Promoting innovation with a clear-cut profile

The Bavarian Research Foundation was established in 1990. It has assets amounting to around 380 million euros and provides subsidies of approximately 20 million euros per year.

Fair rules on granting financial support

Two types of projects are funded: individual ventures and combined research; in addition, scholarships are provided for scientist exchange programs. The duration of the funding is limited, and the projects must be jointly carried out by science and industry. The goal is to create economic value from the research results of main focus areas such as life sciences, information and communication, microsystems engineering, materials science, energy and the environment, mechatronics, nanotechnology, and process and production engineering.

Application procedure - High quality of projects

Independent industrial companies, members of the professions, universities, non-university research institutes and universities of applied sciences, and members and establishments of Bavarian institutes of higher education who are authorised to carry out research and development programmes in Bavaria are entitled to submit applications. They must have their headquarters in Bavaria or be represented by branches here. Professional advice is given to all applicants. External experts and a scientific advisory board ensure that the Foundation’s committees select only the very best projects. Additional unexpected results occur in more than half of the projects, and the results of more than 85 percent are subsequently utilized by the industry.

Successful support concept

Up to now, around 600 projects have been funded and about 420 scholarships have been granted. The obligatory co-financing by the business sector has more than doubled the issued foundation funds of approximately 455 million euros. As a result, industry and science have together funded future-directed research topics with a total contribution of approximately 1.012 million euros towards the advancement of innovation (as of 12/2010).

More information is available from

• Bayerische Forschungsstiftung
  Prinzregentenstraße 52
  80538 München
  Tel. : +49/89 / 2102 86-3
  Fax.: +49/89 / 2102 86-55
  www.forschungsstiftung.de