Apply for funding for the "KMU-innovativ: Resource efficiency and climate protection" program

Source: BUS Rheinland-Pfalz

Funding is provided for research and development (R&D) projects in the following key areas:

Raw material efficiency

Resource-efficient circular economy: recycling and extending the useful life of products and components, resource-efficient product design and innovative recycling and recovery processes,
Increasing resource efficiency, especially in raw material-intensive processes (e.g. processing of metallic and mineral raw materials, production of chemical base materials and building materials),
efficient provision and use of critical raw materials,
Improving raw material productivity by optimizing value chains, using digital technologies and developing evaluation and control instruments,
material use of carbon dioxide (CO2) to replace fossil raw materials, including efficient separation of CO2.

Energy efficiency and climate protection

System-related technologies, processes and services to increase energy efficiency in industry,
greenhouse gas-reducing technologies and processes for industrial processes,
climate-relevant cross-sectional technologies,
Services and products for climate protection,
Services and products for adapting to climate change,
climate-friendly services and management methods for rural areas.

Sustainable water management

Innovative processes for drinking water production and water treatment,
Strategies and technologies for water conservation and recycling (including aquaculture),
innovative wastewater or rainwater treatment technologies and energy generation from wastewater,
concepts and technologies for linking material flows (e.g. water, energy, waste) and, where appropriate, recovery of (nutrient) substances (e.g. phosphorus),
resource-conserving utilization of sewage sludge and liquid manure for preventive groundwater protection,
Measurement, control and regulation technology for water systems,
efficient irrigation technologies,
resource- and energy-efficient adaptation measures to increase exportability in the water sector.

Sustainable land management

Technologies, processes and services for sustainable land management, in particular for safeguarding, restoring or improving soil functions,
Digitalization of planning, control and monitoring in land and area management,
Instruments for reducing land consumption and strengthening inner-city development,
Services, instruments and technologies for land recycling.

Individual projects by companies with expertise in the key topics described above are eligible for funding. In principle, it is also possible to fund consortia involving several SMEs or research institutions or companies that do not meet the SME criteria. However, a significant proportion of the research work must be carried out by the participating SMEs and the benefits of the project must primarily benefit them.

However, companies wishing to take up R&D activities in the field of resource efficiency and climate protection for the first time can also be accepted for funding. In this case, however, cooperation with an experienced partner is advisable.

Grants are awarded by way of project funding. Grants can be used for personnel, travel and material expenses, for awarding contracts and for investments in equipment. Construction investments are excluded from funding. The "General Block Exemption Regulation" (GBER) must be taken into account when determining the respective eligible costs or expenses.

As an SME, you can generally receive funding of up to 50 percent of the eligible project-related costs.

Applicants whose total own contributions from BMBF-funded research projects do not exceed EUR 100,000 in each year of the project's duration can be subject to a simplified credit check.

If you do not meet all the criteria to be considered an SME, you can receive funding of up to 35 percent of the project-related costs under certain conditions.

Universities, research and scientific institutions or comparable institutions in the non-business sector can receive individual funding of up to 100% of the project-related costs or expenses as a partner of an SME.

Universities and university hospitals can receive a project lump sum of 20 percent for non-commercial research projects in addition to the eligible expenditure financed by the BMBF.

It is expected that at least half of the funding applied for (including any bonuses to be granted to SMEs and project lump sums for universities) will benefit the SMEs involved.

The possible funding period is generally 2 years.

The results of the funded project may only be used in Germany or the European Economic Area (EEA) and 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.

The contact persons responsible for you in the areas of raw materials efficiency, energy efficiency and climate protection, sustainable water management and sustainable land management can be found on the Internet in the published announcement.

The application procedure consists of 2 stages.

Stage 1: Project outline

For collaborative projects, submit a project outline of a maximum of 12 A4 pages (including attachments; Arial font, font size 11, single-spaced) agreed between the partners to the responsible project management organization and via the PT-Outline portal.
- The BMBF has commissioned the project management organization ("approval authority") to handle the funding measure. You can find the project management organization responsible for your topic on the Internet in the published announcement.
In addition to preparing the project outline, you must print out and sign the PT outline project sheet and send it by post to the project management organization (PT).
The project outline will be evaluated in the competitive procedure according to the following criteria:
- Importance of the research objective: social need and product relevance,
- Scientific and technical quality of the solution approach,
- level of innovation of the scientific and technical concept,
- technological and economic potential,
- Qualification of the partners,
- Quality of the project management and, if applicable, the network structure,
- Quality and feasibility of the exploitation plan, commercialization prospects, market potential,
- Contribution of the project to the future positioning of the company on the market,
- Assessment of the social, economic and ecological opportunities and risks associated with the scientific and technical innovations.
If your project idea is selected, you will receive a positive written invitation to submit the application (stage 2).

Stage 2: Submission of the application

You submit your application for funding for a project in the field of resource efficiency and climate protection as follows:

The application is submitted electronically via the "easy-Online" portal.
Call up the "easy-Online" Internet portal. There you will be guided step by step through the application process.
Complete all the fields required for the application and submit the application online 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 together with the other application documents in the next step.
Once the project management organization has received the application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt.
The responsible administrator at the project management organization will contact you during the processing of your application to clarify any queries.
The applications received will be assessed and reviewed on the basis of the above criteria and the following additional criteria:
- Compliance with any expert advice and conditions from the evaluation of the outline,
- Quality of the exploitation plans of the individual partners,
- Project management (effectiveness and efficiency of the planned organization of the project work), project structure (responsibilities, interfaces) and risk management,
- Appropriateness of preliminary costing and financing plan.
You will receive a decision on your application.
In the event of a positive decision, you will receive a grant notification by post.

Eligible applicants are:

Small and medium-sized enterprises. This means,
- They employ fewer than 250 employees,
- have an annual turnover of no more than EUR 50 million or
- had an annual balance sheet total of no more than EUR 43 million in the previous financial year.
Companies that are not SMEs
universities
Non-university research institutions
regional authorities

You must also meet the following requirements:

Project topic in the field of resource efficiency, energy efficiency or climate protection
Establishment or business premises in Germany
Research and development projects with a high scientific and technical risk
Regulation of the cooperation through a cooperation agreement

For the 1st stage of the procedure: Project outline with the following information:

Cover sheet with project name, postal address, telephone number and e-mail address of the submitter as well as information on total costs, funding requirements and duration
Topic and objective of the project,
State of the art in science and technology, novelty of the solution approach, patent situation,
Necessity of the grant: Scientific-technical and economic risk with justification of the need for state funding,
Market potential, market environment, economic and scientific competitive situation,
Brief description of the applicant companies, concrete presentation of the business models and market prospects with time horizon and target figures, presentation of the own contribution to be made,
Work plan, if applicable, network structure with work packages of all partners involved,
Draft financing plan,
exploitation plan (economic and scientific/technical prospects of success, potential uses and connectivity).

Apply for funding for the "KMU-innovativ: Resource efficiency and climate protection" program

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