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Overview

Building on a lasting fruitful cooperation and the ability to purposefully match interested researchers, Siemens AG (SAG) Technology, Research and Innovation Ecosystem, Oxford (UoO) Industrial Partnerships and TU Berlin’s (TUB) Siemens RIE are partnering in a third trilateral seed fund to stimulate joint research project bids. The seed fund management team are Ilaria Carrara Cagni (SAG), Andy Gilchrist (UoO) & Isabel Wolf (TUB). This is the third run of the trilateral seed fund, after a successful run in 2020 and 2022.

We call for proposals in research areas at the intersection of the vertical methods & technologies (AI, Connectivity/ IoT/ Sensors/ Edge, Simulation/Digital Twin, Sustainability) and the horizontal application sectors (Buildings, Cities & Energy Systems, Industry & Manufacturing, Mobility & Transport Systems).

Schematic view of interdisciplinary research areas. Column headings: Buildings, Cities & Energy Systems; Industry & Manufacturing; Mobility & Transport Systems. Row headings:  Applied Artificial Intelligence; Connectivity, IoT, Sensors & Edge Computing; Simulation & Digital Twin; Sustainability.

Schematic view of interdisciplinary research areas.

The schematic shows (for simplicity) separate horizontal research topics / technologies applied in separate vertical markets / application areas. Of course, any project could cover multiple verticals or horizontals as appropriate.

Despite the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, the UK will continue to be able to participate in European Funding programs. Thus, the aim of a seed project should be to develop trilateral partnerships and jointly apply for publicly funded projects (e.g., with the University of Oxford as associate partner in Horizon Europe calls). The involvement of at least two out of Oxford, TU Berlin and Siemens is a prerequisite. The Involvement of all three is strongly encouraged.

The seed fund management team offers matchmaking for interested employees & researchers with first in-scope project ideas to help identifying complementary team partners in the other organizations. If you are interested, informally reach out to your organizations’ contact person to get started.

This call is open to any salaried faculty member or equivalent at post-doctoral level or above from Oxford and TU Berlin as well as any Siemens employee involved in R&D. All disciplines are eligible. Projects must be jointly submitted and may include additional participation from other institutions or companies.

Funding

The seed fund aims to support 4 projects no longer than 12 months. Seed funding will be available from Jan 1st, 2024, to Dec 31st 2024. Within each project Oxford participants can receive up to 15,000 GBP and TU Berlin participants up to 20,000 € respectively. Siemens project partners are asked to define their input in the application and put in their own costs that will be covered by their respective units.

If successful, recipients of seed funding in Oxford and Berlin will be required to abide by the policies and practices of their respective institutions regarding ethical conduct of research, reporting and reimbursement of expenditures. Siemens partners will not receive direct funds but will be asked to transparently define their input and cover their own costs as part of the financial budget table.

Submission Documents

The application must include a narrative project description of no more than 3 pages addressing:

  • Overview description of the field of study and general intellectual context of the project suitable for a non-specialist audience.
  • Outline of the proposed project and its specific objectives as well as its operation and functions including a project timeline and how the competencies within the team match.
  • List of potential calls identified or expectations regarding future targetable calls.
  • Attachments: Short CVs of the principal investigators at each institution (max. 2 pages); A list of prospective recipients on all sides and their estimated time input; A financial budget table per partner specified by the eligible claims categories.

Eligible claims

  • Direct personnel costs i.e., for developing relationships and writing grant proposals. This could be any university employee.
  • Material costs i.e., for prototypes
  • Travel, accommodation, and other associated costs i.e., for joint workshops or exchanges.

Evaluation Criteria

All proposals will be evaluated by a trilateral selection committee based on the following criteria: 

  • Clear description and importance of the proposed research topic.
  • Coherent collaborative work program for the seed funding phase.
  • The potential to lead to successful joint grant application(s).
  • The track record and competency mix of the principal investigators.

Submission & Reporting

  • Application window: 11th of September 2023 until Friday, 10th December 2023 at 11:59 pm (CET).
  • Outcome notification: December 15th, 2023.
  • Funding Activity: 1st January 2024 to 31st Dec 2024 – maximum of 12 months project duration
  • Progress reports: Recipients must report briefly in a final report until project completion and are encouraged to keep the management team updated during the project via an informal mid-project report.
  • Payment of the grant: The payment and post-award financial management will be administered through the respective institutions at TUB and UoO.

A single, jointly prepared application must be submitted in English as PDF via email to the seed fund management team. Any questions regarding the seed fund, application process or matchmaking requests are welcome and can be directed to the management team as well.

Contact Details - Seed Fund Management Team

Ilaria Carrara Cagni (SAG): ilaria.carrara_cagni@siemens.com

Andy Gilchrist (UoO): andy.gilchrist@mpls.ox.ac.uk

Isabel Wolf (TUB): isabel.wolf@tu-berlin.de