25.02.2013 - 25.04.2013

Call for Proposals

of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Call within the framework of the Federal Government's Strategy for the Internationalization of Science and Research for Regulations for funding a preparatory phase for the submission of ideas for Research Networks for Health Innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa

of 30 January 2013

1 Funding purpose and legal basis

1.1 Funding purpose

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is increasingly investing in initiatives for strengthening research cooperation with countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) on the basis of the Federal Government's strategy for the internationalization of science and research (particularly goal 3 "Intensifying cooperation with developing countries" and goal 4 "Assuming international responsibility") and in the context of implementing the funding scheme for "Neglected and poverty-related diseases". One focus is on health research with the special aim of accounting the human right of access to health services. Health is one of the major prerequisites for societal development and investments in education and research will lastingly improve a society's prospects for development.
Germany is assuming responsibility for pressing questions of international health with this funding measure. The Federal Government (the BMBF) is investing in science partnerships with African countries with the aim of helping the partner countries solve major challenges. The funding measure is intended to supplement existing initiatives of the BMBF to support health research in the context of development policy including providing support for product development partnerships and involvement in the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). At the same time, German research institutions will be given an opportunity to engage in joint research with African partner institutions on important topical research issues and compete with these against the world's best.
The aim of funding is to lastingly strengthen health research cooperation between Germany and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

1.2 Legal basis

Project grants will be awarded in accordance with the present funding regulations, the BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on an expenditure or cost basis and the
administrative regulations under Sections 23 and 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO). There is no legal entitlement to a grant. The grant-awarding agency will decide freely after due assessment of the circumstances and within the limits of the available budget funds.

2 Object of funding

Funding in accordance with these regulations will support the development of the best ideas for the establishment and/or expansion of German-African research networks for health innovations. German-African consortia can participate in this preparatory measure.
The envisaged networks must primarily deal with research topics which meet the local or regional needs of the African partners and should build on existing structures. Consideration must be given to the national and/or regional health and research programmes of the participating African countries.
Funding will be provided for idea outlines and schemes which clearly relate to application and address one or several of the following fields:

• Public health and systems research for the better and quicker application of treatments
• Research on high-burden diseases (poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases)
• Fundamental epidemiological research for the lasting improvement of health data and for a better understanding of health problems that persist even where health care is available

Funding will not be provided for schemes which exclusively pursue a basic research approach.
Successful applications will pursue realistic and sustainable capacity-building goals and make verifiable contributions to the training of doctors, biomedical researchers and health professionals, if applicable, and to cooperation between universities and non-university research institutions.
For the purposes of these funding regulations, "health research" means biomedical research covering all steps of the translation chain as well as research for health in a broader sense, for example health system research with a social science focus, health care research and research on other aspects of public health.
The target region in Sub-Saharan Africa can be a single country or include several countries.
Up to eight consortia will be given the opportunity to develop their ideas in thematic, structural and administrative terms as part of a six-month preparatory measure (preparatory phase, starting around September 2013). They will draft a proposal for a health research network which will be submitted to the BMBF for further funding on conclusion of the preparatory phase.
The proposals will be selected for funding under a separate call for the implementation phase of the health research networks, which must be based on the ideas developed during the preparatory phase. An application under this follow-up call depends on successful participation in the present call.

3 Funding recipients

Proposals may be submitted by German research institutions, universities and commercial companies (particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, SMEs¹) which apply for funding under the present call on behalf of a German-African research network.
Only German consortium partners can receive funding under the present call for the preparation of proposals for submission in the following implementation phase².
A consortium will comprise at least one but no more than two German partners and at least two but no more than eight SSA partners. Further partners may join the consortium during the preparatory phase.
African administrations and research institutions/organizations outside Sub-Saharan Africa and Germany can participate in consortiums with their own funds.
German research institutions which receive joint basic funding from the Federal Government and the Länder (federal states) can only be granted project funding on top of their basic funding for additional expenditure under certain preconditions.
The participating partners will entrust a German and an African partner with the coordination of the measure. Together with their partners, they will draft the documents to be submitted by the German applicant. When submitting their idea outlines, all partners must submit a Letter of Intent (LoI) confirming their interest in participating in the project, signed by the project leader and the administrative head of the participating institution and bearing the seal of the institution.
Relevant authorities and political levels should, if possible, be involved in the preparation of the idea outline. Any declarations of support must be submitted in writing.

