Validation of research results: Saxony is experiencing strong demand - applicants receive the first funding notifications

Economics Minister Dulig: »The transfer of knowledge and technology is a key source of innovation and is therefore essential for the competitiveness of the Saxon economy.«

In 2020, the Free State of Saxony added an important component to its technology funding: validation funding. The new program »Funding the Validation of Research Results« aims to improve technology transfer between research and industry. There is strong demand for this in Saxony. 28 funding notifications will be received by applicants for funding for the validation of their research results in the next few days. They were selected in a competitive process from a total of 142 project outlines submitted by research institutions in Saxony.

With the validation, the technical and economic feasibility of the research results should be examined and proven. This is intended to reduce the gap between the results provided on the research side and the information required on the business side to use them. Economics Minister Martin Dulig: "The validation funding helps to make technology transfer faster and more efficient and thus further expand the chances of commercial exploitation of research results."

With a total of five million euros, the Free State of Saxony is funding 25 validation projects lasting up to 18 months and three orientation projects lasting six months. The grants amount to 90 percent of the project costs. Funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) are also used for this purpose.

During the term of the projects, futureSAX GmbH - the innovation platform of the Free State of Saxony - supports the research institutions with accompanying meetings in the creation of an exploitation plan and the identification of possible exploitation and cooperation partners.

»The Saxon Ministry of Economics intends to continue funding with further calls. This is supported not only by the large number of applications received, but above all by the high quality of the project outlines submitted in the first call for funding," said Minister Dulig. The SMWA is also planning a call for funding for projects in which research institutions set up systematic validation management and can independently decide on the selection of research results to be validated within the framework of a defined budget.

A well-functioning and effective transfer of knowledge and technology is a basic prerequisite for a significant proportion of the research results achieved in the scientific institutions to flow into concrete applications that add value for the benefit of society. Martin Dulig continues: “Knowledge and technology transfer is a key source of innovation, especially against the background of the economic structure of the Free State of Saxony, which is characterized by small and medium-sized companies, and is therefore essential for the competitiveness of the Saxon economy. Innovations serve to secure the future and are among the most important driving forces for growth, employment and social progress. With the validation of research results, an essential element in the process of technology transfer is promoted, for which there has not been any funding before.«

background objects

The basis for funding is the guideline of the SMWA for the "Funding of the validation of research results" (RL validation funding) of August 10, 2020 and the call for funding published in the Saxon Official Journal on October 29, 2020. This and further information can also be found on the website of the Saxon Development Bank – Development Bank.

As part of the Saxon technology promotion, the Free State of Saxony supports innovative projects of the Saxon economy with various measures. Funds from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or the European Social Fund (ESF) are mainly used for this. In the funding period from 2014 to 2020, which is now coming to an end, Saxony has approved grants of around 3.000 million euros for almost 640 projects as part of the ERDF and ESF technology funding.

The Ministry of Economics plans to continue the technology funding programs in the coming structural fund period.

Source: Press release from the Saxon State Ministry for Economic Affairs, Labor and Transport from April 27.04.2021th, XNUMX