08.04.2006 - 14.06.2006

Announcement

of 28 March 2006

1. Funding purpose and legal basis

1.1 Funding purpose

Over the past twenty years, nanotechnology has developed into a central area of research and innovation. This technology is adding to our possibilities of systematically influencing and using materials properties. Numerous nanotechnology products are already established on the market today, but many problems of nanotechnology are still awaiting solution. Therefore intensive basic research as well as application-oriented research are required. At present, Germany holds an excellent international position in research in the nanotechnology field; we must try to keep this position and improve it even further in the future. Against this background, our goal must be to systematically support qualified young researchers. Especially young researchers contribute new knowledge which often develops fully when researchers are free to try new approaches because they are not limited by traditional discipline-related thinking.
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research announced the junior researchers competition for nanotechnology for the first time in 2002. The present announcement for NanoFutur again invites relevant project proposals. On the basis of the framework concept "Nanotechnology Conquers Markets" and the framework programme "Materials Innovations for Industry and Society - WING", an opportunity is being offered to young experienced researchers to set up their own research group in Germany and to independently conduct new interdisciplinary research in the nanosciences at the interface between basic research and application-oriented industrial research. This concept means that the new junior nanoresearch groups will be qualifying for an academic career due to the basic nature of their scientific work. At the same time, their work must explore the potential for industrial application and should at least prepare industrial use, also with a view to subsequent business start-ups. The involvement of industrial partners in the project at an early stage of research is to contribute substantially to the transfer of technology.
Nanotechnology in this announcement means the manufacturing, study and use of structures and molecular materials as well as internal and external surfaces of dimensions smaller than 100 nanometres. The nanoscale system components must at the same time give rise to new functional uses and new properties (mechanical, optical, etc.) which lead to an improvement of existing or the development of new options for application. The project proposals to be submitted must comply with this definition.

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 section 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO). Applicants have no legal claim to a grant. The grant-awarding agency will take its decision after due assessment of the circumstances within the framework of the budget funds available.
The project proposals submitted will compete with each other.

2. Object of funding

Funding will be provided for individual projects which are conducted at institutions of higher education and non-university research establishments and deal with a nanotechnology issue. Topics purely referring to biotechnology will not be taken into account as they can be funded under other existing programmes.
Alliances with commercial companies which act as "patrons" and support subsequent commercialization of R&D results (without being funded) should be an integral part of the project. The industrial interest in a research project should be expressed in a declaration of intent issued by the supporting company.
The research groups should work on topics relevant to nanotechnology which are at the interface of traditional scientific disciplines and therefore make an interdisciplinary approach imperative, including the engineering sciences among others. The research groups should also form a unified whole in terms of their place of work.

3. Grant recipients

Research proposals may be submitted by institutions of higher education and non-university research establishments which are headquartered in Germany. Funding is provided as a personal grant tied to the leader of the junior research group.

4. Prerequisites for the awarding of grants

One German or foreign researcher per project, with either a doctoral or postdoctoral degree (interested researcher), is entitled to submit a project outline in agreement with the receiving institution of higher education or research establishment. The researcher concerned must show an aptitude for leading a research group.
Interested researchers must not be older than 35; if older, they must not have passed their doctoral examination more than five years before their application for funding.
A prerequisite for funding is that the institution of higher education or research establishment hosting the junior research group provides the working facilities required for carrying out the project (basic equipment in terms of laboratory space and other infrastructure) in the near vicinity and supports the leader of the junior research group in all matters related to the project. A declaration of the host institution to that effect must be included with the project outline.
With regard to the envisaged national project, interested researchers should in their own interest familiarize themselves with the EU's Research Framework Programme. They should examine whether the planned project contains specific European components which make it eligible for complete funding as an EU project. Furthermore they should examine whether an additional application for supplementary funding can be submitted to the EU for the proposed project. The result of such an examination should be briefly described in the project outline.

5. Type, scope and rates of funding

Funds for the selected junior research group projects will be awarded as non-repayable project grants.
Up to 100% of additional expenses (or costs in the case of the Helmholtz centres and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft) are basically eligible for funding:  

• Staff: Staff costs are only eligible for funding for persons who do not already hold established posts included in the institution's staffing schedule.
  
