1 Funding purpose, legal basis

1.1 Funding purpose

International cooperation in science and research is a central element in efforts to strengthen and improve Germany's position in the international arena. The Federal Government's High-Tech Strategy and the Strategy for the Internationalization of Science and Research provide the basic framework for these efforts. Strengthening long-term cooperation with developing countries in the areas of education, research and development is an important element of the Internationalization Strategy. The present announcement focuses on the initiation and development of strategic partnerships in the field of science and research between German organizations and institutions from the North African and Middle Eastern countries that are members of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), including Turkey¹.
In total, the UfM includes all 27 Member States of the European Union as well as 16 countries across the Balkans, Northern Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey . Measures are currently being carried out in the following six priority areas²:

• De-pollution of the Mediterranean Sea; 
• Establishment of maritime and land highways; 
• Civil protection initiatives to combat natural and man-made disasters; 
• Mediterranen solar energy plan; 
• Education and research; support of the Euro-Mediterranean University in Slovenia;
• Mediterranean Business Development Initiative focusing on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), including micro-enterprises.

The UfM is a suitable forum for Germany to contribute its science and research expertise in order to help to solve specific Euro-Mediterranean challenges. The UfM is also a good platform for tapping Euro-Mediterranean expertise in research and science for the benefit of German stakeholders. This announcement is also intended to contribute to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean research area. In view of the special importance of applied research in the priority areas of the UfM, and in order to contribute to the development of Euro-Mediterranean innovation systems, innovation-based collaborations are also eligible for funding.

In this call, financial resources are being made available to

• support the preparation of project proposals to be submitted under current funding programmes of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)
• support the preparation of projects to be submitted under European research and innovation programmes
• develop or expand innovation partnerships in the priority areas of the UfM.

The aim is to improve international cooperation between German research/science organizations and institutions from Northern Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey, and to contribute to the development of the UfM. In addition, Euro-Mediterranean science, research and innovation systems are to be developed, and synergies with the research policy dialogue with developing countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East are to be created.

1.2 Legal basis

Project grants will be awarded on the basis of private-law funding contracts in accordance with the present announcement, the BMBF's standard terms and conditions for grants on an expenditure or cost basis and the administrative regulations under sections 23 and 44 of the Federal Budget Code (BHO). There is no legal entitlement to funding. The funding provider will make a decision after due assessment of the circumstances and within the framework of the budget funds available.

2 Object of funding

2a: BMBF funding programmes

One of the aims of the BMBF programme on "International Cooperation in Science and Research - Union for the Mediterranean" is to support the groundwork for projects, primarily in the area of applied research and development, that are to be submitted under the current funding programmes of the BMBF (http://www.bmbf.de/index.php). To be eligible for funding, projects must include partners from the UfM countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey. This must be ascertained in connection with each call. The calls in the different thematic areas can be accessed via the following links:

• New technologies (http://www.bmbf.de/en/1000.php)
• Life sciences (http://www.bmbf.de/en/1237.php)
• Basic research (http://www.bmbf.de/en/98.php)
• Energy (http://www.bmbf.de/de/12337.php)
• The environment and sustainability (www.bmbf.de/en/502.php)
• Social sciences and the humanities (http://www.bmbf.de/en/4630.php)

2b: EU research and innovation programmes

German organizations that work together with institutions from the UfM countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey, can also receive support for the preparation of applied research projects within the thematic priorities of the "Cooperation" programme of the European Union's 7th Research Framework Programme, provided that there is a regional focus on the Mediterranean region. The 7th EU Research Framework Programme includes the following areas:

• Health (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/health/home_en.html) 
• Food, agriculture, fisheries and biotechnology (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/kbbe/home_en.html) 
• Information and communication technologies (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ict/) 
• Nanosciences, nanotechnologies, materials and new production technologies (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/nanotechnology_en.html) 
• Energy (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/energy/home_en.html)
• Environment (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/environment/home_en.html) 
• Transport (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/transport/home_en.html) 
• Socio-economic sciences and the humanities (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/ssh/home_en.html) 
• Space (only space-based applications serving European society - developing satellite observation systems and the GMES services for the management of the environment, security, agriculture, forestry and meteorology, civil protection and risk management) (http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/cooperation/space_en.html)

In view of the fact that some UfM countries that are not in the EU take part in the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme (CIP), support is given for the preparation of projects to be submitted under this and other relevant innovation programmes, provided that they include partners from UfM countries in Northern Africa and the Middle East, including Turkey. See section six for information on non-EU countries that participate in the CIP. The main pillars of the CIP are:

• The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (EIP) 
• The Information Communication Technologies Policy Support Programme (ICT-PSP) 
• The Intelligent Energy Europe Programme (IEE)