Financing of knowledge and technology transfer
Knowledge and technology transfer funding is also referred to as translational funding. Any research activity supported by internal university funding, external public funding such as the various BMBF grants, or even private early-stage investment can be considered a transfer activity or project with the goal of commercializing the research.
The risk to potential commercial partners, including potential spin-offs, is reduced by translational funding, allowing scientists to work with relevant stakeholders to achieve a successful outcome. It can be very satisfying to watch innovation evolve from purely academic origins to previously unexplored applications.
If you are interested in applying for translational funding, please contact both the Transfer Scouts and Research Management (D7) at the University of Cologne. Often we need to provide information on the innovation potential, patent exploitation strategy and even commercial plans for the technology to be researched for each section. We can help you better if you notify us of your application in good time so that we have enough time to prepare adequately.
The Division 7 for Research Management of the University of Cologne publishes a monthly newsletter on new calls for proposals from national, European and international funding agencies and foundations.
Here you can find the latest edition of the newsletter as PDF for downloading. All published editions are available in the archive: https://verwaltung.uni-koeln.de/forschungsmanagement/content/analysis__consulting_services/newsletter/index_eng.html
Key public funding programs at a glance
DFG | Knowledge Transfer
Aim: Transfer projects are based on results generated by DFG-funded research projects. They serve to test scientific insights in practice and, in collaboration with an application partner, develop basic-research findings into prototypes or exemplary applications. The application partner may be a commercial enterprise or a non-profit institution, especially in the public sector.
Target group: Scientists participating in DFG grant programmes; proposals for knowledge transfer projects may be submitted under both the individual grants programmes and coordinated programmes of the DFG.
Duration: Up to 3 years
Funding: The categories of funds to be applied for correspond to the funding procedure in which the proposal is submitted, only the scientific partners receive funding.
Deadline: continuously open
Further information: website of the DFG
European Research Council (ERC) | Proof of Concept
Aim: The Proof of Concept (PoC) grant supplements the research grants awarded by the European Research Council (ERC). It is geared exclusively toward researchers who already hold an ERC grant and wish to utilize a research finding from their ongoing or already completed project in the pre-commercial stage. The objective of a Proof of Concept project is to review the market potential of an idea and to further develop it in terms of readiness for application, commercialization, or marketing. The funds can be used for market research, technical validation, feasibility studies, clearing up issues of intellectual property, analysis of business opportunities, or preparation of a business plan.
Target group: Researchers who have already received an ERC grant (StG/CoG/AdG/SyG); ERC project must either still be in progress or have been completed within the last year
Duration: Up to 18 months
Funding: € 150,000 (100% of direct costs + 25% overhead)
Deadline: 21 September 2023
Further information: Website of ERC
BMBF | GO-Bio initial
Aim: The GO-Bio initial funding initiative supports the identification and further development of new ideas or early research approaches with recognizable innovation potential. Aim of the program is to enable and facilitate the transfer of promising ideas into products. The focus is particularly on ideas and inventions from the fields of therapeutics, diagnostics, research tools and platform technologies.
Target group: scientists in a professional (re)orientation phase: Master students, doctoral students, post-docs who want to further develop their applicable ideas or inventions, ideally up to commercial marketing and can imagine themselves as start-ups, or experienced professionals who are looking for a new perspective.
Duration: 3 years (1 year exploratory phase | 2 years feasibility phase)
Funding exploratory phase: € 100,000 (+overhead) | feasibility phase: € 500,000 (+overhead)
Deadline: Annually on 15 February (submission of a project outline - 5 pages)
Further information: Website of GO-Bio Initial
BMBF | New products for the bioeconomy
Aim: Developing new ideas for bio-based products or processes, testing their feasibility and making them a reality: The ideas contest held by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) offers researchers with original business ideas for the bioeconomy enticing funding to help out during the early stages of development.
Target group: Scientists in a professional (re)orientation phase: Master students, doctoral students, post-docs who want to further develop their applicable ideas or inventions, ideally up to commercial marketing and can imagine themselves as start-ups, or experienced professionals who are looking for a new perspective.
