We are knackered, but also proud, because our project summer was packed with applications and preparations. In the last few months, the Es-geht! team has supported, (co-)written or coordinated almost 15 research proposals. 💪🏼🫱🏽🫲🏻🙌🏾
How is the research landscape structured?
The research landscape in Germany and Europe is extremely diverse and characterised by a strong tradition of cooperation, both at national and European level. Research institutions, universities, companies and SMEs, such as Es-geht!, work closely together. In this way, they aim to advance scientific knowledge and develop innovative solutions to societal challenges.
In Germany, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), among others, funds a large number of research projects in the energy sector. It focuses on topics such as energy efficiency, renewable energies and innovative energy technologies.
At the European level, the European Union’s research and innovation programme “Horizon Europe” is one of the best known. It offers extensive funding for research projects in various fields, from health to energy to digital technologies.
As you can imagine, we at Es-geht! are mainly involved in projects around the research and development of technologies for energy production, storage and efficiency.
So what exactly do you need to consider when preparing a research proposal?
Submitting a research proposal requires careful planning! As there are a large number of funding initiatives, it is important to identify the programme that best fits the research idea, as each programme has different priorities, objectives and (funding) conditions.
- Can we meet the requirements?
- When are the submission deadlines?
- Who is the contact person at the funding body and does it make sense to contact this person in advance?
Most application procedures are divided into 2 phases: Outline and Full Proposal.
In the first phase, the consortium develops the project concept and explains the scientific objectives, the benefits for the economy or society, the degree of innovation, the methodology, the budget and the time schedule. This also includes filling out special application forms and submitting certain documents.
After the outline and documents have been submitted, they are reviewed and evaluated by experts. During this time, it is a case of keeping your fingers crossed that the idea will be evaluated positively and that a full proposal may be submitted.
We will keep you updated after our project summer. In the future, we hope to be able to report on many approved projects as well as further explain what needs to be considered when implementing such.
Your Es-geht! Team