Apply for funding for research and development projects as well as measures for technology and knowledge transfer in the field of organic farming

Universities, non-university research institutions or companies can receive grants from the federal government if they want to carry out research and development projects and measures for technology and knowledge transfer in the organic agriculture and food sector.

With the Federal Organic Farming Scheme (BÖL), you can apply for federalfunding for your research and development projects . The program supports projects that pursue the expansion of organic agriculture and food production. The projects are characterized by

• The further development of organic production systems along the entire value chain,
• the reduction of obstacles to the conversion to organic farming and
• the further development of concepts for the design of framework conditions along the value chain.

You are eligible to apply as:

• university
• Non-university research and development institution
• Companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)

The prerequisite is that you are based in Germany.

You will receive funding in the form of grants for project-related expenditure and costs. You do not have to repay these grants. As a rule, the project you apply for should last up to 36 months.

The funding provides project-related grants for

• Personnel resources
• material resources
• travel expenses
• Instruments and equipment
• Contracts with third parties

The amount of your project funding depends on your project-related costs and can be up to 100% if you are a university or a non-university research institution.

If you are a company, your projects can be funded with

• up to 50 % for industrial research
• up to 25 % for experimental development
• up to 100 % for basic research

You can find out about current announcements on the funding of research and development projects in the Federal Gazette, in which the BÖL publishes corresponding announcements.

• The funding procedure consists of 2 stages.
• In the first stage, you submit a project outline. This must contain
  • the form created via Easy-Online and a brief description
  • Project description
  • financial plan
  • SME declaration and research data management plan, if applicable
• In the second stage, you submit the complete application with all the necessary documents.

• Your institution must be located in Germany at the time the grant is paid out.
• If your research institution receives basic funding from the federal or state governments, project funding is only possible under certain conditions for additional project-related costs.
• State aid will not be granted if there is a reason for exclusion, in particular if your company is considered to be a "company in difficulty". A company is considered to be"in difficulty" for the purposes of state aid law if it will almost certainly be forced to cease its business activities in the short or medium term without state intervention or state support. This is the case, for example, if your company is threatened with insolvency or if its own funds have been reduced by more than half due to accumulated losses.
• Your application outline is written in German.

• Appeal within one month of notification of the decision

You can apply for funding for research and development projects including knowledge transfer through a two-stage process. This consists of an outline phase and an application phase.

Outline phase

To prepare and submit project outlines, use the federal government's electronic form system for applications, proposals and outlines "easy-Online".

Forms for guidelines, information sheets, instructions and ancillary provisions can be downloaded from the BLE's form cabinet.

In the first stage of the procedure, you submit the outlines online via "easy-Online".

The project outlines you submit will be checked and evaluated according to the following criteria:

• Reference to the objectives of the funding guideline and contribution to the further development of the organic agriculture and food sector
• Relevance to the current announcement
• Relevance and innovation potential for science and practice
• Scientific and methodological quality (current state of knowledge, project objectives, work planning)
• Expertise of the project team and integration of relevant competencies
• Quality and efficiency of the planned methods for knowledge transfer
• Quality and efficiency of the planned utilization of the project results
• Prospects of success for the stated project objectives
• Coherence of the measures and work steps in the research data management plan
• Appropriate financial, time and personnel planning of resources and compliance with formal requirements

The BMEL and the project management organization reserve the right to consult independent experts when evaluating the project outlines you submit, while ensuring the protection of interests and confidentiality. Their vote will serve as a basis for the BMEL's decision.
There is no legal entitlement to the return of a submitted project outline and any other documents submitted as part of this stage of the procedure.

Application phase

The project management organization will inform you of the result.

If the assessment is positive, you will be asked to submit a formal funding application in the second stage of the procedure, on which a decision will be made after a final review.

The deadline for submitting your outline depends on the respective announcement.

There are no costs.

There are no indications or special features.