Apply for funding for the program "Validation of the technological and societal innovation potential of scientific research - VIP+"

Research at universities and non-university research institutions produces exciting new findings - sometimes with concrete ideas for their practical application. However, in order to find out whether the idea is actually suitable for an innovative product or a new service, further research is often required. The funding measure "Validation of the technological and social innovation potential of scientific research - VIP+" closes this gap between initial results from basic research and a possible application.

Target group of the funding

With this funding measure, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports researchers from all scientific disciplines and research areas in

• universities,
• non-university research institutions jointly funded by the federal and state governments and
• at federal institutions with research and development (R&D) tasks.

Object of the funding
The funding measure makes it possible to systematically validate research results and, in the process of validation, to open up potential areas of application and exploitation that are expected to have a high economic or social benefit. In this way, the researchers contribute to strengthening the transfer culture in their institutions as well as in the science and research landscape as a whole.

In the process of knowledge and insight transfer, validation forms the bridge between discovery and exploitation or application:

• Discovery phase:
  In the discovery phase, promising research results are identified that are expected to have a high innovation potential, which is to be proven in the subsequent validation phase. The discovery phase is part of basic research, through which the fundamental gain in knowledge takes place.
  
• Validation phase:
  The aim of the validation phase is to test, prove and evaluate the innovation potential of the identified research results and to successively develop possible areas of application and exploitation. Legal and ethical framework conditions and the acceptance of the market and society must be taken into account.
  
• Utilization or application phase:
  The utilization or application of validated research results usually takes place through implementation in innovative products, processes or services. Both economic exploitation, for example in networks, through licensing or by founding a company, and non-economic application, the benefits of which lie in the national economy or society as a whole, can be considered.

For the discovery phase, the BMBF relies on existing funding for basic research. Federal and state funding programs are available for the exploitation phase, such as start-up funding. The VIP+ funding measure is therefore aimed exclusively at the validation phase. It addresses all scientific disciplines and research areas. At the same time, it is open to different ways of subsequent utilization or application. In this way, the VIP+ funding measure complements approaches in the federal government's specialist programs that are topic-related or geared towards specific exploitation paths.

Projects from all research areas that systematically demonstrate the feasibility and practicability as well as the innovation potential of research results and are in the validation phase (see above) are eligible for funding. In particular, projects whose results can lead to significant innovations (innovation level) and which have a high economic or social innovation potential should be funded.

The projects can include the following validation activities, for example:

• Investigations to prove feasibility,
• development of demonstrators or functional models, carrying out test series or pilot applications to prove suitability and acceptance,
• application-oriented basic research for the further development of research results in the direction of application or for adaptation to new areas of application,
• evaluative analyses to prove the economic or social innovation potential (e.g. for social innovations) and
• Property rights analysis and protection.

Upon completion of the validation activities, all evidence required for the subsequent exploitation or application phase should be provided.

Binding support concept

To ensure the success of the validation, each project must submit and implement a binding support concept. The support concept shows how

• possible applications and user groups for the research result to be validated are identified
• the user requirements and the requirements of potential exploiters or users of the validation are determined,
• legal and ethical framework conditions are taken into account and
• preparing for utilization or application following validation.

Innovation mentors should be involved in the project as part of the support concept. They should ensure the integration of empirical knowledge from successful innovation processes and, if applicable, from practice into the project. The mentors and other stakeholders involved in the support concept must declare their willingness to participate in writing to the applicant institution.

Further development and implementation path

The applicant is responsible for the further development and implementation of the work, in particular the utilization or concrete application. On request, the project management organization will advise on possible paths and funding opportunities in the subsequent exploitation or application phase in good time before the end of the project.

Both individual projects and collaborative projects can be funded.

Type and amount of funding

Grants can be awarded by way of project funding for a period of up to 3 years as non-repayable subsidies.

If federal institutions with R&D tasks are funded, they will receive grants by way of allocation.

The amount of the grant per project depends on the requirements of the project applied for within the framework of the available funds. As a rule, the grant should not exceed the sum of EUR 500,000 per project or joint project and year (i.e. a total of EUR 1,500,000). Projects with a shorter duration or lower funding requirements are also addressed.

Grants can be used for personnel, material and travel expenses as well as project-related equipment investments that are not part of the applicant's basic equipment. Due to the openness of the measure for different research areas and types of institution, different priorities may be necessary in individual projects.

Necessary expenses or costs for securing intellectual property rights in the member states of the European Union during the term of a project are eligible for funding, provided they are not already funded by other federal and state funding measures.

The basis of assessment for universities, research and scientific institutions and comparable institutions is the eligible project-related expenditure (for Helmholtz Centers and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft the eligible project-related costs), which can be funded individually up to 100 percent. For research projects at universities, a project allowance of 20 percent is granted on top of the federal grant.

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.