Call for Projects

Ongoing 2. Call for Projects

The submission deadline for the second round of calls for proposals within our DIIC – Digital Integration and Innovation in Surgery – Community ended on January 31, 2026. The highly successful first selection round resulted in four community projects, which will soon be available under Funded Projects. The first community project, “Transfer Laboratory for Research and Translation,” already started on April 1, 2025.

Funded Projects

What we were looking for?

The community aims to translate current research topics on perioperative support and solutions for the intelligent, networked operating room of the future into clinical practice in a targeted manner. To this end, we are looking for innovative projects that contribute to the overarching goals of our community and address integration and innovation in surgery. By funding the community projects in the second selection round, the community aims to close further gaps on the path to an open, networked operating room based on the existing foundations. To this end, the project ideas submitted must address at least two of the following key areas.

Thematic Focus Areas

Networking and interoperability of different devices in (specific) medical scenarios
Automation and design of workflows in the field of networked operating rooms
Collection, management, and use of data in the field of networked operating rooms
AI-based approaches in the field of networked operating rooms
Basic concepts for securing regulatory frameworks in the area of networking in the operating room
Issues and concepts of human-machine interaction with regard to networking in the operating room
Scalability and transferability of approaches to surgical networking
Clinical translation and clinical added value of approaches to surgical networking

Partners

No restriction

Funding Duration

Up to 2 years

Funding Amount

Up to €500 T.

Funding Scope

Personnel, orders, and investments

Funding Details

DATI funding guideline

DIIC – (Online) Pitch | Community-Rating

As part of the second round of calls for proposals, all DIIC members are invited to the (online) pitch and community rating of the submitted and approved project outlines on March 4, 2026, at Reutlingen University (hybrid).

Application process

Stage 1: Project outline

08.10.2025-31.01.2026

The decision on which projects are eligible for funding is made using a two-stage selection process comprising a draft proposal and an application phase. The initial submission takes the form of a project outline in PDF format. This must comply with the specifications of the template provided and be sent by email to diic-community@reutlingen-university.de by January 31, 2026, at the latest. The submitted project outlines will initially be reviewed by the management team for formal requirements and minimum content. The management team may make suggestions for adjusting individual project content or for combining related projects. The project outlines will then be evaluated by a jury of experts and by community members through community rating based on content quality criteria. Applicants will present their project outlines in the form of a pitch, which may also be presented online.

DIIC Template for Project Outline - 2. Call for Projects

Stage 2: Project application

01.04.2026-31.05.2026

Selected project outlines that are eligible for funding will proceed to the application phase. Details will be provided when the selection results are announced. The project applications will be reviewed in terms of content by the management team and in terms of form by Project Management Jülich (PtJ) in order to assess the eligibility of the projects, which will ultimately be funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).

DATI funding guidelines

Framework Conditions and Minimum Requirements

The specifications in the template provided for project outlines must be adhered to. The planned financing and schedule must not exceed the above-mentioned key data. Smaller projects are welcome, but the involvement of various partners from the community should be taken into account.

In addition, the project manager must be registered as a member of the DIIC community in order to submit the project outline, and all project partners must commit to the goals of the DIIC community (DIIC governance guidelines under membership). All project partners must be registered as community members by the time the project application is submitted at the latest. Deadlines must be strictly adhered to. If the deadline is exceeded, the project can no longer be considered for the current selection round.

The projects must be consistent with the objectives and strategy of the innovation community and the central theme of the call for proposals. The partners must have the technical expertise required to successfully implement the project. Please note that topics/work packages that address direct commercial exploitation (including validations directly aimed at product approval) are not eligible for funding. The list of criteria, consisting of formal framework conditions, minimum technical content, and quality criteria, is available for review.

DIIC Criteria Catalog - 2. Call for Projects

Timeline & Deadlines

Submission deadline for stage 1: Project outline

31.01.2026

(Online-) pitch & Community rating of project outlines

Beginning/Mid-March 2026

Decision about funded projects

31.03.2026

Submission deadline for stage 2: Full project application

31.05.2026

Project start (depending on progress of the project application)

Until December 2026

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.

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.

No, only R&D activities up to and including TRL 7 (Technology Readiness Level) are eligible for funding. Topics/work packages that are directly aimed at commercial exploitation (e.g., approval studies and certifications) are not eligible for funding.

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

The management team reviews the formal framework conditions and minimum content requirements. Subsequently, they 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.

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.

Part of the evaluation is a community rating. 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.

The primary contact is always the DIIC-Secretariat (diic-community@reutlingen-university.de).