agency for Innovation
by Science and Technology
agency for Innovation
by Science and Technology
INNOVATION MANDATES:
Funding programme for
postdoctoral researchers
July 1st ,2013
Veerle Cauwenberg
Overview
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Purpose
General terms and conditions
Different types of IM-grants
Consortium
Budget and support
Intellectual property rights
Application
Evaluation
Timing
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IWT postdoctoral mandates:purpose
- Provide support to postdoctoral researchers who wish to undertake
active efforts to achieve the effective transfer, the exploitation and the
utilisation of their research findings, either through a close collaboration
with an existing company, either directed towards the establishment of
a new spin-off company.
- Main objectives of the research project are:
- strategic basic research resulting in the applicability of the research
results in the industry
- the economical valorisation of research
niche between university research and research in industry;
strong input from the research institutes, but with a valorisation in
business;
strategic basic research projects, characterized by a risk level which is
still too high to be already carried out as an industrial R&D project.
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IWT postdoctoral mandates
Research
O&O
Postdoc
Education
Innovation
Innovation mandates
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General terms and conditions
• Funding is granted on a project basis to individual
researchers
• Supported by one or more:
- Scientific promotor(s):
- responsible for the scientific supervision (scientific quality
and progress of the project)
- Industrial mentor(s):
- involved in the strategic orientation of the project and
guidance in valorisation aspects
- co-responsible for the financing in phase 2
• The mandate holder is an employee of the knowlegde
centre, with the option to become an employee of the
company in a later phase (phase 2)
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Different types of mandates
• Particular form of project-based support within the
- SBO-funding programme
- Industrial R&D funding programme
1) Spin-off mandates:
- leading to the establishment of a spin-off company
- main target of this type of innovation mandates is research (and
activities) directed towards the creation of a spin-off company with
an industrial activity in Flanders
- prior to the application, consultation of the TechTransfer office of
the university/research institute is required
- 100% support for maximum 2 years (mandate stops at the date of
foundation of the company)
- support to the research institute
- mandate holder is employee of the knowledge centre
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Different types of mandates
2) Cooperation with existing companies:
- with co-financing
- phased model
These innovation mandates may consist of 2 phases:
- First phase:
- Preliminary phase in which more research is performed to
assess the applicability in a business context
- all partners involved will define milestone(s), and the thereto
related scientific objectives, which should be achieved before
a transfer of results to the industry will be possible
- maximum 12 months
- 100% support to the knowledge centre
- Mandate holder is employee of the knowledge centre
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Different types of mandates
2) Cooperation with existing companies:
- Second phase:
- Mandates starting with phase 1 shall proceed to phase 2 after
6 months or after 12 months at the latest
- It is possible to start directly with phase 2, in particular when
there is a clear one-to-one relationship with a company, and/or
when the company considerably contributes its own
knowledge/models/tools
- The company is the applicant and is responsible for the strategic
orientation of the research and for co-financing
- 50% or 60% (for SME’s) support to the company
- Project duration of 24 months (or maximum 36 months)
- Mandate holder is employee of the research institute or of the
company
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IWT-Innovation mandates
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Switch from phase 1 to phase 2:
No discontinuity
No additional overhead
Evaluation of the project proposal:
advice by external experts about phase 1
advice by external experts about phase 2
- By the end of phase 1: agreement between the knowledge
centre and the company about the transfer of results
- New decision of the Board of Directors and new funding
agreement with the company
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IWT-Innovation mandates
- 2-years mandates, maximum 3 years (with co-financing of
a company)
- Mandates with 2 phases can only be extended in phase 2
(12 + 24 months)
- The funding programme is open to all nationalities and all
academic disciplines, to anyone who holds a doctorate
diploma
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Partners
• Applicant:
1) spin-off mandate and phase 1: candidate mandate
holder affiliated to a knowledge centre
2) phase 2: the company
• Partners:
1) research institute + scientific promotor; company +
industrial mentor
2) candidate mandate holder, research institute +
scientific promotor; company appoints an industrial
mentor.
