of 5 September 2013
1 Funding purpose, legal basis
1.1 Funding purpose
Turkey's growing economy together with its success in the field of science and research are making it an increasingly interesting partner for German and European researchers. Germany and Turkey will be celebrating 30 years of scientific relations in 2014. The two countries enjoy a special relationship with great potential for cooperation, not least due to the large number of people of Turkish descent living in Germany and the integration policy of the European Union.
Federal Research Minister Johanna Wanka and the Turkish Minister of Science, Technology and Industry, Nihat Ergün, have agreed to sponsor a "German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation".
This joint Science Year will provide a framework to further heighten the visibility of bilateral activities between Germany and Turkey. At the same time, it can give important impetus to the lasting further development of cooperation.
The German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation is aimed at the following target groups: decision-makers in the field of politics, research institutions, funding and intermediary organizations, companies with a strong research base, educational establishments and providers, researchers, students, trainees, interest groups (associations, etc.), the media and interested members of the public. Particular support will also be afforded to cooperation between young scientists and researchers in both countries (students, trainees, young researchers and start-up entrepreneurs).
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is funding high-publicity activities that will take place in the course of the Science Year and make a specific contribution to the aims of the German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation. These include:
- Enhancing the visibility of the diversity and excellence of the German-Turkish initiatives and activities in research, education and innovation
- Initiating new partnerships between German and Turkish research institutions, companies and education providers
- Making greater use of the innovative potential of German-Turkish cooperation, among other things by supporting and publicizing German-Turkish innovation networks
- Making stakeholders in applied research, companies with a strong research base and investors in R&D in both countries mutually aware of Germany and Turkey as key centres of innovation
- Reaching out to young people, particularly students, trainees and young researchers in both countries with a view to encouraging cooperation with the partner country. Furthermore, support should be provided for activities which arouse the interest of young people in academic training institutions that are relevant to German-Turkish cooperation in research and technology.
The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBITAK) will shortly be publishing a similar call for proposals in Turkey.
1.2 Legal basis
Project grants will be awarded in accordance with these funding regulations, the BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on an expenditure or cost basis and the administrative regulations under Sections 23 and 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO). There is no legal entitlement to a grant. A decision on the award of funding will be made after due assessment of the circumstances and within the limits of the budget funds available.
2. Object of funding
The BMBF is providing funding within the framework of the German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation for high-publicity activities which contribute to the above mentioned objectives and serve to initiate and expand cooperation and enhance bilateral success. These activities include:
- Events (e.g. workshops aimed at a specialist public, public presentations/informational events, trips by delegations, exhibitions, university and innovation forums, etc.)
- Special public relations activities such as road shows, travelling exhibitions
- Multimedia products that are relevant to research, education and innovation (e.g. mobile technologies, digital services and media, social networks)
The events can take place in Turkey, in Germany or in both countries and should be highly visible and reach as large a specialist audience as possible.
Special consideration will be given to applications which are planned and implemented in cooperation between German and Turkish institutions and which can be assigned to the priority areas of German-Turkish scientific and technical cooperation and the thematic priorities of the German-Turkish Science Year.
- Key enabling technologies (e.g. ICT, production technologies, nanotechnology, chemical and physical technologies, mobility, transport, logistics, health research including biotechnology)
- Global change (e.g. renewable energy, energy efficiency, nutrition and agriculture, environmental technologies, climate change, climate protection, water)
- Humanities and social sciences to deal with societal challenges (e.g. demography, brain circulation, diversity, migration)
Special attention will be given to the following horizontal sectors:
- The interface between research and industry and commerce.
- Initial and continuing vocational training in industry, science and research.
- The interface between science and society.
3. Recipients of funding
Recipients of funding may be German institutions of higher education and non-university research institutions as well as commercial companies located in Germany – especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)1 - and other institutions which contribute to research and satisfy the funding purpose and prerequisites for funding. Research establishments which receive joint basic funding from the Federal Government and the Länder can only be granted project funding supplementary to their basic funding for additional expenditure under certain preconditions.
4. Prerequisites for funding
The coordinator of joint German-Turkish initiatives must come from Germany.
5. Type, scope and rates of funding
Funding will be awarded in the form of non-repayable project grants.
