1 September 2015
ANNOUNCEMENT
on SECOND CALL for Proposals
on POLISH - GERMAN SUSTAINABILITY RESEARCH (“STAIR”)
1. Funding purpose
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Poland (MNiSW) and the German Federal
Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) aim to intensify their support for bilateral
research projects in the field of sustainability. This joint call announcement follows up on the
German-Polish call announcement on sustainability research published on 23 May 2011.
The major goal of this call is to strengthen the small and medium enterprises’ (SME) position
in the accelerated transfer of technology from the precompetitive field to practical application
in both countries.
The research will be focused on sustainability research themes that are of major interest to the
participating countries on the basis of their ecological, economic, and/or scientific
significance. In addition to this, the scientific cooperation between the participating countries
will serve to strengthen the European Research Area in the area of the Central and Eastern
European Countries (CEEC).
2. Type of funding and legal basis
Project partners will be funded by the funding institutions of the respective partner countries
(the Polish National Centre for Research and Development and the BMBF). The projects will
be supported with grants to the budget in accordance with the respective national funding
regulations. The final selection shall be based on the common selection criteria (see paragraph
7) evaluated with support of experts. Applicants have no legal entitlement to funding until the
contract on project execution and funding with the funding institution is concluded. The
applicable grant-awarding agency will make its decision after due assessment of the
circumstances within the scope of the budget funds available.
3. Object of funding
The main focus of the funding is on research and development (R&D) projects that:
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make a contribution to the improvement of collaboration between the partner
countries in the field of sustainability research;
correspond to the funding purpose described;
shall encompass the three pillars of sustainability: ecology, economy and society;
create added value to national R&D activities in the respective field by planned
transnational cooperation.
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4. Priority topics of common interest
The funded research projects are expected to result in tangible synergies for transnational
research collaboration. Applicants should therefore substantiate why the proposed projects
should be carried out in cooperation between the countries involved and what added value
will be created through the cooperation.
Potential research projects shall originate from the following subject areas:
 Energy efficiency and climate protection, eg:
o Innovative products and services in the field of climate protection or to protect
against climatic effects
o Technologies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from industrial processes,
particularly key innovations with a broad application potential
o Cultivation methods to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in rural areas
o Systems-related technologies, processes and services to enhance energy
efficiency in important industrial sectors.
 Resource efficiency, eg:
o Increasing resource efficiency, particularly in resource-intensive production
systems (eg processing of metal and mineral raw materials, production of
primary chemical products)
o Improving the productivity of raw materials by optimizing value-added chains
o Innovative recycling and processing procedures
 Sustainable water management, eg:
o Innovative drinking water production methods
o Strategies and technologies for saving water (including recycling
technologies); efficient irrigation technologies
o Energy-efficient waste water treatment methods and energy recovery from
waste water
o New approaches and technologies for linking material flows (eg
water/energy/waste) and possible recovery of (nutrient) substances
 Socio-ecological research, eg:
o Evaluation of the sustainability of products and services
o More sustainable products through innovations on the consumer side and on
the production side.
The projects should focus on topics of specific interest for both countries. The aim of the
cooperation is to contribute to systemic solutions for the protection of the environment.
The duration of the projects must not exceed 36 months.
5. Legal status of applicants
Proposals may be submitted by public and/or private entities that are eligible to participate in
the call according to the respective funding regulations of the funding institutions. Proposals
are especially requested from small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Note that the maximum
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size of an SME is taken from the definition the
(http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/policies/sme/facts-figures-analysis/smedefinition/index_en.htm).
European
Union
Universities, research institutions and big industrial companies (bigger than SMEs) may also
submit proposals, if they are part of joint research projects with SMEs.
6. Composition of consortia
Participation is open to applicants from the funding countries (Poland and Germany).
Precondition for eligibility is balance in number of partners and financial contribution from
both countries. The level of contribution to the overall project costs should not be less than
20% for each country.
Bilateral consortia should comprise at least one SME from each country.
A simple clustering of only national projects is not sufficient.
