Oct 23, 2026
7th Evaluation Round: ERDF Guidelines for Validation Funding for Individual Project Modules
With this call for proposals, the Free State of Saxony intends to select and subsequently fund projects for the application-oriented validation of research results within the framework of the individual project module of the Validation Funding Guidelines, using a competitive preliminary application process. Please note that funding is still subject to the Saxon State Parliament’s approval of the budgetary funds required for the grant. It is therefore not currently guaranteed that applications receiving a positive evaluation will actually receive funding—please keep this in mind when deciding whether to submit an application.
The validation of research results aims to translate promising research findings into concrete commercial applications. The funding serves to assess the innovation potential, demonstrate and evaluate commercial applicability, and identify potential applications. Successful validation of research results provides evidence of the technical and economic feasibility of these results based on the specific requirements of future users or the companies providing the products or services.
This funding aligns with the Free State of Saxony’s innovation strategy and aims to maximize the potential for innovation. Particular emphasis is placed on the future-oriented fields of Environment, Raw Materials, Digital Technology, Energy, Mobility, and Health. The goal of validating research results is to ensure that they are adopted by established or newly founded companies immediately after the project concludes and translated into new products or services.
Funding is available for projects with a duration of up to
18 months and eligible expenses of up to 250,000 euros (“validation project”).
If the application is selected and approved, funding amounts to
90 percent of eligible expenses. Personnel expenses already covered by public budgets, as well as in-kind contributions, are not eligible for funding. The applicant’s own contribution must therefore be provided in “cash.” Since personnel expenses are funded as a lump sum—which is generally lower than the actual costs incurred—additional internal funds are required, in addition to the aforementioned self-contribution, to cover any shortfall in personnel expenses. A forecast of these costs is provided during the application process.
Under this call for proposals, the number of eligible applications from TU Dresden is limited to four. For this reason, an internal university preselection process will be conducted.
Further information on the specific application process and the required documents can be found on the program page.
Contact TUD | excite:
© Sven Ellger/TUD
Annegret Wolf
Innovation Management
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Contact at the EPC:
© TU Dresden
Head of Unit "Structural Funds Saxony"
NameMr Dominique Philipp Brinke
ESF Plus, Federal ESF Plus, ERDF/JTF
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Visiting address:
FAL Falkenbrunnen BT-A Würzburger Straße 35
01187 Dresden