AiF / IGF project funding

The AiF: Innovative strength for SMEs

There are around 1,500 hidden champions in Germany. What makes these medium-sized companies secret world market leaders? Current studies show that they have a significantly higher innovation orientation than their competitors. This is exactly where the AiF comes in: sustainably promoting the innovative capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises is the task and goal of the AiF

The AiF network: Success factor for cooperation

The key to successful innovation activities in SMEs is cooperation: Competences and know-how complement each other, the risk is spread over many shoulders. The AiF has a unique infrastructure at its disposal to support such collaborations in the long term.

“Joint research ⇔ joint success”

IGF in profile

The precompetitive IGF builds a bridge between basic research and economic application and offers SMEs access to current scientific findings. The funding of sector-wide joint industrial research (IGF) projects aims to compensate for the structural disadvantages of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the field of research.

Pre-competitive and open to new topics
Basis for process and product innovation
Assured practical relevance
Contest of ideas
Active networking
Transfer included
Cross-sectoral, interdisciplinary and synergetic

Knowledge advantage

Get involved in projects on new thin-film and surface technologies
SMEs and large companies thus gain access to scientific results and can prominently present their own innovative strength
Get to know the new developments in thin film and surface technologies in an interdisciplinary manner
Contacts with future junior staff from the scientific environment
Direct access to the experts and thus valuable support in outlining, applying and formulating project proposals

We provide information and advice on national and international funding programs, support in finding partners and coordinate research projects and – clusters at a national, European and international level.

We move you forward together and initiate cross-sectoral industrial collaborative research projects.

How do you become part of industrial collaborative research?

By participating in our technical committees:

Develop ideas for the future together with other experts and implement them in an application-oriented way.
Present your research approaches to our experts and find partners who support you in arming your visions for industry.

Templates for submitting project outlines:

Gliederung für Projektskizzen [docx]
Vorlage für Projektskizzen [PDF]
Informationen zur Einreichung einer Projektskizze [PDF]

AiF / IGF project funding

IGF in profile

Knowledge advantage

How do you become part of industrial collaborative research?

EFDS