Use public funding to foster your R&D
Added value & time horizon
Added value: Use of public funding for your own R&D, capacity building and networking
Time horizon: short and medium term
Shaping change
Fundamental changes are taking place in almost all technological fields: Industry 4.0, energy and resource efficiency, aging society, civil security, etc. have an impact on our social and economic activity. All companies have the opportunity to help shape this change and expand their own knowledge advantage. The participation of companies (including SMEs) in research projects with universities and other research participation has been actively promoted for years and also deepens the cooperation of all stakeholders in the long term. The financial commitment on the part of the companies is very manageable when the right action is taken, and the benefits outweigh the time commitment by far.
Get an Overview
First, one should get an overview of what national public and possibly also international funding opportunities exist. This mostly depends on the respective research topics and thus on the industry of the respective company. In addition, there are also “cross-technology” research funding for many topics, in particular for topics that are driven by cross-sectional technologies or “key enabling technologies”. This applies in particular to megatrends such as digitization, mobility, security, aging society, etc.
Application
Once the appropriate funding initiatives have been identified, every company can get involved. This range extends from targeted individual promotion to partnership in a large consortium. For many companies, it can be interesting to participate in so-called joint projects with partners from research and development. If you have found the right project consortium, universities and research institutes are often much more familiar with the formalities of the application (for example, calculation) and support the companies in the creation. In the past, the participants in the collaborative projects have generally benefited greatly from each other, as the companies have access to the most up-to-date knowledge in the area of R&D and the scientific institutions receive practical input during the project period.
Research Project
Companies can use a research project in different ways. Either the own specialists are doing research on the requested project or they are trying to build up new blood in their own ranks, who can familiarize themselves with new topics and then deepen their knowledge in the future.
WIN-WIN-WIN
The evaluation of funding priorities (such as those for “Resource Efficiency Technologies”) has shown that most of the supported companies and research institutes draw very positive conclusions at the end of the funding period. Companies and scientific institutions gain new knowledge, establish networks (on R&D, business and politics), increase their reputation, promote their offspring and are much more likely to enter into new research collaborations. In addition, sponsoring institutions fulfill their mission of promoting research for the benefit of society if they place research funding on a broad basis with the participation of all necessary actors.