FFG - The Austrian Research Promotion Agency

Management of Innovation andTechnology Policy Programmesin Austria

Martin Reishofer, 4 May 2011

wbc-inco.net,Seminar on Innovation Managementin the EU Frameworkprogramme

Ohrid / Macedonia

Seite 2 www.ffg.at

1) Overview on FFG and FFG Funding Schemes

2) The Programme COIN as a good practice example of a FFG Innovation Funding Scheme

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• GERD 2010: 2,76% of GDP, rank 3 on european level (leading: Schweden and Finnland)

• rank 7 in European Innovation Scoreboard („Innovation Follower“)

Germany

Austria

EU-25/27

Gross expenditures on R&D in % GDP;

Source: Eurostat; chart: ABA

Catching-up: Expanding R&D spending

Ambition to join the club of „innovation leaders“

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weaknesses strengthsEU 27

k. A.

k. A.

k. A.

Tertiary education

S&E and SSH graduates

Venture Capital

Techn. Balance of Payments flows

Innovative SMEs collaborating

Public private co-publications

Community trademarks Community designs

Business R&D-expenditures

S&E and SSH doctorate graduates

Life-long learning

Youth education

Public R&D expenditures

Private credit

Broadband access by firms

IT expenditures

No n-R&D innovation expenditures

SMEs innovating in-house

Firm renewal (SMEs entries + exits)

EPO patents

SMEs introducing product or process innovations

SMEs introducing marketing or organisational innovations

Resource efficiency innovators

Reduced labour costs

Reduced use of materials and energy

Employment in medium-high & high-tech manufacturing

Employment in knowledge-intensive services

Medium-tech and high-tech manufacturing exports

New-to -market sales

New-to -firm sales

EN

AB

LE

RS

FIR

M A

CIT

IVIT

ES

OU

TP

UT

SStrengths and weaknesses of the Austrian innovation system according to CIS (2009)

New to market sales

Seite 5 www.ffg.at

Parliament

Federal Government

Committee for Research, Innovation & Technology

BMWFJ BMVIT BMWF

BMF

Austrian Science Fund

Seite 6 www.ffg.at

FFG – Austrian Research Promotion Agency

• Founded in September 2004

• Merger of four organisations

Austrian Industrial Research Promotion FundTechnologie Impulse GesellschaftAustrian Space AgencyBureau for International Research and Technology Cooperation

• Legal structure: private limited company

• Owner: Federal Government, represented by

Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and TechnologyFederal Minister of Economy, Family and Youth

Budget 2010• 555 million € budget (2009: 508 Mio €)• 225 staff (full-time equivalents)

Seite 7 www.ffg.at

ManagementInternal audit Strategy

GeneralProgrammes

(GP)

StructuralProgrammes

(SP)

ThematicProgrammes

(TP)

European andInternationalProgrammes(EIP)

Internal services

Aeronautics and Space Agency (ALR)

Organisational Structure

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Source: FFG Promotion Statistics 2009

FFG-Research Promotion Statistics

2006 2008 Developmentfrom 2008 to 2009

Partners

funding

Agreed

Cash value

- 13 %

Accepted projects

1.221

+ 3 %

+ 21 %

2.113

+ 3 %Payments 310 Mio. €

296 Mio. €

447 Mio. € - 9 %

2007

255 Mio. €

1.805

2.703

306 Mio. €

406 Mio. €

424 Mio. €

5.088

2.545

366 Mio. €

548 Mio. €

2009

3.072

5.220

371 Mio. €

508 Mio. €

378 Mio. €

Seite 9 www.ffg.at

FFG-Research Promotion Statistics IIAllocation of cash values according to type of organisations in 2009

3,27; 1%

4,02; 1%

378,73; 75%

47,17; 9%

71,22; 14%

Business

Research Organisations

Universities

Intermediates

others

TOTAL PAYMENTS

Source: FFG Promotion Statistics 2009

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FFG-Research Promotion Statistics IIINew FFG-apllicants 2007- 2009

1.7841.556

973

1.1291.307

436

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

200920082007

An

tra

gst

elle

r in

gen

eh

mig

ten

Pro

jek

ten

New ApplicantsExperienced Applicants

31%

46%

39%

1.409

2.913

2.863

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General Programmes (GP)

Objective• Strengthening the technological competitiveness of

companiesbased in Austria

• Broadening of the innovation base (attracting newcomers)

Funding model is based on• In-house project assessment and selection• Open call• Bottom-up (no thematic focus)

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target group: companies, individual researchers/ inventors, research institutes

consortium: single applicant, co-operating working groupstailored instruments:

up to 50 % (or 70 %) of the total project costs: grants, low interest loans, bank guarantees

calls: submission at any time and regular decision board meetings

any technology fields or firm sizes experimental research and development projects projects with a concrete chance of commercial

exploitation funding: fulfilment of technical and economical criteria

General Programme

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Programmes and Initiatives SMEs Large scale enterprise

Innovation Voucher x x

BRIDGE (Programme) x x General application-oriented research funding x x

(HighTech) Start up Funding x

Feasibility Studies x

Headquarter Strategy x xYoung Experts (preperation for diplomas) x

Collective Research x x

Service Innovations x xInternational Projects (EFRE, EUREKA, EraNET, ….) x (x)

General Programmes (bottom up)

Seite 14 www.ffg.at

Thematic Programmes (TP)

Programmes

FIT-IT – Information technologies At:net – Austrian Electronic Network BENEFIT – New technologies for elderly people Intelligent transport systems and services (IV2S) Energy Research NANO Initiative – nano sciences and nano technologies KIRAS – Safety research TAKE OFF – the Austrian aeronautics programme GEN-AU – Genome research

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European and International Programmes (EIP)

Objectives• Support of Austrian researchers in industry and

science with a view to promoting participation in the European Research Framework Programme, EUREKA,CIP, etc.

