Turning ideas into reality - Civic Innovation Platform

Our new funding programme, ‘Civic innovation – funding AI projects for the common good’, is dedicated to helping develop and use practical AI that benefits the common good, thus creating concrete solutions for the challenges associated with social coexistence and the world of work.

The funding guidelinesare available here.

At a glance

1. Objective of the funding guidelines: The aim of our CIP funding programme is to encourage and support interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary work in AI projects which are dedicated to charitable causes and the common good and focus on labour and social policies, thus promoting human-centred use of AI and the distribution and perception of AI in society and its use for the common good.

2. Clear project focus: The funding criteria include a clearly recognisable benefit for the common good, the use of AI technology and an unambiguous reference to topics of focus at the German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (BMAS). Projects dedicated to improving one of the areas below, in particular, are eligible for funding:

• Health and safety at work
• Work culture
• Labour market
• Work organisation
• Making AI use transparent and comprehensible
• Social partnership and worker participation
• Further training

3. Interdisciplinary and/or cross-sector project groups: Only interdisciplinary and/or cross-sector project groups receive funding. According to the guidelines, interdisciplinary and/or cross-sector refers to projects whose partners represent different areas of society and therefore contribute different perspectives for implementation. Please see Number 4, ‘Funding recipients’, and Number 5, ‘Special funding requirements’, in the guidelines.

4. Amount of funding: A joint project can apply for up to €500,000 in federal funds.

5. Duration of funding: The funding guidelines are applicable until the end of 2024.

6. Idea contest vs. funding guidelines: Whilst the idea contest supports further development of ideas into a feasible concept for AI that provides benefits for the common good, the objective of the funding guidelines is to fund AI projects. In this sense, the project funding logically builds on the idea contest, without requiring previous participation in the idea contest.

The path to project funding – step by step

1. Viewing information

Details and information about the CIP funding guidelines and the expression of interest procedure as well as the corresponding forms and documents are available on the following pages:

• gsub website
• Funding guidelines, ‘Civic innovation – funding AI projects for the common good’
• Instructions for submitting an expression of interest for a project in accordance with the funding guidelines, ‘Civic innovation – funding AI projects for the common good’, through the Civic Innovation Platform project

2. Submission of the expression of interest

gsub must receive expressions of interest with a legally binding signature both electronically by email in the form of a scan and by post in the form of the signed original by 20 June 2023. Please observe the submission deadline! Only those expressions of interest which have been submitted on time will be considered. The expression of interest form provided must be completed in full and lists further points that need to be observed.

3. Selection of the submitted expressions of interest

Projects will be selected using a two-phase process. The expression of interest serves as a basis for the decision about the project’s eligibility for funding. Applicants who are not selected will be informed in writing. Project groups which receive a positive assessment will be asked to submit an application. Please see Number 8, ‘Application process’, in the CIP funding guidelines.