Grants for commercial companies are calculated on the basis of the eligible project-related costs, up to 50% of which can as a rule be covered by government grants, depending on the project's relevance to application. The BMBF’s policy requires an appropriate own contribution towards the eligible costs incurred – as a rule of at least 50%.
Grants for universities, research and science institutions and similar establishments will be calculated on the basis of the eligible project-related expenditure (grants for Helmholtz centres and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) will be calculated on the basis of the project-related costs eligible for funding), up to 100% of which can be covered in individual cases.
Eligible German institutions may as a rule receive funding of up to € 40,000 (including a 20% flat-rate grant per project for higher education institutions) for a period of 14 months.
The European Commission's Community Framework for State Aid for Research and Development must be taken into account when determining the rates of funding. The Community Framework allows differentiated bonus arrangements for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may result in a higher rate of funding.
The following expenditure/costs are eligible for funding:
- Travelling expenses of German experts to Turkey
- Travelling expenses of Turkish experts to Germany
- The costs of events in Germany and/or Turkey (e.g. transfer, hiring of equipment, hospitality, rental of venues, accommodation of guests). The exact amount of the grant depends on the size of the event and the number of (foreign) guests.
- Transfer costs for experts within Germany and Turkey (e.g. within the framework of an event)
- Costs of press and public relations work (e.g. posters, publications) in connection with the planned activities
- Staff costs/expenditure: Project-related costs/expenditure for student, administrative and/or scientific personnel are eligible for funding
- Flat-rate grant per project of 20% for research projects at universities and teaching hospitals.
Expenditure on normal basic equipment such as office supplies, communications, laboratory and IT equipment will not be covered in whole or in part.
The proposed measures must take place predominantly during the German-Turkish Science Year. Relevant preparatory and follow-up measures are admissible under certain circumstances.
6. Other terms and conditions for funding
The Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen auf Kostenbasis des BMBF an Unternehmen der gewerblichen Wirtschaft für Forschungs- und Entwicklungsvorhaben (Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided by the BMBF to Commercial Companies for Research and Development Projects on a Cost Basis – NKBF 98) will be part of the notification of award for grants on a cost basis.
The Allgemeine Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen zur Projektförderung (ANBest-P) (General Auxiliary Conditions for Grants Provided for Projects on an Expenditure Basis) and the Besondere Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen des BMBF zur Projektförderung auf Ausgabenbasis (BNBest-BMBF 98) (Special Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided by the BMBF for the Promotion of Projects on Expenditure Basis) will form part of the notification of award of grants on an expenditure basis.
7. Procedure
7.1 Involvement of a project management organization and request for documents
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has entrusted the following project management organization with implementing this funding measure:
Projektträger
im Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Internationales Büro
Heinrich-Konen-Straße 1
53227 Bonn
Internet: www.internationales-buero.de
Contact partners for subject-related questions:
Nadia Meyer
Telephone: +49-2 28-38 21 20 10
E-mail: nadia.meyer@dlr.de
Dr. Oliver Dilly
Telephone: +49-2 28-38 21 14 70
E-mail: oliver.dilly@dlr.de
Contact partner for Science Years:
Alla Nevshupa
Telephone: +49-2 28-38 21 14 46
E-mail: alla.nevshupa@dlr.de
Contact partner for administrative questions:
Dagmar Heine-Beyer
Telefon: +49-2 28-38 21 19 76
E-mail: dagmar.heine-beyer@dlr.de
Applicants are recommended to contact the project management organization for advice on applications. The organization can also provide additional information and details.
7.2 Presentation of formal applications for funding and decision-making procedure
The procedure consists of two phases.
7.2.1 Submission and selection of project outlines
Subject to the availability of budgetary funds, the call for proposals is open until 30 April 2014. In the first phase, detailed project outlines are to be sent to the project management agency by the following deadlines:
31 October 2013 (earliest funding with effect from March 2014)
30 April 2014 (earliest funding with effect from September 2014)
Project outlines should be submitted in German via the PT-Outline electronic outlining tool (https://www.pt-it.de/ptoutline/application/WJTUR2014).
The submission deadline is not a cut-off deadline. However, it may not be possible to consider project outlines that are received belatedly.