Tasks• National competence and service centre for European

and international R&D programmes and initiatives• Professional information and counselling on all

programmes by competent national contact points• Establishment of contacts with international R&D

networks• Monitoring of Austrian participation in EU Framework

Programme

Seite 16 www.ffg.at

Aeronautics and Space Agency (ALR)

Objectives• International positioning and networking of Austrian

industry, economy, science • Securing Austria‘s competitiveness at the international level• Implementation of Austrian aeronautics and space policy

Tasks• Central contact point for coordination of activities• Representing Austria in EU bodies, ESA, EUMETSAT• Management of participation in bilateral and international

aerospace programmes, management of the Austrian space programme

• Sustainable development and strengthening of the Austrian aeronautics and space cluster

Seite 17 www.ffg.atwww.ffg.at

FFGStructural

Programmes

Excellence and Competence

Co-operation and Innovation

HumanPotential

Structural Programmes

Science

Industry

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Structural Programmes - Mission

• To support sustainable networks and partnerships between science and industry

• To improve and accelerate the transformation of knowledge into innovation

• To strengthen human potential in Austria as a location for research and innovation

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COIN – Funding the transfer of knowledge into innovation (focused on SMEs)

• Initiated by two Austrian ministries (programme owner cooperation)

• Thematically open calls

• Target groups: companies (especially SMEs), Intermediaries, RTOs

• Consortia type projects

• Open Calls with „cut off dates“ twice a year

COIN – a good practise example of aFFG Innovation Funding Programme

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COIN - Basic Requirements and Regulations

• FTE-Richtlinien (Basic Guidelines by Federal Ministry of Transport, Innovation and Technology and Federal Ministry of Economy), based on the European Framework Programme

• Programme Document COIN (owned by the ministries)(guidelines for the implementation of the programme)

• Guidelines for calls(detailed regulations for proposer’s, tips and hints for submission)

• Reporting Guidelines (for project processing, resp. monitoring)

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• is focused on cooperation projects strengthening the innovation level especially of SMEs by technology and knowhow transfer

• Consortia type projects: min. cooperation of 3 companies (2 of them SMEs)

• Additional (optional) partners: universities, universities of Applied Sciences (UAS), research institutes, higher education institutes, other intermediaries (e.g. Technology Centers, Clusters, …)

COIN – „Cooperation and Networks“

COIN – „Competence Building“

• aims at building competences and strengthening those agents, that are core partners for enterprises in terms of R&D an innovation

• partners are not mandatory; only RTO partners are allowed to receive funding; company partners have to be orderer of R&D in Phase 2 of the project running time

COIN Calls in 2 Programme Lines

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COIN „Cooperation and Networks“ Funding Scheme

two basic requirements

Knowledge- and Technology-transfer to SMEs

Practical Application in Form of Consortia

minimum 3 companies (SMEs),additional RTOs, Intermediaries,

further companies

- innovative products- Innovative procedures- innovative services

- Build-up of sustainable innovation oriented cooperation

- Implementation of innovation projects based on existing networks between SMEs and RTOs

Inno

vatio

nC

o-operation

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Funding Conditions in Detail

• Minimum project configuration is 3 companies (thereof 2 SMEs)

• Funding by grants

• funding rate is limited to 60% of the total project costs (40% own resources can be brought in by cash or in Form of “in kind”, e.g. by working hours)

• Maximum funding: 500.000 Mio EUR

• At least 60% of the project costs must be costs of the consortia partners, i.e. max. 40% external costs

• Duration: projects can be funded for maximum 3 years running time

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COIN – Call Management

FFG„Check on Eligibility“ & Technical Expertise

Jury of ExpertsEx ante Evaluation of Proposals,

Explicit Funding-Recommendation

P1

MinisterAnnouncement of Decision

Proposals (submitted by e-call)

P2 P3 P4 P5 Pn Call Deadline

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Communicationof Results

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Best Practise Example of Consortia Project Structure

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• 248 proposals (Ø 60 proposals p.a.)

• 74 selected and funded projects -> Ø quota of success: 30%

• Total funding amount: approx. 25,5 Mio EUR

• More than 450 funded Consortia Partners

• - Ø Volumen per project: approx. 600.000 EUR- Ø Funding per project: approx. 350.000 EUR

• Mainly 2 years running time

Facts and Figures(based on 4 COIN Calls “Cooperation & Networks”)

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Split of Consortia Partners

RTDI-Institutes

other Intermediaries

Consulters productive SMEs

Technology-Centers

Clusters

On average 5 to 6 Partners per project

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COIN „Special“

Transnational Funding within a national programme by COIN „Cooperation & Networks International“Partner Countries:

Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro,

Serbia(inkl. UNMIK/Kosovo)

Ukraine,Turkey,

MoldovaRussia, BelarusArmenia,

Azerbaijan,Georgia,

Kazakhstan

Funding Criteria and Procedure relatedto COIN „Cooperation & Networks“, but …

- Funding up to 70% (RTDI-Institutes 75%)

- min. 4 companies/SMEs (thereof 2 from Austria)

- min. 15 % and max. 50% funding to non Austrian

Partners

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FORSCHUNG WIRKT.

R&D makes an Impact >> www.ffg.at

Thank You