Information on Proposal Submission
The aim of trilateral transfer projects is to support the transition of results from DFG-funded basic research to commercial enterprises or other application partners. Here, Fraunhofer Institutes serve as intermediaries between universities, UAS and the application sector, conducting early-stage applied research and building or strengthening contacts with relevant partners to support transfer to commercial applications via these partners. The idea is also that the projects generate fresh impulses for basic research.
The prerequisite for proposal submission is a DFG-funded research project on which the transfer project will be based, and which must have reached Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 (technology validated in la(Download)). Trilateral transfer projects must follow on directly from the preceding project. The preceding DFG project should generally not have ended more than two years previously.
The project consortium of a trilateral transfer project must consist of:
- one partner at a university or UAS (HAW or FH) (DFG-funded)
- one partner at a Fraunhofer Institute (Fraunhofer-funded) and
- one application partner (self-funded).
Application partners may include industrial companies/commercial partners and partners from the public or non-commercial sector. Application partners must contribute appropriately to the project in terms of both personnel and subject-related input, and they must cover their own costs.
The core of each trilateral transfer project is a joint work programme outlining each partner’s specific tasks (including the relevant time commitment). This should clearly reflect each partner’s contribution.
The aim of the project is to advance the results of the original DFG-funded project from TRL 4 to TRL 6–7.
The proposal must include a cooperation agreement that covers the handling of results, usage rights and publication rights. The template provided must be used for this purpose.
Please note our FAQ(interner Link). The DFG will offer two online information events in connection with this call:
- Thursday, 10 July | Webex link to follow
- Thursday, 24 July | Webex link to follow
Proposal submission is in two phases:
The project draft must include the following:
- the scientific description of the project including indication of the TRL,
- a concept for your project consortium, including a work schedule and cost plan,
- a compelling account of how the results are to be used scientifically and in particular commercially.
The following are required for submission:
- registration on the elan portal (for principal investigators at UAS, universities and Fraunhofer Institutes),
- the project draft based on the template DFG-Fraunhofer project draft 2025/2026 (in German only(Download),
- the academic CVs of the HEI and Fraunhofer partners according to DFG form 53.20(interner Link) and
- the proposal of the original DFG project and, if available, the relevant final report.
By submitting the draft, you confirm that all partners are familiar with the cooperation agreement template and agree to sign it if invited to submit a proposal.
Project drafts can only be submitted via the elan portal (Proposal submission -> New project/draft -> Individual grants -> Draft proposal for a research grant -> Start online form). When entering the details, select the call “DFG-Fraunhofer Cooperation 2025/26 – Project Drafts”. Please also include Fraunhofer principal investigators as applicants.
The funds for the Fraunhofer Institutes must also be applied for via the SAP procedure 'Application for internal programs' (‚Beantragung interner Programme‘; see the program's funding guide on the Fraunhofer Intranet page).
Invitations to submit proposals are expected to be issued in mid-December 2025.
Applicants invited to submit a proposal based on their draft must do so by 11 March 2026.
The proposal must include:
- the description of a joint work programme showing the partners’ involvement and time commitments
- a description of the scientific and commercial exploitation that is as specific as possible
The following are required for submission:
- the project proposal using the DFG-Fraunhofer Trilateral Transfer Project 2025/26 template (in German only(Download)
- the academic CVs of the HEI and Fraunhofer partners according to DFG form 53.20(interner Link)
- the trilateral cooperation agreement signed by all partners.
Proposals without a signed cooperation agreement at the time of submission cannot be considered.
Proposals must be submitted via the elan portal by the university/HEI partner (Proposal submission -> Proposal overview/subsequent proposal -> Start based on project code from the project draft -> Research grant -> Start online form). When entering the call, please select “DFG-Fraunhofer Cooperation Knowledge Transfer 2025/26”. Under proposal details, select “Transfer Project” as an additional characteristic. The Fraunhofer lead must be formally entered as a “Participating Person” with the role “Co-Applicant”. The DFG Head Office will change this role manually to “Cooperation Partner”.
Funding requested for Fraunhofer must be included in the “Project Description”, including a brief rationale. It must also be recorded in Fraunhofer’s “SAP cost calculation” tool. The latter is not submitted to the DFG, however.
Funding decisions are expected to be made in July 2026. Projects may begin immediately upon approval.
Funding Duration
Trilateral transfer projects may be funded for a maximum duration of three years. Renewal proposals are not permitted.
Review Criteria
These include the following:
- the scientific quality of the results of the DFG-funded predecessor project,
- the relevance of the expected outcomes in economic and/or societal terms,
- the commercialisation objectives, including expected returns and their feasibility,
- the suitability of the application partner.
See here for instructions for the review of trilateral transfer projects (in German only(Download).
Funding Amount
The DFG and Fraunhofer each provide funding of up to €3 million per call. The aim is to fund approximately five transfer projects under this call.
- Template – DFG-Fraunhofer 2025/26 project draf(Download)
- Template – DFG-Fraunhofer 2025/26 trilateral transfer projec(Download)
- Instructions for the review of trilateral transfer project(Download)
- Cooperation Agreement Template #(Download) (one HEI, one Fraunhofer Institute and one application partner)
- Cooperation Agreement Template #(Download) (one HEI, one Fraunhofer Institute and several application partners)
- Cooperation Agreement Template #(Download) (several HEIs, one Fraunhofer Institute and one application partner)
The DFG and Fraunhofer have agreed on a template which must be used by project consortia for the joint final report on trilateral transfer projects.
The report is to be submitted to the DFG via the elan porta(externer Link). An electronic form for submitting the final report is available under the “Continue” button for the respective project.
In addition, the report must be sent in encrypted form by e-mail together with the project achievement data sheet to the Fraunhofer programme management (patricia.rodriguez@zv.fraunhofer.d(externer Link) and michael.liecke@zv.fraunhofer.d(externer Link)).
General questions
| E-mail: | erkenntnistransfer@dfg.de |
| E-mail: | erkenntnistransfer@dfg.de |