The funding institutions expect that the transnational research collaborations covered by the
scope of this cooperative research funding will deliver significant synergy effects within the
framework of the research projects to be funded. Proposals must therefore make clear why
they should be developed cooperatively between the participating countries and what added
value will be created through this collaboration. Projects that do not indicate why this
cooperation is necessary cannot be considered.
All project partners have to sign a consortium agreement before the actual award of the
research grant.. The consortium agreement needs to contain duties and responsibilities, use of
project results, intellectual property rights.
7. Selection criteria and procedure
The proposals will be evaluated according to the national regulations of the funding
institutions. The final decisions on what projects to support will be made by the funding
institutions based on evaluations from the external experts, national priorities and funding
criteria. The project shall be specifically related to the topics of this call (see chapter 4).
Selection criteria are:
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The quality of science and innovation potential of the research project. Novelty,
originality and coherence to the key themes, additionally a clear focus on solutions to
problems.
Expected sustainability effects (qualitative and, where possible, quantitative).
Technical, economic and scientific implementation potential of the anticipated
research results. Opportunity/risk assessment covering long-term implementation and
usefulness. Actuality and priority of the task, contribution to a problem-solving and
demand-orientated strategy, aimed target group.
Expertise of project partners.
Collaboration between commercial, scientific and other partners.
Significance of the utilisation plan with respect to the application of the expected
outcomes.
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8. Application procedure
Potential applicants are advised to contact the national contact points before writing proposals
to carefully check the specific national application and funding conditions. The respective
contact points are:
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in Poland:
National Centre for Research and Development
Nowogrodzka Str. 47a
00-695 Warsaw
Maciej Jędrzejek
Tel.: +48 22 39 07 160
Email: stair@ncbr.gov.pl
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in Germany:
Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Projektträger Karlsruhe, Hermann-von–
Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
Dr. Manuela Hübsch
Tel: +49 721 608-24491
E-Mail: manuela.huebsch@kit.edu
Deadline of the call: 30.10.2015
There is a one-level procedure for the submission of proposals. The proposals shall comprise
a common project description in English and in the national language (either Polish or
German) and further national formal and financial information.
Polish applicants please see national formal and financial regulations:
http://ncbr.gov.pl/programy-miedzynarodowe/wspolpraca-dwustronna/niemcy/
The common project description should be prepared in Arial 11, single-spaced, maximum 25
pages and shall consist of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Name of the institution submitting the application, nomination of the coordinator and
names of all participating organisations.
Objectives and task definition, based on the state of the art in terms of technology and
knowledge. Detailed description of the environmental problem which shall be solved,
description of the beneficiary and user of the project results.
Specific description of the proposed solution and scientific methods used to achieve it.
Description of how the content relates to the theme of sustainability research and
especially the topics of this call; central focus of the work.
Formulation of the added value due to the Polish-German cooperation.
Characterisation of the expected sustainability effects, quantification of the economic
and ecological effects of the proposal.
Description of the Polish and German partners from higher education institutions,
research establishments and commercial companies who are involved in the project
(key competencies, capabilities, infrastructure, etc).
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8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Overview of previous contacts in and collaborations with the partner country.
Prospects for the success of the proposed measures and implementation concepts
describing how the project outcomes can be utilised after the funding period
(utilisation plan).
Detailed work plan and timeline, as well as details of work distribution and
cooperation with third parties.
Contribution and work plan for each partner
Estimation and overview of time and cost scope (funding required and own resources).
9. Communication of project evaluation decisions
The outcome of the evaluation of the proposals will be communicated to applicants in
accordance with the respective communication procedures of the funding institutions.
10. Decision process and the start of projects
The formal funding decisions will be taken jointly by the funding institutions after the
proposals have been evaluated by the external experts. Each country will fund its own project
partners.
When final decisions have been conveyed to project participants, successful applicants must
enter into individual contractual agreements with their national funding institutions. A
consortium agreement must be concluded between the project partners and has to regulate,
inter alia, duties and responsibilities, use of project results and intellectual property rights
(IPR) issues. The consortium agreement and the above mentioned individual contractual
agreements are prerequisites for the first payments made to the project partners from the
national funding institutions. The project partners in both countries should start the project at
about the same time. The involved funding institutions will monitor and supervise the funded
projects (reporting).
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