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Information and communication technologies; application for funding for projects of universities and research institutions as well as companies

If you have an idea for the (further) development of innovative technologies in information and communication technologies (ICT), you can be funded under certain conditions. The aim is to transfer knowledge from research to industry.

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Procedure details

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) funds projects for researching, developing and using innovative technologies in information and communication technologies (ICT) that partners from academia alone or alliances from academia and industry want to carry out.

They can apply for funding for basic academic projects or overarching technology alliances, either alone or together with collaborative partners. The prerequisite is that these promise a significant technological contribution to mastering future complex IT systems. Funding is possible in the following areas:

  • ICT economy
  • Mobility, vehicle industry and transportation
  • Mechanical engineering, process technology, automation
  • Health, medical technology
  • Logistics
  • Innovative user-oriented services
  • Energy (especially renewable energies)
  • Environment and resource protection

You can apply for funding for basic-oriented projects or technology alliances.

Base-oriented projects are academically driven individual and collaborative projects that research topics that create prerequisites for many fields of application. Such as algorithm development, software methods or tools for data structures. As a prerequisite for funding, you must submit a research strategy.

In addition, you can apply for funding as a broad-based alliance of science and industry as a technology alliance. This must either create a broadly oriented technology innovation that is open to all sectors or develop basic technologies across all sectors and bring them into application. The participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in such alliances is mandatory.

As a university, research and scientific institution in the non-economic sector, you can receive funding for up to 100 percent of the project-related costs/expenses.

Universities and university hospitals can additionally receive a project lump sum of 20 percent for non-economic research projects.

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

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 to apply are:

  • small and medium-sized enterprises. This means,
    • employ less 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 43 million EUR in the previous fiscal year
  • Companies that are not SMEs
  • Universities
  • university and non-university research institutions

Further requirements for companies:

  • They have permanent employees with proven expertise in computer science and proven expertise in the addressed subject areas to the required extent.
  • They are in a position to raise the own contribution to be made within the framework of share financing of the project from current business operations.

In general:

  • You are conducting a research and development project with partners from science or industry that meets the following requirements:
    • The focus and degree of novelty of the project must be on complex IT systems with a focus on embedded systems (embedded systems), intelligent learning systems or Internet of Things and Services, where there is a clear added value compared to established processes or solutions.
    • They have a sufficient data basis in both quantitative and qualitative terms.
    • The protection of personal data must be ensured. It is imperative that European and German data protection guidelines are taken into account.
    • The results must benefit Germany as a business location beyond the Verbund.

New or further development of hardware is not eligible for funding.

  • Required Documents

    Für die 1. Verfahrensstufe, Projektskizze mit folgenden Angaben:

    • Deckblatt mit Projektbezeichnung, Postanschrift, Telefon und EMail der Einsenderin oder des Einsenders sowie den Angaben zu Gesamtkosten, Zuwendungsbedarf und Laufzeit
    • Motivationsschreiben, Ausgangsfrage, Ziele und gesellschaftlicher Bedarf des geplanten Vorhabens
    • Stand der Forschung und Technik, Neuheit des Lösungsansatzes, eigene Vorarbeiten, Datengrundlage, Abgrenzung zu früheren und laufenden nationalen und internationalen Forschungsarbeiten und marktüblichen Lösungen oder Dienstleistungen
    • Darstellung der Kooperationspartner inklusive vorhabenrelevantem Kompetenzprofil, bei Unternehmen inklusive des aufzubringenden Eigenanteils
    • bei Verbundprojekten Benennung der Koordinatorin, des Koordinators beziehungsweise der Konsortionalführerin, des Konsortialführers
    • Beschreibung des eigenen Lösungsweges mit Untersetzung der anzuwendenden Methoden
    • Zeit und Arbeitsgrobplanung mit Personenmonaten pro Partner
    • Arbeitsplan mit Darstellung der Beiträge aller beteiligten Partner
    • tabellarische Finanzierungsübersicht
    • Verwertungsplan mit Erläuterungen zu Marktpotenzial, Konkurrenzsituation, wirtschaftliche und wissenschaftlich-technische Erfolgsaussichten, Anschlussfähigkeit, Mehrwert für den Standort Deutschland

The application procedure for funding research projects to improve the exploration and integration phases of ICT research has 2 stages.

Stage 1: Project outline

  • You submit a project outline, in the case of a collaborative project a joint project outline, comprising a maximum of 15 DIN A4 pages (1.5 line spacing, Arial font, size at least 11) to the project management organization (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V.) and via the pt-outline portal.
  • In addition to the project outline, you must print out and sign the pt-outline project sheet and send it by mail to the project management organization (PT).
  • The project outline will be evaluated, if necessary with the participation of external reviewers, in a competitive procedure according to the following criteria:
    • strategic contribution to solving the challenges
    • Innovation of the approach of the proposed solution under the given and foreseeable technical and economic constraints
    • relevance of the proposed solution for industrial applications in relation to the respective subject areas
    • own preliminary work relevant to the project
    • Contribution to the development and expansion of competence on the part of industrial users and to profile building, especially on the part of the research partners
    • sustainable implementation of ideas, concept for model and software maintenance, contributions to standardization of development methods and software tools
    • Contribution to training and further education on the user side, increase in expertise.
  • If your project idea is selected, you will receive a positive written request to submit the application (stage 2)

Stage 2: Application

You submit your application for funding for research projects to improve the exploration and integration phases of ICT research as follows:

  • Submit your application online via the "easy-Online" portal.
  • Call up the "easy-Online" 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 with 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 will be evaluated and reviewed according to the following criteria:
    • In the case of an SME: Proof of SME status through SME declaration as well as the significant share of research performance by the SME(s) involved.
    • Implementation of any conditions from the first stage and compliance with the financial framework recommended there for funding
    • Quality of the detailed description of the solution concept, the work plan as well as the organization of the collaboration in the network
    • The informative value of the detailed description of the exploitation plan, also with regard to the funding policy objectives of this funding measure.
    • Eligibility of the requested funds
    • Necessity and appropriateness of the requested funds
    • Comprehensibility of the explanations of the financing plan, including, in the case of companies, a description of how the company's own contribution will be raised.
  • You will receive a decision on your application.
  • In the event of a positive decision, you will receive a notification of funding by mail.

Levy: none

You can submit your project outline to the assigned project management organization of the BMBF (DLR-PT) until June 30, 2024.

The processing of the grant application usually takes 3 months. (3 months)

  • administrative claim

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