Call for Projects

Ongoing Call for Projects

We are pleased to announce that the first call for projects within our DIIC - Digital Integration and Innovation in Surgery - community is currently underway. This is the perfect opportunity for all community members to contribute their ideas and actively participate in the further development of our common goals through a funded community project. The current call for proposals offers the possibility of up to 2.5 years of project funding with a maximum funding amount of €1 million each. It is open to stakeholders from research, clinics, industry and associations in Germany. A community project dealing with the infrastructure of transfer laboratories has already been launched.

Transfer lab for research and translation

What are we looking for?

The community aims to effectively translate current research topics on perioperative support and solutions for the intelligent, connected operating room of the future into clinical practice. We are looking for innovative projects that contribute to the overarching goals of our community and address integration and innovation in surgery. Through the funding of the first community projects, we aim to establish relevant foundations for the community.

Thematic Focus Areas

Standardization (e.g. SDC) and regulatory framework conditions
Automation and workflow design
Clinical translation and integration
Networking and interoperability
Diversity, versatility and variance
Scalability and transferability
Human-machine interaction and interdisciplinarity
Medical added value and clinical benefit

Partners

Up to 4 partners

Funding Duration

Up to 2.5 years

Funding Amount

Up to €1 million

Funding Scope

Personnel, materials, and investments

Funding Details

DATI funding guideline

Kick-off Wokshop on May 9, 2025

At the kick-off workshop on May 9, 2025 the ideas and outline phase was specifically supported by discussing specific clinical problems and approaches to solving them and thus finding community partners.

Application process

Stage 1: Project outline

01.04.-15.07.2025

Eligible projects are decided by means of a two-stage selection process, comprising an outline phase and an application phase. First, a project outline must be submitted in PDF format. This must comply with the specifications of the template provided. The submission takes place via confTool. Access will be activated in mid-May. The project outlines submitted will first be reviewed by the management team for formal framework conditions and minimum content. The management team can make suggestions for adapting individual project content or for merging related projects. The project outlines are then actively evaluated by a jury of experts according to content quality criteria and by the community members by means of community voting. The applicants present their project outlines in the form of an online pitch.

Template for project outline

Stage 2: Project application

01.10.-30.11.2025

Selected project outlines worthy of funding will move on to the application phase. Details will be made available when the selection results are announced. The content of the project applications will be reviewed by the management team and formally by Project Management Jülich (PtJ) in order to assess the eligibility of the projects, which will ultimately be funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

DATI funding guidelines

Framework Conditions and Minimum Requirements

The guidelines provided in the template for project outlines must be followed. The planned financing and timeline must not exceed the above-mentioned key details. Smaller projects are, of course, possible and encouraged.

Additionally, the submitting person must be registered as a community member. Deadlines (see next section) must be adhered to. If the deadline is exceeded, the project can no longer be considered for the current selection round.

The project outlines must align with the objectives and strategy of the innovation community and address the topic of the call. Expertise for the successful implementation of the project must be present in the partner composition.

DIIC Criteria Catalog

Timeline & Deadlines

Submission deadline for stage 1: Project outline

15.07.2025

Online pitch of project outlines

Mid-September 2025

Decision about funded projects

30.09.2025

Submission deadline for stage 2: Full project application

30.11.2025

Project start (depending on progress of the project application)

By June 2025

Contact person

If you have any questions or queries, please contact the DIIC Secretariat at any time. You are also welcome to take a look at our FAQ section. In the further process, contact persons will be provided who will support the submission of outlines and the application.

diic-community@reutlingen-university.de

FAQ

The call is open to all stakeholders in research, clinical practice, industry and associations in Germany. At the time of submitting the project outline, the project leader must be a community member.

Yes, there is no minimum number of partners, funding duration or funding amount, only an upper funding limit.

Yes, as long as the overarching community goals are addressed. However, the fit with the main topics will be taken into account in the evaluation.

No, only R&D activities up to and including TRL 7 (Technology Readiness Level) are eligible for funding.

If the deadline is exceeded, the project idea will be excluded from the current selection process.

The management team examines the framework conditions and minimum content and put together a jury of experts and eligible voters from the community. The assessment takes place on the basis of a transparent catalog of criteria using quality criteria.

Part of the evaluation is a community vote. The project ideas are presented by means of a pitch, evaluated by the community members and ranked on this basis. One person per organization/working group is entitled to vote.

Universities of applied sciences, universities and university hospitals receive 100% + 20% project allowance. R&D institutions, associations, etc. in the non-business sector receive 90-100%. Companies receive 40-60% depending on their size and turnover. Alternatively, companies can apply for the research allowance as associated partners.

The primary contact is always the DIIC-Secretariat (diic-community@reutlingen-university.de). A contact person from the specialist departments will be assigned later.