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Civil security research; application for funding for innovation project.

If you as a company or research institution want to further develop an innovative and practical project from the field of civil security research, you can receive funding under certain conditions.

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Procedure details

With this funding measure, the BMBF supports industrial research and pre-competitive experimental development projects in order to further strengthen the innovative power and practical transfer in the "Research for Civil Security" framework program.

Particularly suitable projects with significant practical relevance that have already received funding in the "Research for Civil Security" framework program will be given the opportunity to further develop their results and specifically address newly identified research and development needs. This will enable them to raise their research results to the level of maturity required to enable scientific validation under operational conditions in order to prove the performance of the research approaches.

Funding is available for innovation projects that meet the following requirements:

  • The innovation project must build significantly on a research project that has received funding in the "Research for Civil Security" framework program and is characterized by particularly successful, structured and efficient implementation.
  • In the course of the preceding research project, new research needs must have been identified or arisen that were not foreseeable at the start of the project and which must be dealt with in order to be able to actually put the originally intended research results into practice. Work regularly required after the end of the project to further develop research results into a marketable product as part of the exploitation plan is not taken into account.
  • The results of the preceding research project must demonstrate a particularly high degree of innovation and very great practical relevance. This is the case, for example, if a new solution significantly expands a user's range of capabilities or enables him or her to efficiently master challenges for which no practicable solution was previously available.
  • There must be a significant need as well as a clear interest on the part of the user in using the research results, which must be individually documented at least by concrete, detailed and meaningful expressions of interest. In addition, the transferability of the research results to as large a group of users as possible and the involvement of the relevant stakeholders is expressly desired.
  • The need for intensive testing and scientific validation of the targeted solutions, such as a deployment demonstrator, new systems, processes or concepts, must be evident. This is particularly the case when completely new capabilities are imparted or ways of working are enabled to the user, or compatibility and interaction with existing equipment and established operational tactics present critical challenges.
  • The further developed, tested and scientifically validated solutions must have a realistic marketing perspective. To this end, a well-founded economic concept from the potential system provider or comparable service provider must be presented, which indicates that rapid implementation can be expected.

As a rule, commercial enterprises can receive funding of up to 50 percent of the eligible project-related costs.

Universities, research and scientific institutions or comparable institutions in the non-economic sector can receive individual funding of up to 100 percent of the project-related costs or expenses as a joint partner of a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).

Colleges and universities receive a flat-rate project allowance of 20 percent for non-economic research projects in addition to the eligible expenses financed by the BMBF.

The results of the funded project should preferably be exploited in Germany, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

There is no entitlement to the grant. Rather, the granting authority decides on the basis of its dutiful discretion within the framework of the available budget funds.

Eligible applicants are:

  • Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This means,
    • Employ fewer than 250 employees,
    • have an annual turnover of no more than EUR 50 million or
    • have an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 43 million in the previous fiscal year
    • Companies that are not SMEs
    • Universities
    • university and non-university research institutions
    • associations
    • associations
    • other organizations with an interest in research and development (R&D)

Also eligible to apply are:

  • University hospitals,
  • scientific institutions,
  • public authorities and their research institutes as well as
  • comparable institutions and
  • the respective users: for example, municipalities, security and rescue forces such as police and fire departments, operators of critical infrastructures or companies in the private security industry.

Further requirements for start-ups:

  • They have completed the start-up phase, started productive business activities and have been able to prove their economic performance on the market through corresponding customer projects or orders.
  • You have permanent employees with proven expertise in computer science and proven expertise in the AI subject areas to the required extent.
  • They are in a position to raise the own share to be provided as part of a share financing of the project from current business operations.

Other requirements for funding:

  • Funding is provided for collaborative projects between companies and research institutions together with relevant users.
  • Only those partners of the original research project are to be included in the innovation project who are necessary for closing the newly identified research need and for testing and scientific validation. It is possible to include new partners in the consortium if they are necessary for the successful transfer to practice. This applies in particular to users or networks of users as well as system providers or comparable service providers.

  • Required Documents
    • Projektskizze mit folgender Gliederung:
      • Ausgangslage, Problemdarstellung und Lösungsansatz
      • Anwendungsperspektive, Marktpotenzial und Verwertungsplan
      • Notwendigkeit einer Förderung
      • Kurzdarstellung der Verbundstruktur, sowie neuer Verbundpartner und assoziierter Partner
      • skizzierter Arbeitsplan, Balkenplan
      • grober Finanzierungsplan (einzeln nach Verbundpartnerinnen und -partnern)

The application procedure is 2-stage.

Stage 1: Project outline

  • Before submitting an outline, you must contact the Project Management Agency for Security Research (VDI TZ).
  • The project participants, represented by the coordinator, submit a project outline that is suitable for review, easy to understand and comprehensible without further aids. The project outline should not exceed a maximum of 15 DIN A4 pages, font size 12).
  • If associated project participants are to be involved, their informal confirmations of participation must be attached to the outline as a special appendix (in addition to the 15 DIN A4 pages).
  • In addition to the electronic submission, a printed version signed by the coordinator must be sent to the project management organization VDI TZ. This must be submitted to the project management organization by mail immediately after the electronic submission.
  • The project outline will be evaluated in the competitive procedure according to the following criteria:
    • The research project on which the innovation project is based fulfills the requirements defined in number 2 " Object of funding".
    • Significance and impact of the intended innovative research result on civil security, need and relevance on the part of the users,
    • scientific and technical quality of the solution approach, also with regard to the implementation of the tests and scientific validations,
    • Structure of the consortium, in particular the role of the users and involvement of SMEs, complementarity and competence of the project participants, involvement of a suitable system provider
    • Quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the project set-up,
    • quality and feasibility of the exploitation plan, contribution of the project result to increasing the user's ability to work, market potential,
    • comprehensible, realistic presentation of the overall financing.
  • Project outlines suitable for funding will be selected on the basis of the evaluation. The BMBF reserves the right to seek the advice of independent experts in evaluating the project outlines submitted. The results of the selection process will be communicated to the project coordinator in writing.

Stage 2: Application

You submit your application for funding within the framework of the Practice Lighthouses as follows:

  • Submit your application electronically via the Internet portal.
  • Call up the Internet portal. There you will be guided step by step through the application process.
  • Fill in all the fields required for the application and submit it, accompanied by a qualified electronic signature.
  • If you do not have a qualified electronic signature, you must print out the application in addition to submitting it electronically, sign it, and send it to the project management organization in the next step along with the other application documents.
  • Once the application has been received by the project management organization, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
  • The responsible person at the project management organization will contact you while your application is being processed in order to clarify any queries.

Applications are evaluated and reviewed according to the following criteria:

  • Organization of the collaboration in the network, project management,
  • Definition of a milestone target with quantitative or verifiable criteria, definition of further handover points,
  • Eligibility of the requested funds,
  • Necessity and appropriateness of the requested funds to carry out the activities listed in the work plan,
  • Comprehensibility of the explanations of the financing plan,
  • Quality and informative value of the utilization plan, also with regard to the funding policy objectives of this funding measure,
  • Implementation of any conditions from the first stage and compliance with the financial framework recommended there for funding.
  • You will receive a decision on your application.
  • In the event of a positive decision, you will receive a notification of funding by mail.

There are no costs involved.

Project outlines can be submitted to the BMBF's project management agency (VDI TZ) at any time, but no later than December 31, 2023.

Note for further information on processing time: It usually takes between 3 and 6 months to process your grant application. (3 to 6 months)

There are no clues or specifics.

  • administrative claim

Status: 25.08.2023
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt
Source: Federal Portal