Joint Announcement

1 Funding purpose and legal basis

1.1 Funding purpose

On the occasion of the closing event of the "German-Egyptian Year of Science and Technology 2007" in Berlin, the German Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof. Dr. Annette Schavan and the Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Prof. Dr. Hany Helal signed an agreement on the establishment of an Egyptian-German Research Fund (GERF) for the support of joint application-oriented research projects.

Aiming at promoting bilateral research cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest, the grants are intended to give researchers - including young scientists - an opportunity to address new areas of scientific research. Research results generated in these projects are to be developed into concrete applications. In addition, a further aim of the joint research fund is to help scientific networks apply for funding under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme or under national funding schemes.

The implementing agencies are the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) on behalf of the MHESR for the Egyptian applicants and the International Bureau on behalf of BMBF for the German applicants.

The STDF and the BMBF announced the first call for proposals under the GERF in August 2008. Due to the high number of scientifically submitted research proposals of great scientific merit, both sides decided to nearly triple the fund for the first call for proposals.

Both sides agreed to announce the GERF's 2nd call for proposals for the support of innovative, application-oriented research projects.

1.2 Legal basis

This announcement is based on the intergovernmental agreement on 'Bilateral Cooperation in Science, Research and Technology' (S&T cooperation agreement) of 1979 and the 'Declaration Concerning the Establishment of a Joint Fund in the Field of Applied Research' of 2007.

Funding will be awarded in accordance with the respective national project funding regulations applicable in Egypt and Germany. [see section 5 of this announcement].

There is no legal entitlement to funding. The funding providers will decide on the award of funding after due assessment of the circumstances and within the limits of the available budget funds.

2 Object of funding

The aim of this second joint announcement is to fund and support joint innovative, application-oriented research projects in all fields of science, including social sciences.

Applicants are particularly encouraged to submit proposals in the following fields:

• Water desalination
• Health research including agricultural production of pharmaceutical substances from plants ("pharming")
• Climate protection and natural resources management,  especially "Crop tolerance to drought and salt stress under field conditions"

Special emphasis is put on cooperation between different partners in the area of R&D, their scientific qualifications, and the participation of industry partners. For this reason, project consortia should, if possible, include universities, R&D institutions and companies in charge of the commercial application of applied research results.

Measures for the promotion of export activities will not be funded under this call.

3 Eligibility for Funding/ prerequisites for funding / type, scope and rates of funding

3.1 Funding Mechanism

Funds will be awarded in the form of non-repayable grants, which will be calculated on the basis of the substantiated expected research expenditure and financing plans.

On the Egyptian side, indirect costs are eligible.¹

German project partners can receive funding for the following project-related measures:

1. Travel expenses for scientists/experts visiting project partners in Egypt, including transfers and subsistence costs:
   • Air tickets: economy class
   • Per diem for scientists/experts of €94 for accommodation and meals
2. Staff costs 
3. With regard to the organization of bilateral, project-related workshops in Germany, grants can be provided towards expenses such as the preparation of the workshop, rental of the venue, transfers within Germany, and entertainment. The exact amount of the grant depends on the size of the workshop and the number of participants.
4. Other costs (project-related equipment and consumables) can be funded to a limited extent, but only for expenses that go beyond a research institution's basic equipment (office supplies, communication, laboratory and IT equipment)

In general, no  funding will be provided for the following expenses:

• Costs for the translation of documents, interpreting, etc.

The total funding applied for on the German side should not exceed €100,000 per project.

3.2 Eligibility Criteria

• The maximum allowed total budget is €200,000 per joint project.
• The maximum duration of a project is 24 months.
• On the Egyptian side, the Principal Investigator (PI) must be affiliated to an institution which has an Egyptian legal identity.

3.3 Recipients of funding

Teams of researchers consisting of at least one Egyptian and one German researcher are eligible for funding.
 
The teams have to be based at Egyptian or German research organizations, state or non-state institutions of higher education, non-university research institutions or commercial companies, particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) [see section 5.1 of this announcement]. These institutions are required to confirm the submitted application by putting their official stamp and signature on a declaration form.

The project partners on each side must structure their cooperation in the following way: One of the partners acts as the Principal Investigator (PI); the other partners participate in the joint research project by concluding a cooperation agreement with the PI.

The joint project proposal, in English, must be submitted electronically by one of the two authorized PIs (on the Egyptian or the German side) via a joint website. (pre-registration) [see section 4.2 of this announcement]
Project proposals that display differences in content between the two sides will not be considered.

Before the beginning of the project, the project partners must conclude legally binding cooperation agreements and agree on appropriate measures for the protection of intellectual property in accordance with the laws of both countries and the regulations of the funding organizations on both sides.

