topic 

Production technology

Production and production-related services account for more than two-thirds of Germany's total economic output. R&D and training and skills development also play a key role in ensuring that we remain competitive in the future. SMEs are especially prominent in this area as drivers of innovation and as the transfer interface between the scientific and business community for research results. Over recent years new and innovative companies have entered the scene both in established areas and in the conversion of new key technologies to operational practice. These need to be strengthened.

Through its KMU-Innovationsoffensive Produktionsforschung funding programme, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is seeking to strengthen the potential for innovation among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) - "R&D first-timers" and high-tech SMEs - and to structure research funding within the framework of research for tomorrow's production in a way that is particularly attractive to SMEs applying for research funding for the first time. The aim of the measure is to get SMEs to better utilise the potential of production research.

With the assistance of this funding measure SMEs should establish themselves in the production technologies market and become more competitive. It should support SMEs active in the field of production research or that wish to expand and strengthen their line of business through the application of production technologies.

Procedure

Skilled advisers are available to answer your questions. The support service will help you with basic questions on funding. Detailed technical questions will be answered by the competent project management organisation for that area of technology. For the submission of project outlines a special online tool is available.

Information on submission

Project outlines can be submitted at any time. Evaluation cut-off dates for project outlines are 15 April and 15 October.

Funding criteria

Important criteria for a positive decision on funding are excellence, the degree of innovation, and the contribution the research will make to the solution of current socially relevant issues. The detailed evaluation criteria can be found in the funding regulations. Submitted project outlines will be assessed competitively.

Technology and application areas

In line with the published funding regulations for the BMBF's KMU-Innovationsoffensive Produktionsforschung funding programme, support is provided for R&D projects directed at particular applications or sectors. Eligible are projects in the following application areas or sectors:

• Extractive industries
• Mechanical engineering and plant construction
• Vehicle construction
• Electrical engineering and information technology
• Medical, measurement and control engineering, and optical techologies
• Services
• Other areas of industry.

As example, a number of subject areas or research questions are given:

Market focus and strategic product planning

• Strategic positioning of company
• Market shaping and customer orientation
• Innovation and management of complexity
• Virtualisation of product development

Technologies and production equipment

• Production flexibility
• Manufacturing technologies and process chains
• Product and process quality
• Virtual production
• Production-related product properties

New forms of cooperation between manufacturing companies

• Customer-to-customer workflow
• Resources in the production network
• Structuring flexible production networks
• IT support in the production network

Humans and the versatile company

• Skills and qualifications
• Innovative capacity for new technologies and service functions
• Dynamic, scalable organisation
• The ability of companies to cooperate in regional and international settings

Outlining tool

An easy-to-use, effective online tool is available for you to submit your project outlines. If you have any problems please contact the designated project management organisation.

• Announcement

  by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) of funding regulations for the KMU-innovativ: Produktionsforschung programme (German version)
  more (URL: http://www.bmbf.de/foerderungen/10694.php)
   
  
• 

  Shortcuts to funding

  Are you planning an ambitious research project in a small or medium-sized company? Then you probably have an excellent idea, but don't have much time to look for the right funding option. Through its KMU-innovativ scheme, the BMBF is trying to make access to funding as simple as possible for you.
  more (URL: http://www.hightech-strategie.de/en/432.php)