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Seed Funding: Call for ideas

You have a great idea which can be carried out with an industrial Partner to transfer knowledge or technology? You are looking for partners in technical universities and research labs to integrate your project? You are looking for infrastructure and facilities? You need some help to investigate the possibility of patenting your idea? You work in industry and you think that what you are doing is possibly of great benefit for PlanetS Projects? You need advice or expertise? You want to propose special training or you need training? You need help in preparing technical documentation. You want to propose and organize a topical workshop? Any other idea you want to discuss? – Contact the PlanetS TP Team or submit a proposal. The PlanetS TP may provide support and seed funding to promising ideas which fulfil a minimum number of conditions.

The TP promotes activities and strategies that aim at strengthen the knowledge and technology transfer between PlanetS Members, industry, technical universities and other research laboratories. One of the TP’s core activities is to provide seed funding for new ‘high-risk high-gain’ ideas related to PlanetS Projects.

Who can apply and what are the conditions?

The call is open to every company, institute or research laboratory, and the rules have been kept as simple and flexible as possible. Only few conditions must be fulfilled:

– The proposed ‘idea’ must be related to at least one of PlanetS’ Projects and its activities.

– The project must be co-signed by at least one PlanetS Project Member (or their contact persons) and at least one non-PlanetS Partner.

– It must be shown that the implementation of the idea can lead to at least one of the followings:

    1. A transfer of knowledge or technology from a PlanetS Partner to industry in view of a commercial application

    2. A transfer of knowledge or technology from the non-PlanetS Partner in view of a direct benefit of one of PlanetS’ Projects

    3. Within the framework of a project supported by PlanetS, develop a high-risk technology item that could potentially lead to an added value for the project. Technology or knowledge transfer is in this case suitable but not strictly necessary

    4. A market opportunity or a commercial product

    5. A patent

– The proposed project must not last more than 18 months and must be concluded by providing at least a detailed report and clearly identified deliverables.

What can be requested?

The TP will provide capital funding. It will be up to the applicant to describe an adequate use of the requested funding. The nature and level of  expected ‘added value’ will be the most determinant factor for the decision making.

How and when to apply

Proposals can be send at any time by filling the corresponding proposal submission form and sending it to the TP secretary. A confirmation of receipt will be sent within a week after first submission. Complementary data and re-submission may be requested in case of missing or incomplete information.

Decisional process

For requests of less than 10’000 CHF the TP leader and co-leader will jointly decide about granting the funding. In case of proposals involving funding higher than 10’000 CHF the TP leader and co-leader will report to the PlanetS Management Board who will take a decision by majority. A decision will be provided within 2 months of the final submission.

What if your project is selected?

A simple contract (at the level of a purchase order) will be signed between PlanetS and the main applicants, which will foresee immediate allocation of the granted funding in tranches of 3 months in exchange of progress reports. The contract will also foresee a detailed final report and the delivery of the ‘deliverables’ at respective milestones (based on the proposal). The contract will obey to Intellectual Property Rights of the University of Bern or the University of Geneva. All the parties commit to the rules of common sense and to mutual respect.

Any other question?

For any other question please contact the TP leaders or Elena Benedetto.

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