4 Procedure

4.1 Request for documents

The MHESR and the BMBF have commissioned the following agencies to carry out this call for proposals and implement the funding measures: the STDF for Egyptian applicants and the International Bureau of the BMBF (IB) for German applicants.

When preparing their applications, Egyptian and German applicants are advised to get in touch with the members of staff at the above-mentioned institutions and with the Cairo office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) at an early stage.

4.2 Submission of funding applications

• Complete, signed and stamped funding applications must be submitted by 28 July 2010 at the latest to the German and the Egyptian side.
• The cover page of the submitted proposals must be signed by both the Egyptian PI and the German PI.
• On the German side, the signature and stamp of the Egyptian partner will be accepted in the form of a fax copy.
• On the Egyptian side, all required documents must be scanned and attached to the submitted proposal.

In order to successfully submit a proposal, the pre-registration and full registration processes must be completed on 2 phases as follows:

1. Web-based registration (pre-registration): In a first step, the project's basic data must be submitted in English and the full proposal in English must be uploaded electronically by one of the two PIs (on the Egyptian or the German side) via the following joint website: http://www.gerf.de/gerf/proposals/add. 
2. Full application including administrative data: The applicants on the Egyptian and the German sides will then receive detailed information via e-mail from the relevant web-based application system about the process of electronically drafting separate, formal funding applications on both sides.

The submission of a proposal will not be completed unless all the above steps are carried out. Proposals submitted following any other procedure will not be considered.

On the German side, in addition to the electronic application submitted via the IB's web-based application system "ewa" (which can be accessed on the IB's website at http://www.ewa.internationales-buero.de/?project_cat=WTZUA), a hard copy of the final proposal (finalized using the electronic application system), signed and stamped by both the German and the Egyptian partners, should be sent by mail to the IB of the BMBF (addressed to Nathalie Brew) by 28 July 2010 at the latest .

Any other required application documents [partnership agreement, legally binding declarations from the institutions] must be scanned and submitted as part of the proposal and sent at the same time by express registered mail to the IB of the BMBF no later than 6 August 2010 (as evidenced by the date on the postmark). Please indicate the project ID number, which will be provided to you after pre-registration, in all documents and annexes.

4.3 Research proposal

A project description in English (in pdf format) should have a length of between 10 and a maximum of 15 A4 pages (Arial 11, 1.5 line spacing, 2 cm margin, excluding publication list and other annexes).

There is no specific template for the project description. However, the applicant must describe the project objectives and the actions necessary for implementing the project as clearly as possible, addressing the following subjects in the order given below:

• Cover page with project title in Arabic, German, and English
• Abstract in Arabic, German, and English
• Background
• Project description and methodology
  • Description of the current state of the art of science and technology
  • Scientific goal
  • Nature and extent of the proposed cooperation and methodology to be used
  • Activities that will be undertaken
  • Envisaged results
• Project partners
  • Qualifications and experience of the project partners
  • Added value of cooperation between the partners
  • If applicable:previous cooperation activities
• Structured financing plan
  • A detailed budget plan (in euros) with a break-down of the expected expenditure, which should be justified and relevant to the proposed activities. (For Egyptian applicants: use STDF budget format available at: http://www.stdf.org.eg/ 
  • Detailed information on the applicants' own funding contributions and the total volume and funding volume of the proposed project
• Work plan
  • Time schedule and milestones (on the Egyptian side: include GANTT chart, available at: http://www.stdf.org.eg/
  • Distribution of the work load between the partners
• Dissemination and sustainability of the results
  • Prospects of commercializing and using the envisaged project results
  • Other utilization plans
• Prerequisites, risks and contingency plans
• Annexes (including reference list, the most recent relevant publications in the relevant field inclusive the most important relevant publications/patents of the project partners and biographies)
• On the Egyptian side: include Logical Framework Matrix (LFM), available at: http://www.stdf.org.eg/

4.4 Selection and decision-making procedure

The submission of an application does not establish a legal claim for funding.
The applications will be evaluated by both the German and the Egyptian sides.

The deadline for submitting an application is a cut-off deadline. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Funding will be provided for projects that have high potential for realization and success in line with the objectives of this call. The evaluation process consists of two phases:

Phase I:

Administrative check: The submitted proposal is checked against the eligibility criteria. Proposals which do not comply with all the formal requirements will be considered "ineligible" and will not be considered for technical evaluation.

Phase II:

Applications will be considered according to the following criteria:

• Quality and originality of the envisaged research approach
• Qualifications and previous experience of the project team
• Quality of the planned collaboration and recognizable value added for the partner institutions
• Success prospects and sustainability of the project
• Expected impact of the project on society and economy and prospects of commercializing the envisaged project results
• Quality of the budget plan and justification
• Cost effectiveness in relation to the envisaged results
• Relevance of the research topic to the research policy objectives and priorities of the call

The final selection of applications that have received a positive evaluation will be undertaken by an Egyptian-German Steering Committee. Only applications that are approved by both sides will receive funding.