  In order to ensure the interdisciplinary nature of the group, the participating researchers must come from at least two different scientific disciplines. If possible, the group should also include an engineer (university graduate or graduate from a university of applied sciences/FH).
• • 1 junior research group leader (grade 14/15 of the new collective bargaining agreement for the public service TVöD; or grade Ia to Ib if the former BAT agreement is applied)
  • 1 or 2 postdocs, depending on the technical requirements (grade 13 TVöD or IIa BAT)
  • 1 or 2 doctoral students, depending on the technical requirements (grade 13/2 TVöD or IIa/2 BAT)
  • 1 or 2 technical employees.
• Investments: depending on the technical requirements, but only purchase of equipment which is indispensable for achieving the project goals.
• Expendables: depending on the technical requirements.

Funding is granted for a period of up to five years. The initial research results of the research groups will be discussed at a status seminar held about halfway through the period.

6. Other terms and conditions for the awarding of grants

The Allgemeine Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen zur Projektförderung (General Auxiliary Conditions for Grants for the Promotion of Projects - AN-Best-P) and the Besondere Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen des BMBF zur Projektförderung auf Ausgabenbasis (Special Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided by the BMBF for the Promotion of Projects on Expenditure Basis - BNBest-BMBF 98) will form part of the notification of award of expenditure-based grants.
The Nebenbestimmungen für Zuwendungen auf Kostenbasis des BMBF an Unternehmen der gewerblichen Wirtschaft für Forschungs- und Entwicklungsvorhaben (Auxiliary Terms and Conditions for Funds Provided by the BMBF to Commercial Companies for Research and Development Projects on Cost Basis - NKBF 98) will form part of the notification of award of cost-based grants.

7. Procedure

7.1 Involvement of a project management organization and request for documents

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research has entrusted the following project management organization with implementing the funding activity:

Projektträger Jülich (PtJ)
Geschäftsbereich Neue Materialien und
Chemische Technologien (NMT)
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH
52425 Jülich
Germany

Contact:
Dr. Hans-Jörg Clar
Tel.: +49 (0)2461 61 2621
Fax: +49 (0)2461 61 2398
E-mail: ptj-nanofutur@fz-juelich.de
http://www.werkstoffinnovationen.de

Forms for funding applications, guidelines, leaflets, information and auxiliary terms and conditions are available on the Internet   http://www.kp.dlr.de/profi/easy/formular.html
or can be obtained from the project management organization.
Applicants are strongly recommended to use the electronic application system "easy" http://www.kp.dlr.de/profi/easy/bmbf for drafting project outlines and formal applications.

7.2 Submission of project outlines

The funding procedure is two-tiered. In a first step, a project outline must be submitted by post to the competent project management organization both in written and in digitized form stored on data carrier by 14 June 2006 at the latest - preferably by using the electronic application system "easy".  The project outline should not exceed 15 pages (A4, font size 12, including enclosures). The deadline for submission is not a cut-off deadline. However, it may not be possible to consider project outlines received belatedly.
The project outlines should include information on the following:

• Topic and research objective of the project,
• Planned methods, current state of research and innovative approaches,
• Envisaged work and rough time schedule,
• Declaration of intent of the supporting commercial company,
• Envisaged expenditure/cost schedule,
• Brief description of the researcher's career in science (from leaving school to the present) and current employment as well as date of birth.

In addition, a list of the researcher's own publications and of the patents he or she has filed should be submitted.

7.3 Selection and decision-making procedure

All project outlines received will be evaluated by a panel of independent experts. In addition to fulfilment of the prerequisites for funding, the following criteria in particular will be used for evaluation:

• Reference to nanotechnology,
• Scientific originality and excellence of the project,
• Innovation potential of the approach,
• Interdisciplinary character of the planned research work,
• Impetus for nanoscience and potential for industrial application,
• Qualification of the interested researchers and their aptitude for leading a project,
• Relevant expression of interest by the supporting industrial companies.

The project proposals submitted will compete with each other. Funding will be provided for up to 15 junior research groups.

The interested researchers will be informed in writing about the result of the selection procedure.

If evaluated positively, the researchers will in a second step be invited to submit a formal application for funding, on which a decision is taken after final evaluation.

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 by the administrative regulations pertaining to section 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO) and sections 48 to 49a of the Administrative Procedure Act (VwVfG) unless deviation is allowed under the present funding regulations.

8. Entry into force

These funding regulations will enter into force on the day of their publication in the Federal Gazette (Bundesanzeiger).

Bonn, 28 March 2006
Federal Ministry of Education and Research

Dr. Gisela  H e l b i g

Head of Division
Nanomaterials; New Materials