The subject of the call is proposals for model projects to solve social and societal problems in the work and areas of activity of social work. The pilot projects serve to test socially innovative and public welfare-oriented concepts for a limited period of time with the aim of generating new findings in the field of social innovation and transferring the results obtained to other applications and consequently reproducing them.

Funding is provided for socially innovative prevention or support measures that address the following areas of social work and make use of new applications, methods or concepts (e.g. new forms of cooperation, digital services, AI applications):

aa) special life situations,

bb) integration

cc) inclusion

dd) children, young people, family and/or

ee) ageing society

The services of the Future Platform for Social Innovation of the Free State of Saxony (so-called "SINN") are available as part of the implementation and preparation of the pilot projects. "SINN" is implemented by Impact Dresden GmbH, Impact Hub Leipzig GmbH, Startnext GmbH, DRK Landesverband Sachsen e.V., parikom - Paritätisches Competence Center for Social Innovation gGmbH and Caritasverband für das Bistum Dresden-Meißen e.V..

The grant is awarded as part of project funding as partial financing in the form of a subsidy for up to 24 months. It amounts to up to 95 percent of the eligible expenditure.

Personnel expenses are funded in the form of a job grant or person-related lump sum.

Material and administrative costs are granted as a residual lump sum amounting to 40 percent of the direct eligible personnel costs.

The own contribution to be made can be provided by the cooperation of basic-financed personnel or "cash" from free funds (own funds).

The maximum grant amount is 300,000 euros per project. Any additional funding for the project must be provided from own or third-party funds, which must be specified in the project proposal.

The project duration is to be planned or applied for between 01.01.2026 and 31.12.2028

The recipient of the funding must be an agency or an association of agencies. The grant recipient must be organized as a legal entity under private or public law with its registered office or branch office in the Free State of Saxony.

Participants of a model project must have their main residence in the Free State of Saxony.

Info event of the SMS and the SAB on 13.03.25
Presentation SMS/SAB Info-VA 13.03.2025

The application process is two-stage. The EPC accompanies the applicants of TU Dresden in accordance with the announcement of the Vice-Rector Research 2/2023 and must be involved in the application process as early as possible. The EPC advises on the funding conditions as well as on the application, has powers of attorney for the legally binding signature vis-à-vis the Sächsische Aufbaubank (SAB) and has central access to the SAB funding portal for the submission of project proposals by May 30, 2025 by the EPC.

We request that the applicant submit the following documents by e-mail by May 23, 2025 (internal deadline) to epc@tu-dresden.de:

• Notification of third-party funding
• Project proposal with signature of coordinating Chair(project proposal structure)
• Expenditure and funding plan

Project proposals should not significantly exceed 12 pages (font Arial Regular, font size 11, line spacing 1.2) - excluding attachments as well as expenditure and funding plan. The SMS expects clear, meaningful and concrete explanations of the planned project implementation. In addition, a description of the sponsor or sponsor association should be included.

Complete project proposals submitted by the deadline for the expression of interest must be presented to the SMS and the SAB by the applicant. Non-participation will result in exclusion from the procedure. Based on the evaluation of the project proposals for the expression of interest, the selected project promoters will be invited to submit a formal application to the Sächsische Aufbaubank - Förderbank.

The project proposals are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria and weightings. Accordingly, project proposals must be prepared in accordance with these requirements:

1. objectives of the project (25 percent)

a) Initial situation, need, social or societal challenge addressed

b) Regional reference, significance for labor market policy

c) concrete description of objectives

d) social innovation content of the project or differentiation from existing solution concepts for the social and societal challenge addressed

e) Description of the target group or participants

f) Experience of the project sponsor with the target group and in the project area

2. achievement of objectives, work steps (33 percent)

a) Description of the work packages

b) Description of the methods

c) Description of the response to specific requirements

d) Timing, milestone plan

e) Responsibilities

f) Cooperation structure, co-financing from third parties if applicable

g) Content competence of the applicant and the planned personnel

h) Quality assurance measures

3. results and documentation (25 percent)

a) Specification of expected results

b) Documentation of the results

c) Planned public relations work

d) Type and manner of transfer into work and company practice

e) Statements on continuation (without funding), subsequent use of results

4. total expenditure, funding amount, own funds, economic efficiency (17 percent)

a) Total expenditure/costs of the project, appropriate cost-benefit ratio, efficiency, indication of the origin of the own funds and/or third-party funds to be provided (if applicable)

b) Effectiveness of the methods used to achieve the objectives and expected results

c) Number of participants/projects, if applicable.

In addition, statements on the principles of equal opportunities for women and men, equal opportunities and non-discrimination as well as environmental and resource protection/sustainable development must be included in the project proposals.

Further information can be found here

• LINK to the official announcement
  https://www.sab.sachsen.de/documents/d/guest/2025-02-03_3-bekanntmachung-modellvorhaben
• LINK to the SAB page
  https://www.sab.sachsen.de/en/esf-plus-richtlinie-des-sms
• LINK to the directive
  https://www.revosax.sachsen.de/vorschrift/19647-ESF-Plus-Richtlinie-SMS#romII
• LINK Rules on eligible expenditure
  https://www.sab.sachsen.de/documents/d/guest/anlage_ffak_2021-2027-vom-01-07-2024?download=true
• LINK ESF Plus project proposal
  https://fs.egov.sachsen.de/formserv/findform?shortname=sab60716&areashortname=sab
• Link to the presentation SMS/SAB Info-VA 13.03.2025
  https://buergerbeteiligung.sachsen.de/portal/download/resources/beteiligung/1049783/information/1128651/datei/4108761_1/InfoVA_13.03.25_Förderaufruf+model_project_presentation.pdf