A legal claim cannot be derived from the submission of a project outline.
The project outlines must be structured as follows:
Part A)These fields are a fixed part of any call for proposals; the information is entered via an online form.
A.I Information for administrative purposes
A.II Financial overview
An individual project description that is tailored to the call and structured as follows:
B.I Summary of the planned activity
B.II Description of the aims of the measure (including target groups, participants), the topics addressed and main activities
B.III Relevance for the priority areas of the German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation
B.IV Description of previous contacts and cooperation
B.V Medium and long-term effectiveness of the proposed measures in the context of the objectives of the call for proposals (including added value for target groups resulting from the communication of research, education and innovation)
B.VI Reasons for the funding applied for in the electronic application; details of the planned use of own funding.
The project description (Part B) can be uploaded as a document (Word or pdf file) on PT-Outline.
The project outline provides the basis for evaluating the content of the project. The project description should therefore include assessable information about all relevant points (see structure of the project description). The description should not exceed 10 pages.
A signed copy of the project outline (generated as a pdf file in PT-Outline) must be sent to the International Bureau without delay:
Projektträger
im Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Internationales Büro
Heinrich-Konen-Straße 1
53227 Bonn
The project outlines will be considered on the basis of the following criteria:
- Relevance to the aims specified in sections 1 and 2, thematic priorities and conformance with the specified formal requirements
- Quality and originality of the research approach
- Clear contribution to promoting and intensifying German-Turkish cooperation in research, innovation and education
- Added value of the activity regarding the communication of research, education and innovation to relevant target groups
- Time frame (duration of a maximum of 14 months, beginning during the Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation)
- Expertise of the applicant and the partners involved
- Previous experience of cooperation with Turkey
- Involvement and support of students, young researchers and trainees
- Follow-up activities, initiation of new partnerships
- Visibility / high publicity / active media work in the context of the German-Turkish Year of Research, Education and Innovation
Project ideas which are suitable for funding will be selected on the basis of the criteria described above. Applicants will be informed in writing of the results of the selection procedure.
Applicants have no legal entitlement to the return of their project outlines.
A full application is to be presented within four weeks upon demand.
7.2.2 Submission of formal applications for funding and decision-making procedure
In the second phase, institutions whose project outlines have been evaluated positively will be invited, if appropriate in consultation with the proposed project coordinator, to present a formal application for funding, on which a decision will be taken following a final evaluation. Formal applications must be drafted using the BMBF's "easy" electronic application system. Forms for formal applications, guidelines, leaflets, information and auxiliary terms and conditions are available on the Internet at https://foerderportal.bund.de/easy/easy_index.php?auswahl=easy_formulare&formularschrank=bmbf&menue=block. The formal application must be accompanied by a summary of the project description in German in accordance with the BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on expenditure basis ("Richtlinien für Zuwendungsanträge auf Ausgabenbasis") and BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on a cost basis ("Richtlinien für Zuwendungsanträge auf Kostenbasis").
Approval and payment of and accounting for the funds as well as proof and examination of proper use and, if necessary, revocation of the award and reclaiming of the funds awarded are governed by the administrative regulations pertaining to section 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO) and sections 48 to 49a of the Administrative Procedure Act (VwVfG) unless deviation is permitted under the present funding regulations.
8. Entry into force
These funding regulations will enter into force on the day of their publication in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger).
Bonn, 5. September 2013
Federal Ministry of
Education and Research
Peter Webers
1According to the EU’s definition of SMEs: The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises consists of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 people and which have either an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million, or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million. Within this category, the following definitions apply: Small enterprises are defined as enterprises which employ fewer than 50 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €10 million. Micro enterprises are defined as enterprises which employ fewer than 10 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million. In general, most SMEs are autonomous since they are either completely independent or have one or more minority partnerships (each less than 25%) with other enterprises (see 2.3.1, p.16). If that holding rises to no more than 50%, the relationship is deemed to be between partner enterprises (see 2.3.2, p. 20). Above that ceiling, the enterprises are linked (see 2.3.3, p. 23). Source: http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/enterprise_policy/sme_definition/sme_user_guide_de.pdf und http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/sme-definition/index_en.htm
