UK – Germany Bilateral: Collaborative R&D
UK registered organisations, collaborating with at least one German SME applying under the equivalent German ZIM programme, can apply for a share of up to £4 million for collaborative research projects resulting in innovative solutions.
Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, will work with The Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz (BMWK), (The Federal Ministry For Economic Affairs And Climate Action), to invest up to £4 million in innovation projects.
The aim of this competition is to support UK and German business-led collaboration in innovation with grant funding. Innovate UK will support UK businesses to collaborate successfully with German counterparts and build your global growth prospects.
Your proposal must contribute to the development of commercial products, processes or technical services.
Your project must have an obvious advantage and added value as a result of the cooperation between the participants from the two countries. Examples of these could be increased innovation capability, commercial leads, access to R&D infrastructure or new fields of application.
Eligibility
Your project must:
- have a maximum grant funding request of £400,000 for all UK partners
- start by 1 December 2023
- end by 30 November 2026
- last between 12 months and 36 months
UK project partners must carry out the majority of their project work in the UK and intend to exploit the results from or in the UK.
Your project’s consortium must include at least one UK registered business and one German registered SME. In order to receive any grant funding and continue as a project, your proposal must be successful with applications from both sides of the consortium; UK participants must submit an application and be selected to receive grant funding from Innovate UK, and the German participant’s application must be selected to receive grant funding through the German ZIM programme. All businesses in a consortium must be separate legal and non-linked entities.
Your project must have a balanced contribution of the total eligible project costs among the partners from the participating partner countries. No more than 60% of the total project costs can be claimed by any single partner or by all partners from a single participating country.
To lead a project from the UK side your organisation must:
- be a UK registered business of any size
- collaborate with at least one German organisation applying under the equivalent ZIM programme, which must be a separate legal entity, not linked to the UK partners
- be or involve at least one UK micro, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME)
An eligible UK business can lead on one application and collaborate on one further application. Any UK registered organisation can collaborate. If an organisation or business is not leading any application, it can collaborate in up to two applications.
Scope
The aim of this competition is to support UK and German business-led collaboration in innovation with grant funding. Innovate UK will support UK businesses to collaborate successfully with German counterparts and build your global growth prospects.
Your project must:
- be collaborative
- last between 12 and 36 months
Your collaborative R&D proposal must demonstrate:
- a clear game-changing or disruptive innovative idea leading to new products, processes or services
- a strong and deliverable business plan that addresses and documents, market potential and needs
- sound, practical financial plans and timelines
- good value for money, which will always be a consideration in Innovate UK funding decisions
- a clear, evidence-based plan to deliver significant economic impact, return on investment (ROI) and growth through commercialisation, as soon as possible after project completion
- clear potential to significantly benefit the UK economy or national productivity
- the benefit of participants from the countries working together and how this adds value
- a clear definition of where intellectual property (IP) can be used and shared between the participants and countries
- a clear route to market within 2 to 3 years of project completion
Briefing event and support
If you want help to find a project partner, contact the Global team at Innovate UK KTN, or the relevant team for your sector.