Duration: 3 years (1 year exploratory phase | 2 years feasibility phase)
Funding exploratory phase: € 65,000 (+overhead) | feasibility phase: up to € 500,000 (+overhead)
Deadline: Annually on 1 February (submission of a project outline of 4 - 6 pages)
Further information: Website of Projekträger Jülich
BMBF | VIP+
Aim: Projects from all fields of research that systematically demonstrate the feasibility and practicability as well as the innovation potential of research results and are in the validation phase. In particular, projects are to be funded whose results can lead to significant innovations and which have a high economic or societal innovation potential.
Examples of validation activities:
• Feasibility studies
• Development of demonstrators or functional models, performance of test series or pilot applications to prove suitability and acceptance
• Applied basic research to further develop research results towards application or to adapt them to new areas of application
• Evaluative analyses to prove the economic or societal innovation potential
• Analysis of IP landscape and protection through IP rights
Target group: Scientists with a motivation to demonstrate the technical feasibility and economic potential of their research results
Duration: 3 years Funding up to € 1,5 million
Deadline: Continuously open
Further information: Website of VIP+
MWIKE NRW | NRW-Patent-Validation
Aim: Funding is provided to further develop existing inventions and patents with relevant market potential from universities and research institutions. This includes both the creation of a proof-of-concept and the development of demonstrators or prototypes to support the exploitation of inventions from science, secured by patents. The projects must fall into the research categories of industrial research or experimental development. The program is open to all topics. The invention must be in the sole possession of the university/research institution.
Target group: Scientists who want to put their patent-pending research results into practice
Phase 1: Universities/research institutions (individual projects)
Phase 2: Cooperation projects with industry
Duration: 2,5 years (phase 1: up to 18 months | phase 2: up to 1 year)
Funding:
Phase 1: Up to € 175.000, including own contribution of 10%
Phase 2: up to € 175.000, including own contribution of 10% | up to € 200.000 as subsidies for industrial partner
The implementation of phase 2 is optional.
It is recommended to involve cooperation partners already in the first phase or to win potential partners for the second phase.
Deadline: 29 February 2024, 28 February 2025, 30 June 2025 (one-stage procedure)
Further information: Website of project management Jülich
BMWK | EXIST Transfer of Research
Aim: “EXIST Transfer of Research supports outstanding research oriented projects that involve high-risk and expensive resource development. […]
In the first phase, results of research that have the potential of becoming the basis of a start-up business are developed further. The objective is to carry out further resource development to clarify fundamental problems involved in converting academic findings into technical products and processes. […]
In the second phase of funding further resource development, measures to start business operations and meeting the prerequisites for external business financing are at the centre of interest.”
Target group: Research teams and working groups at universities and research institutes (a maximum of three academics and technical assistants) | one person with managerial competence
Duration: 1,5 to 3 years (phase 1) | up to 1,5 years (phase 2) Funding phase 1: staff costs, material expenses up to € 250,000 for equipment, material, capital goods, property rights, market research, the awarding of contracts and coaching | phase 2: up to € 180,000 (up to 75% of the project costs)
Deadline: Annually on 31 January & 31 July
Further information: Website of EXIST
BMWK | EXIST Business Start-up Grant
Aim: This programme aims at improving the entrepreneurial environment at universities and research institutes. It also aims at increasing the number and success of technology and knowledge based business start-ups.
Target group: Teams of up to three people | students, university graduates and scientists who want to turn their business idea into a business plan.
Duration: Up to 1 year
Funding: € 3,000 monthly for entrepreneurs with a doctorate | € 2,500 monthly for graduates with a university degree | € 1,000 monthly for students | € 150 monthly per child | € 10,000 for solo start-ups and € 30,000 for teams for materials and equipment | € 5,000 for coaching
Deadline: Continuously open
Further information: Website of EXIST | Contact at the Gateway Excellence Start-up Center
BMWK | Zentrales Innovationsprogramm Mittelstand (ZIM)
Aim: R&D cooperation projects and (inter-) national ZIM innovation networks of companies and research institutions for the development of innovative products, processes or technical services without restriction to specific technologies and industries and improved (inter-) national cooperation.
Target group: Scientists working on high-risk, pre-competitive development projects with high application potential that support the market positioning of the participating SME; universities as additional partners
Duration: Up to 3 years
Funding: Up to € 220,000 for research institutions (100% funding of eligible project-related expenses)
Deadline: Continuously open
Further information: Website of ZIM
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