4.5 Contracting and reporting

The STDF and the IB of the BMBF will conclude grant agreements with the selected applicants in accordance with the prevailing laws and regulations. [see section 5.1/2 of this announcement].
The agreements are to be signed before mid January 2011. The projects should start within 3 months after the signing of the agreements.

The following reports must be submitted to the STDF by the Egyptian PI and to the IB by the German PI. Submitted reports must be signed by both PIs of a research team:

• 3-month report: to be submitted three months after the project's official start date.
• Annual report: to be submitted on February of each year.
• A final report: to be submitted at the latest three months after the end of the project.

5 National project funding regulations in Egypt and Germany

• The approval and payment of and accounting for the funds as well as proof and examination of proper use and, if necessary, revocation of the award and reclaiming of the funds awarded are governed, on the German side, by the administrative regulations pertaining to section 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO), unless deviation is allowed under the present funding regulations, and, on the Egyptian side, by the administrative regulations of the STDF.
• Egyptian applicants will be paid in Egyptian pounds and German applicants will be paid in euros.
• Each side must cover its own travel and accommodation costs. 

5.1 Special rules for applicants in Germany

• Project grants can be awarded on the basis of private-law funding contracts in accordance with the present announcement, the BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on expenditure or cost basis and the administrative regulations under sections 23 and 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO).
• EU's definition of SMEs²
• Grants for commercial companies are calculated on the basis of the project-related costs eligible for funding, up to 50% of which can, as a rule, be covered by government grants, depending on how near the project is to application. The BMBF's policy requires an appropriate own contribution towards the eligible costs incurred - as a rule at least 50%.
• Grants for universities, research and science institutions and similar establishments will be calculated on the basis of the eligible project-related expenditure (grants for Helmholtz centres and the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (FhG) will be calculated on the basis of the project-related costs eligible for funding), up to 100% of which can be covered in individual cases.
• The European Commission's Community Framework for State Aid for Research and Development must be taken into account when fixing the rates of funding. The Community Framework allows a differentiated bonus arrangement for collaborative projects involving applicants from the new German Länder and for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which may result in a higher rate of funding.
• Research establishments which receive joint basic funding from the Federal Government and the Länder can be granted project funding for additional expenditure on top of their basic funding under certain conditions only.

5.2 Special rules for applicants in Egypt

• Egyptian PIs must be affiliated to an entity which has an Egyptian legal identity.
• Grants for Egyptian applicants will be awarded in accordance with this announcement. The STDF's standard terms and conditions for grants apply.

6 Further information

Abeer Shakweer, Ph.D.
Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF)
101, Kasr El Aini St., 7th floor - downtown
Cairo/ Egypt
Email: abeer.shakweer@stdf.org.eg
Phone: +20 (2) 27922551
Fax: +20 (2) 27924956

Susanne Ruppert-Elias
International Bureau (IB) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Heinrich-Konen-Straße 1
53227 Bonn/ Germany
Email: susanne.ruppert-elias@dlr.de
Phone: +49-(0)228 3821-487
Fax: +49(0)228 3821-444

Bianca Nosek
German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Cairo office
11, sh. Saleh Ayoub - Zamalek
Cairo/ Egypt
Email: bianca.nosek@daadcairo.org
Phone: +2 02 27 35 27 26
Fax: +2 02 27 38 41 36

For administrative questions at the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF):

Gailan Abdel Gawad
Email: gailan.gawad@stdf.org.eg
Phone: +2 02 27 92 0 134

For administrative questions at the International Bureau (IB) of the BMBF:

Nathalie Brew 
Email: nathalie.brew@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 3821- 454 
Fax: +49(0)228 3821-444

For IT related questions at the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF):

Naglaa Mohamed
Science and Technology Development Fund
101 El Kasr El Eini Str.  Cairo, Egypt
Email: Naglaa.mohamed@stdf.org.eg

For IT related questions at the International Bureau (IB) of the BMBF:

Martina Lauterbach
International Bureau (IB) of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
at the German Aerospace Center (DLR)
Heinrich-Konen-Straße 1
53227 Bonn/ Germany
Email: martina.lauterbach@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 3821- 734 
Fax: +49(0)228 3821-444

7 Entry into force

These funding regulations will enter into force on the day of their publication³.
Cairo, Bonn, June 2010

Executive Director,
Science and Technology Development Fund Arab Republic of Egypt 

Federal Ministry of Education and Research
Federal Republic of Germany