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Candidate mandate holder
• The scheme is open to anyone who holds a doctoral
diploma
• In case the PhD defense is planned in the short term
(within 6 months), we need a written declaration of the
scientific promotor with the planned date of the PhD
defense + no contra-indications
• The same candidate can only be granted an innovation
mandate once
• A candidate can apply max. 2 times
• A candidate may not apply at the same time for funding
through another IWT funding programme
Transitional measure:
• Extension of an ongoing “onderzoeksmandaat” (OZM) is
only possible by an innovation mandate in phase 2 (with
co-financing of a company)
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Company
 All companies with activities in the Flemish region
 Sufficient added value for Flanders remains important and
is an evaluation criterion
 Commitment for the whole project period
 Assignment of an industrial mentor
 Cooperation between companies is possible
 In phase 2, the company can be the employer of the
mandate holder
See also:
http://www.iwt.be/faq/veel-gestelde-vragen-rond-het-kmo-programmakmo-faq-box
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Knowlegde centres
- Employer of the mandate holder (mostly)
- Responsible for the scientific supervision
- Publications/protection of knowledge e.g. by patent
applications
cooperation agreement
interface offices
- Spin-off mandates: prior consultation of the interface
offices
- Cooperation with different knowledge centres: good
agreements are necessary
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Budget
- Basis = pay-roll of 1 postdoctoral researcher, according to the
salary scales of the knowledge centre
- Other costs =
(fixed costs + operating costs + equipment costs)
= maximum 40.000 euro/FTE per year
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Overhead (max. 20.000 euro/FTE per year)
Operating costs (materials, licencies, travelling costs, …)
Depreciation of equipment (% occupation, depreciation period)
No fixed sum but a maximum (details)
- Budget has to be discussed beforehand with the different
partners
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IWT-support
• IWT-support:
 The funding is project-based, granted by IWT either to the
knowledge centre, either to the company
 IWT does not act as en employer, and is not responsible for
the direct payment of the salary to the mandate holder
 The funding is paid in instalments every six months, in the
form of advance payments
• The employer is responsible for the contractual aspects
and reimbursements of the mandate holder
• In phase 1 and for spin-off mandates: support = 100%
• In phase 2:
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Large companies: 50% support
S(M)E’s: min. 60% support
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2013: What is new?
• Stimulation of the cooperation with S(M)E’s:
- ME: funding rate is 60%
- for SE’s: the funding rate is raised to 70%
- for all organisations: the project can get 10% extra
support if there is a well-balanced collaboration between
several independent companies of which none of the
companies contributes more than 70% of the cost, and at
least one partner is a SME.
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Intellectual property rights
Spin-off mandates and mandates in phase 1:
100% funding to the knowledge centre (SBO-Decree)
 The companies only take on a coaching role and they do not acquire
any rights to the research results;
 In Phase 1, it is possible to agree on a “Right Of First Negotiation”
 Upon transferring IPR to a company, the knowledge centre receives a
fee in accordance with the market price for the transfer of intellectual
property rights;
 The company acting as an industrial mentor has no guarantee on the
possible licensing/exploitation of the project results.
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Intellectual property rights
 If the company also contributes its own knowledge/
models/tools, an immediate start with Phase 2 is highly
recommended
 Mutual consent concerning the distribution of IPR:
1. Preference given to shared rights
2. Property rights to the results would belong to the knowledge
centre
3. Company would acquire property rights on results with a
specific target
 Obviously, partners need to agree on acces to background
knowledge
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Submitting an application
- Application forms
(http://www.iwt.be/subsidies/innovatiemandaten)
- 3 different application forms:
- Spin-off mandate
- Phase 1, followed by phase 2
- Directly start in phase 2
- Appendices have to be submitted in a separate file:
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Declaration of the candidate mandate holder (and of the company in
phase 2)
Budget (dedicated excel-file)
Copy of the doctoral diploma
Signed declaration for cooperation
Term sheet/collaboration agreement (or with a commitment to
provide these documents to IWT no later than five working days
before the oral defence. )
(Company information – financial data)
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Funding agreement
• Funding agreement
 IWT-knowledge centre or IWT-company (phase 2)
 The funding is paid in instalments every six months, in the
form of advance payments.
 Specific for one mandate holder (cannot change)
• Mutual cooperation agreement
 Company-knowledge centre(s)
 Mutual payments
 IPR & use of the results
• The IWT-funding agreement can only be signed after the
approval of the cooperation agreement
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Start date
• Start date
 At the latest, 6 months after the decision by the
Board of Directors
 Can only be started once the doctoral diploma has
been obtained
• Retro-activity is possible:
 Earliest possible start date = 1st of the month
following the deadline for submission
 Period before the decision: at the risk of either the
knowledge centre or the company
 Only possible if the requirements are met, as well as
all the conditions to carry out the research
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Follow up
• Progress report every six months (for each payment)
• Final report
• Financial report at the end of the project: corresponding
to the real costs and committed funding rate, last
payment = accepted funding minus the instalments
already paid
• Changes within the scope of the innovation goal: OK
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2nd call in 2013
Deadline for submission:
September 9th, 2013 at 12.00 noon
• submit an electronic version to im@iwt.be (or CD-rom)
• 2 separate files:
• 1 file with the application form (parts 1 – 4)
• 1 file with the signed declarations (appendices): budget, copy of
doctoral diploma, declaration of cooperation, term sheet/
cooperation agreement, (financial data of the company).
• The application will be checked for eligibility upon receipt (14 working
days)
• Oral defense: November, 2013
• Decision: December 19th, 2013
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Contact persons
programme: Veerle Cauwenberg (vc@iwt.be)
Secretary: Herlinde Franco (hf@iwt.be)
Input :
 Life Sciences: Mia Callens,
 ICT-mechatronics: Carine Lucas,
 Materials-chemistry-process technology: Veerle Cauwenberg
Director: Maarten Sileghem
Questions: mail to im@iwt.be
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agency for Innovation
by Science and Technology
Koning Albert II-laan 35 b 16
B-1030 Brussels
Tel.: +32 (0)2 432 42 00
Fax.: +32 (0)2 432 43 99
E-mail: info@iwt.be
www.iwt.be