Order R&D Project Support Call

TÜBİTAK has announced a call for proposals titled "SME Support Call for Order-Based R&D Projects" (call code: Order R&D – 2020) to enable SMEs to transform solution proposals for the technological needs of customer organizations into commercially viable outputs through R&D. This call will support R&D projects where the project output will be commercialized by the Customer Organization; R&D activities are carried out by one or more Supplier Organizations; the Customer Organization contributes to the R&D costs of the Supplier Organization(s); and projects that can quickly be transformed into a product and have high commercialization potential. There are no subject or sector restrictions in this call; R&D projects with high commercialization potential from all sectors and technology fields can be supported. Market research and technical feasibility studies must also be submitted with project proposals. In supported projects, the expenses of the Supplier Organization(s) will be jointly covered by both TÜBİTAK and the Customer Organization. There is no limit on the number of applications.

Introductory presentation: http://www.usimp.org.tr/uploads/Calistay/pdf/siparis_arge_sunum_200430.pdf

Application period: June 15 – August 31, 2020 (17:00)

The deadline for pre-registration is Monday, August 17, 2020 (5:00 PM).

Announcement: https://www.tubitak.gov.tr/tr/duyuru/siparise-dayali-ar-ge-projeleri-icin-kobi-destekleme-cagrisi-siparis-ar-ge-2020-acildi

Online application system: https://eteydeb.tubitak.gov.tr/

Definitions

Who can apply?

• Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or large-scale customer organizations and SME-sized supplier organizations will submit a joint application. The customer organization will be the point of contact during the application and support phases.
  • Multiple Supplier Organizations can be project partners, provided that each of them is an SME (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise). A project cannot have more than one Customer Organization.
  • The client organization can apply for different projects with different SMEs.
  • The client organization can apply for different projects with the same SME.
  • A supplier organization may participate in more than one project.
  • According to the provisions of the Corporate Tax Law No. 5520 and related legislation, organizations that fall under the category of "Related Party" cannot participate in the same project as both a Customer Organization and a Supplier Organization.
    • To be eligible for a project application, there must be no partnership relationship between the Client Organization and the Supplier Organization.
    • If a natural person or a legal entity is a partner in both the Customer Organization and the Supplier Organization, those two companies cannot participate in the same project as both the Customer Organization and the Supplier Organization.

Provisions regarding cooperation between the Customer Organization and the Supplier Organization:

• The Customer Organization and the Supplier Organization sign a Cooperation Agreement.
• The submitted projects must have at least one Project Personnel with a relevant bachelor's degree in both the Client Organization and the Supplier Organization.
• Applications are not accepted for projects where the Supplier Organization manufactures an identical product to one that the Customer Organization currently produces or has previously produced. The Customer Organization must submit a commitment letter regarding this during the Pre-Registration phase of the project application.
• The Supplier Organization is expected to conduct the R&D activities within the scope of the project. If the Customer Organization participates, even partially, in the R&D activities, these activities may be shown in the project; however, the expenses of the Customer Organization related to these activities will not be supported.
• Projects whose R&D activities were completed before the project application will not be supported.
• If the collaborative project fails, the support will not be requested back.
• These collaborations include:;
  • This will allow organizations with relatively more experience in project management to transfer their expertise to SMEs.
  • In this way, large companies will be able to redirect projects that they struggle with due to corporate inertia to SMEs that can move faster.
  • It is also thought that the call will encourage the creation of secondary (spin-off) companies.

Supporting:

• Indicative Budget: 30 million TL
• Project Budget Upper Limit: 2.5 million TL
• Support rate: It is essential that the expenses of the Supplier Organization are covered jointly by TÜBİTAK, the Customer Organization, and the Supplier Organization itself.
  • Müşteri Kuruluş izleme aşamasında dönem raporunda beyan edilen giderin %40’ını Tedarikçi Kuruluşa öder. TÜBİTAK giderleri değerlendirir ve belirleyeceği “kabul edilen harcama tutarının” %40’ını Tedarikçi Kuruluşa hibe destek olarak verir. Kalan kısmı Tedarikçi Kuruluş kendisi karşılamış olur.
    • TÜBİTAK: %40
    • Müşteri Kuruluş: %40
    • Tedarikçi Kuruluş: %20
  • No advance payments are required under this call.
• Supported expenditure items: Only the following expenses of the Supplier Organization related to the Product/Process Development Phase of the project are supported. Expenses related to the Commercialization Phase are not supported.
  • Personnel expenses
  • Expenses for purchasing tools, equipment, software, and publications.
  • Material and consumable expenses
  • Travel Expenses
  • Consulting fees
    • Consulting fees paid by project partners to each other are not eligible for support.
    • According to the Corporate Tax Law No. 5520 and related legislation, consultancy expenses received from entities considered related parties to a Customer or Supplier Organization are not supported.
  • Service procurement expenses
    • Expenses for services received from each other by project partners are not supported.
    • According to the Corporate Tax Law No. 5520 and related legislation, service expenses received from entities considered related parties to a Customer or Supplier Organization are not supported.

Support period:

* The product/process development phase lasts a maximum of 24 months. This period will not be exceeded even if the support period is extended.

**The initial default commercialization period for all projects that receive support is 24 months.**.

Evaluation criteria:

• The industrial R&D content, technology level, and innovative aspects of the project.
• Project plan and suitability of the organization's infrastructure.
• The potential for project outputs to be transformed into economic benefit and national gain.

For more information and questions:

Oguz Ozbay

Directorate of Technology and Innovation Support Programs (TEYDEB)

Tel: (312) 298 94 59

email: oguz.ozbay@tubitak.gov.tr