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 precisely where the AiF comes in: The task and goal of the AiF is to sustainably promote the innovative capacity of SMEs.

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.

The link below will redirect you to a video explaining the AiF and its function:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN-ur2OmZoc

IGF in profile

The precompetitive IGF builds a bridge between basic research and economic application and offers SMEs access to the latest 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
Learn about the new developments in thin film and surface technologies in an interdisciplinary way
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 inform and consult to national and international funding programs, support you in finding the right partners and coordinate research projects and clusters in the national and international area.
We move you forward together and initiate cross-sectoral projects in industrial collaborative research

How to beome part of the Industrial collective 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.

Expert Commitees

Templates for submitting project outlines

Outline for project outlines [docx-file]
Template for project outlines [PDF]
Information on submitting an outline project [PDF]

AiF / IGF project funding

IGF in profile

Knowledge advantage

How to beome part of the Industrial collective research

Templates for submitting project outlines

EFDS