereign infrastructure. Eligible up to 55% via ZIM.
Programs and Rates
The funding landscape is not scarce, but complex. The most common mistake is not choosing the wrong program, but starting in the wrong order.
| Program | Grant Rate | Purpose | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| BAFA - Entrepreneurial Know-how | up to 80% | Use-case identification, tool evaluation, compliance assessment, roadmap | SMEs. Up to 80% new federal states, up to 50% old states; max €3,500 per consulting. Program term through Dec 31, 2026. |
| Research Tax Credit | 25–35% | R&D expenditures, including retroactive claims | 35% for SMEs. Tax credit, non-competitive process - more predictable than grant programs. |
| Mittelstand-Digital Centers | free of charge | Orientation, proof of concepts, initial design | Successor offering following sunset of "go-digital" and "Digital Jetzt". No formal application required. |
1. Project start prior to grant application - the most common and fatal mistake. 2. Lack of R&D innovation: configuring off-the-shelf software without technical risk. 3. Exceeding accumulation limits - when combining multiple programs, total funding usually cannot exceed 80% of total costs.
Enforcement Timeline
For most organizations, high-risk classification is not the immediate hurdle, but Article 4 - the AI literacy requirement.
Article 4 · AI Literacy in Force
Applies already - to every organization deploying AI systems or using their output, regardless of risk category. Also prohibited since this date: unacceptable risk AI practices.
GPAI Requirements for Model Providers
Transparency and documentation duties for general-purpose AI model providers; setup of national supervisory authorities.
Transparency Obligations & GPAI Enforcement
Binding deadline for Article 50 transparency duties and GPAI rule enforcement. Sanction mechanisms become fully operational.
Annex III High-Risk Systems
Following the Digital Omnibus, full compliance for standalone high-risk systems under Annex III was moved from August 2026 to December 2027.
The postponed deadline is not a free pass. Compliance documentation required in 2027 originates in projects launched in 2026.
The Complete Whitepaper
All deadlines, funding programs, reference architectures for sovereign AI systems, and a complete financial sample model - across 9 pages.
Sovereign AI, funded & implemented.
How mid-sized enterprises, public sector, and research organizations introduce AI systems in their own infrastructure.
- EU AI Act: Deadlines, Article 4, and the Digital Omnibus extension
- Four-tier reference architecture for self-hosted AI systems
- Funding program comparison - rates, eligibility, exclusion criteria
- Complete sample budget: €303,000 project, €122,400 grant
- Checklist: six action items for the next 90 days
Six Action Items for the Next 90 Days
Self-assessable steps that dramatically streamline initial discussions.
Optional & Also Eligible for Funding
Team Workshops
Engage staff at launch (AI Literacy) and throughout deployment. Simultaneously satisfies Article 4 AI Act compliance.
Ocean Timeout
All workshop sessions can take place on-site or in dedicated workshop facilities near the Baltic Sea coast.
A Discussion Before You Decide
In 20 minutes, we clarify whether this approach fits your organization's current setup and if public funding applies. No obligation.