4 Prerequisites for funding / type, scope and rates of funding

Funds will be awarded in the form of non-repayable project grants.
In their own interest, applicants should familiarize themselves with the EU's Research Framework Programme in the context of the planned national project. They should check whether the intended project includes specific European components which make it eligible for exclusive EU funding. Furthermore, they should check whether an additional application for funding can be submitted to the EU in the context of the proposed national project. The result of such checks should be described briefly in the national project application. This applies in particular to applications which focus on clinical research approaches to poverty-related and neglected infectious diseases. These applicants should consider the possibility of additional funding from the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). For this purpose, the EDCTP Secretariat must be informed about the application. A statement confirming receipt of the information by the EDCTP Secretariat must be submitted together with the idea outline.
Grants for commercial companies are calculated on the basis of the eligible project-related costs, up to 50% of which can as a rule be covered by government grants, depending on the project's relevance to application. The BMBF's policy requires an appropriate self-contribution of at least 50% towards the eligible costs incurred.
The basis for calculating the grants for universities, research and science institutions and similar establishments is the eligible project-related expenditure (in the case of the Helmholtz centres and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (FhG) the eligible project-related costs), which can be funded up to 100% in individual cases.
The European Commission's Community Framework for State Aid for Research and Development must be taken into account when determining the rates of funding. The Community Framework allows a differentiated bonus arrangement for collaborative projects and SMEs, which may result in a higher rate of funding.
Limited amounts of funding can be awarded for mutual visits by project partners and the organization of workshops to develop network proposals and for project-related additional expenses. The following types of expenses are eligible for funding:

1. Travel and stays (of up to two weeks) by German and African project researchers and experts to and within SSA and to and within Germany:
   • Air tickets: Reasonably priced return flights (economy class) from place of departure to location of partner, in addition reimbursement for necessary visas and vaccinations required by law
   • Per diem allowance: Stays by German and African project researchers in Africa and by African project researchers in Germany will be funded with flat-rate grants (depending on country, see https://www.pt-it.de/ptoutline/application/GESUNDHEITSNETZE)
   • The costs of travel and stays by German project participants in Germany will be reimbursed in accordance with the Federal Travel Expenses Act.
     Contributions to health insurance and other types of insurance, if applicable, as well as other costs (e.g. individual transport to airport) are covered by the flat-rate grant and must be paid by the funding recipients themselves.
2. Conference costs: Funding will be provided for project-related workshops in Germany and/or Africa to cover the costs of catering, shuttle service to the venue and conference technology
3. Contracts awarded to third parties (e.g. translations or preparation of topics)
4. Reasonable expenditure/costs incurred for temporary staff
5. Flat rate per project (20%) for universities and teaching hospitals, see also https://foerderportal.bund.de/easy/easy_index.php?auswahl=easy_formulare&formularschrank=bmbf&menue=block

The principles of economy and efficiency must be observed in every case.
As a rule, no funding will be provided to cover normal basic equipment such as:

• Expenses for office supplies, communication, etc.
• Laboratory and IT equipment

Total funding of up to €80,000 per project (including project flat rate) will be provided for a period of up to six months.
The type, scope and rates of funding for the future implementation phase will be set out in a separate follow-up call. For further information please visit http://www.internationales-buero.de/african-health-networks/.

5 Procedure

5.1 Involvement of the International Bureau and request for documents

The BMBF has entrusted the International Bureau (IB) with the implementation of the funding measure:
Internationales Büro des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (IB) im Projektträger beim Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
53227 Bonn
Internet: http://www.internationales-buero.de
Scientific contact at the International Bureau:
Dr. Anne Pflug,
E-mail: anne.pflug@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 38 21-15 39
Fax: +49 (0)228 38 21-14 44

Administrative contact at the International Bureau:
Valery Anton
E-mail: Valery.Anton@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 38 21-18 48
Fax: +49 (0)228 38 21-14 44

The measure will be carried out in close cooperation with the project management organization for health research. Contact at the Projektträger Gesundheitsforschung:
Dr. Detlef Böcking
E-mail: Detlef.Boecking@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 38 21-11 18
Fax: +49 (0)228 38 21-12 57

