The validation of research results has the goal to transfer research results into commercial application. The funding supports to verify, prove and evaluate the innovation potential of promising research results and to explore possible future applications. Successful validation of research results provides evidence of both the technical and commercial feasibility of these research results according to concrete requirements of the future users or providing companies of the products/services.

The funding is part of the Free State of Saxony's innovation strategy and strives for the most effective exploitation of innovation potential, allowing for openness in terms of technologies and sectors and using different innovation paths. There will be a special focus on the innovative fields of environment, raw materials, digital applications, energy, mobility and health.

Funding will be provided for projects for the validation of promising research results and their commercial exploitation potential. The project period is limited to 18 months and eligible expenditure of up to EUR 250,000 EUR can be funded with a max. grant amount limited to EUR 225,000 ("validation project").

The funding would amount to 90 percent of the eligible expenses if the project proposal has been accepted. Personnel expenses that are already covered by public budgets and own contributions are not eligible for funding. In the subsequent disbursement procedure, only 90% of the settled and proven eligible costs can be subsidized (reimbursement principle). The own contribution must therefore be provided in “cash”. Since personnel expenses are subsidized as a lump sum that is generally lower than the actual costs incurred, additional funds are required to cover shortfalls in personnel expenses on top of the above-mentioned own contributions. A forecast for these costs is provided during the application process.

Under the call, the number of eligible applications for the TU Dresden is limited to six. For this reason, we will conduct an internal pre-selection process within the university.

Furthermore, the orientation projects mentioned in the guideline cannot be applied for the TU Dresden. For such projects as well as for smaller validation projects than those mentioned above, the TUD Innovation Pool is available at the TU Dresden, from which the TU Dresden can support smaller validation projects quickly and flexibly.

The evaluation will first be done internally according to the criteria specified in the call for funding. The TU Dresden attaches additional importance to exploiting existing intellectual property rights (e.g. patents, software) with the funding and to support spin-offs. The selected six project outlines will then be re-evaluated by the funding body using the same criteria and will subsequently be competing with outlines from other institutions.

The individual classification are mentioned in the funding call. The listed structure must be followed. Otherwise, there may be exclusion from the procedure.

Only one proposal per research result is possible, i.e. no collaborative projects.

Eligible for funding:

• Personnel expenses in the form of a monthly lump sum according to the simplified cost options (SCOs),
• Materials,
• Instruments and equipment, to the extent and for as long as they are necessary for the project. If these instruments and equipment are used beyond the duration of the project, only the depreciation determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles is considered eligible for funding, unless these instruments and equipment are used by a public research institution for non-economic activities in the field of research and teaching within the funding period specified in the grant approval confirmation,
• Third-party services including contract research, development and production, testing services; legal and economic advice and market research,
• Searches for industrial property rights and the acquisition of industrial property rights.

During the term of the projects, futureSAX GmbH will support the grant recipients by organizing accompanying meetings (individual and group formats) in order to draw up an application plan for the projects, to identify possible exploitation and/or cooperation partners, and to establish contacts and exchanges on the futureSAX platform. Travel expenses will not be reimbursed.

Universities and non-university research institutions located in Saxony can receive funding.

Only one individual project module is funded per research result. If several institutions collaboratively work on a research result, the institution that owns the rights to the research result should submit the application. This institution may subcontract other research institutions involved in the validation project.

Funding under the Directive on Validation Funding does not constitute aid, i.e. only non-commercial activities are eligible for funding. Commissioning external services to companies is permissible. Contract research for companies as well as cooperation projects with companies are excluded from funding. The results obtained in validation projects must be freely accessible in principle, i.e. validation must not be carried out for the benefit of specific companies.

Testing a technology at a company is possible as long as it does not give the company preferential access to use the technology.

Please submit the following documents to the Excellence Center TUD|excite at by 01.11.2024 at the latest :

• Project outlines (PDF): digitally signed Professor:in, 8 pages A4, including attachments maximum 10 pages
• Cost calculation (calculation template validation)
• Confirmation of own funds
• Classification of the project idea (SAB form)
• Notification of third-party funding (digital signature Chair sufficient without Dean's Office)

A maximum of six outlines to be submitted to the SAB for TU Dresden are then selected. The selection criteria are generally based on the criteria specified in the SAB's call for funding. TU Dresden attaches additional importance to using the funding to exploit existing copyright laws (e.g. patents, software) and to support spin-offs. Prior to submission, a consultation with the TUD|excite or the Startup Service dresden|exists is recommended. The selected outlines are submitted in a legally binding manner exclusively by the EPC via TU Dresden's access to the SAB funding portal by 02.12.2024 at the latest. For any necessary revisions of the TUD-internally pre-selected outlines, the availability of the applicants must be planned for the period from 18.11.-29.11.2024.

In the next step, a committee with the participation of representatives of the Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport, the Saxon State Ministry of Science, Culture and Tourism and the Sächsische Aufbaubank will decide on the project outlines selected and submitted by TU Dresden. The project proposals are in competition with those of other institutions.

Interested parties will be informed of the selection result in writing. In the event of a positive decision, they will be asked to submit a formal funding application to supplement the project outline.

Projects in this call will start from 01.05.2025 at the earliest and from 01.06.2025 at the latest if they have a duration of 18 months. The projects in this call must be completed by 30.11.2026.

According to the SMWA call, there will be four further deadlines until 2026. The next deadline will be 02.06.2025, the internal deadline for this is expected to be 02.05.2025.

• Structure Outline and evaluation
• SAB_Classification Project idea
• Calculation template Validation

• Confirmation Financing Own funds

• Notification of third-party funds

• Announcement of Saxon State Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport
• Directive on Validation Funding 2021-2027

*all pages/forms only in German available