5.2 Presentation of formal applications for funding and decision-making procedure

The funding procedure consists of two steps.
In the first step, idea outlines written in English and including a German summary must be submitted to the International Bureau of the BMBF by 25 April 2013 at the latest using the pt-outline electronic outlining tool (https://www.pt-it.de/ptoutline/application/GESUNDHEITSNETZE). A duly signed copy of the idea outline (generated as pdf file in pt-outline) including all relevant documents must be sent to the International Bureau without delay.
Interested parties who wish to establish a consortium or to participate in a consortium but do not have the necessary partners or contacts can look for partners at http://www.internationales-buero.de/african-health-networks/partnering.
The requirements for formulating an idea outline (including a structure template) can be found in the guide for applicants (see https://www.pt-it.de/ptoutline/application/GESUNDHEITSNETZE). When drafting the application using the pt-outline electronic outlining tool, pdf files of the idea outline (Part B) and the required additional documents (e.g. LoI, written declarations of support from relevant government departments and authorities, statement confirming that the EDCTP Secretariat has been informed, if applicable) must be uploaded in a zip document. In addition, data must be entered in a web template from which a project overview is generated. The evaluation will cover both the project overview and the uploaded documents.
The idea outlines should describe the envisaged German-African research network for health innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa. The evaluation will be based on these outlines. The idea outlines should therefore contain all the information needed to enable the panel of experts to form a final opinion.
In the second step of the preparatory phase, applicant institutions whose idea outlines have been evaluated positively will be invited to submit a formal application for funding on which a decision will be taken after final evaluation. Formal applications must be drafted using the BMBF's "easy" electronic application system. Forms for funding applications, guidelines, leaflets, information and auxiliary terms and conditions are available at
https://foerderportal.bund.de/easy/easy_index.php?auswahl=easy_formulare&formularschrank=bmbf&menue=block.

Please send your application to the following address (taking into account the deadline for submission):
Internationales Büro des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (IB) im Projektträger beim Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Anne Pflug and Valery Anton
Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
53227 Bonn

If you have technical questions on the web-based application procedure (unrelated to the content of the call) please contact:
Internationales Büro des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (IB) im Projektträger beim Deutschen Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR)
Martina Lauterbach
Heinrich-Konen-Str. 1
53227 Bonn
E-mail: martina.lauterbach@dlr.de
Phone: +49 (0)228 38 21-17 34

The deadline for submission is not a cut-off date. However, it may not be possible to consider applications received after this date.

5.3 Evaluation criteria

Formal evaluation by the project management organization includes verifying the

1. Completeness of the application documents (see guide for applicants)
2. Compliance with the thematic priorities stated in sections 1.1 and 2
3. Composition of the consortium (see section 3)
4. Observance of the prerequisites for funding (see section 4)
5. Compliance with formal requirements (see section 5.2 and guide for applicants)
6. Appropriateness and need for the requested funding for the preparatory phase; availability of overall funding for the project over the entire period; financial and organizational commitment of the African partners

External experts will carry out the content-related evaluation of the outlines describing the envisaged research networks for health innovations in Sub-Saharan Africa on the basis of the following criteria:

• Scientific quality
• Relevance to the research and health systems of the African partner countries
• Feasibility of the initiative
• Originality and level of innovation
• Expertise of the participating partners
• Structure and management of the envisaged research network
• Sustainability and capacity-building plan
• Cooperation with other thematically related initiatives, institutions and networks in Sub-Saharan Africa (South-South Networking)
• Integration of training aspects into the envisaged research approaches
• Consideration of aspects of health care, public health, health systems research.

A funding decision will be taken following a final review of the outline based on the above evaluation criteria. The applicants will be informed in writing about the results of the evaluation. The up to eight successful consortiums will be invited to submit formal applications ("easy" application, see section 5.2).

6 Other terms and conditions

The Allgemeine Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen zur Projektförderung (ANBest-P; General Auxiliary Conditions for Grants for the Promotion of Projects) and the Besondere Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen des BMBF zur Projektförderung auf Ausgabenbasis (BNBest-BMBF 98; Special Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided by the BMBF for the Promotion of Projects on an Expenditure Basis) will be part of the funding arrangement for grants on an expenditure basis; the Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen auf Kostenbasis (NKBF 98; Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided on a Cost Basis) will be part of the funding arrangement for grants on a cost basis.
In individual cases, the BMBF reserves the right to deviate from sections 7 and 8 of the BNBest-BMBF 98 or sections 12 and 13 of the NKBF 98 when making arrangements for the transfer of the right of use or utilization of results generated by the funded research.

7 Entry into force

These funding regulations will enter into force on the day of their publication in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger).
Bonn, 30 January 2013
Federal Ministry
of Education and Research
Webers Head of Division for Cooperation with Developing and Emerging Countries, Africa and the Middle East

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¹According to the EU's definition of SMEs: The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises consists of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 people and which have either an annual turnover not exceeding €50 million, or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding €43 million. Within this category, the following definitions apply: Small enterprises are defined as enterprises which employ fewer than 50 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €10 million. Micro enterprises are defined as enterprises which employ fewer than 10 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed €2 million. In general, most SMEs are autonomous since they are either completely independent or have one or more minority partnerships (each less than 25%) with other enterprises (see 2.3.1, p. 16). If that holding rises to no more than 50%, the relationship is deemed to be between partner enterprises (see 2.3.2, p. 20). Above that ceiling, the enterprises are linked (see 2.3.3, p. 23).
²It is envisaged that funding will be awarded to both German and African institutions during the implementation phase. The final rules will be set out in a separate call for the implementation of the research networks for health innovations.