The TUBAF Innovation Fund (TIF) is a flexible innovation fund of the
TU Bergakademie Freiberg. It enables scientists to validate the economic usability of their research results as part of their own research project and to concretise potential applications.
- Total duration: 1 January 2022 to 31 December 2025
- Planned total volume: €1.6 million (funded by the SMWA)
TUBAF Innovation Fund at a glance
Advantages of funding
- Timely project start
- Flexible validation topics
- Varied use of funds (personnel and material costs, external services)
- Involvement of the SAXEED start-up network and the TUBAF Central Transfer Centre
What is funded?
- Projects for validation for commercial utilisation
- Promising research results (TRL 4-5) with proof of function and clear application relevance
- Research projects with a history at TUBAF
- Aim within the maximum 10-month funding period: Scaling to TRL 6-7
- Strategic orientation: Transfer or licensing of the results to existing companies or spin-off of a start-up
How is funding provided?
Validation projects
- max. funding amount of € 90,000 (incl. 5% of the budget for programme management)
- Grant of 90%
- Submission deadline: 31.01.2025
- Project start on 15.02. / 01.03.2025 and project end on 31 December 2025
- Application with a focus on the commercial exploitation of research results
- The validation projects are selected by an internal evaluation jury
Flex projects
- max. 10,000 € funding amount (incl. 5% of the budget for programme management)
- Grant of 90%
- Continuous submission possible
- Project start possible at any time
- Application for supporting services in existing application-oriented research projects
- Flex projects are selected by an internal evaluation jury
Submit an application for funding
If you are interested in sponsorship, please contact Juliane [dot] Grahl [at] zuv [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de.
Contact us
Juliane Grahl
Central Transfer Office
Prorectorate Research, International Affairs and Transfer
Prüferstraße 1A, 09599 Freiberg
Rooms 2-3-6
+49 3731 39-2835
Juliane [dot] Grahl [at] zuv [dot] tu-freiberg [dot] de
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Overview of previous validation and flex projects
| Title | Responsibility | Topic | Type of funding | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FerrOX | Prof. Kureti (Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Chair of Reaction Engineering) | Further development of an iron oxide-based catalyst that can be used for the production of nitric acid and fertilisers | Validation project | 01/2025- 12/2025 |
| TNV | Prof. Wolf (Foundry Institute) | Validation of a process for the conversion of gas-fired thermal post-combustion to climate-neutral electrically inductive hot gas heating | Validation project | 01/2025- 12/2025 |
| LUWAS | Prof. Zeidler (Institute of Machine Elements, Design and Manufacturing) | Further development of a device concept for the production of drinking water by condensation from the air, in the implementation of which additive manufacturing technologies and parameterised designs are used | Validation project | 01/2025- 12/2025 |
| qPos | Prof. Sobczyk (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) | Extension of an inertial navigation system that measures the current position and orientation of any body independent of the global navigation satellite system in challenging environments | Validation project | 11/2024- 10/2025 |
| Carri-on | Prof. Zug (Institute of Computer Science) Jun.Prof. Lau (Institute of Mineralogy) | Further development of autonomously operating swimming robots for surveying with integration of an automatic water sampler for variable depths | Validation project | 09/2024- 08/2025 |
| GaN | Dr. Pätzold (Institute of Non-Ferrous Metallurgy and High-Purity Materials) | Qualification of a process for the production of an innovative GaN coating system with a porous separation layer on a sapphire substrate | Validation project | 07/2023- 06/2025 |
| K-Simulator | Prof. Benndorf (Institut für Markscheidewesen und Geodäsie) | Development of a body-realistic simulator for the training of voluntary, public and in-house rescue services | Validation project | 06/2024- 05/2025 |
| Filtrea | Prof. Szucki (Foundry Institute) | Validation of a methodology for the removal of iron from secondary aluminium alloys and transfer to an industrial application | Validation project | 07/2024- 05/2025 |
| Si-P-Ink | Prof. Kroke (Institute of Inorganic Chemistry) | Testing of a screen printing process for the application of a phosphorus-containing silicon ink on silicon wafers | Validation project | 10/2023- 12/2024 |
| KeroFit | Prof. Kureti (Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Chair of Reaction Engineering) | Transfer of iron catalysts for CO2-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis to industrial application | Validation project | 12/2023- 12/2024 |
| UHT | Prof. Wolf (Foundry Institute) | Application of melting furnaces for the heat treatment of steel and aluminium with the aim of decarbonising industrial processes | Validation project | 01/2024- 12/2024 |
| AnNa | Prof. Sopp (Prof. for Entrepreneurship and Business Taxation) | Further development of electronic solutions with regard to technical and content requirements for sustainability reporting | FLEX project | 07/2024- 12/2024 |
| VoOel | Prof. Vogt (Institute of Analytical Chemistry) | Development of an analytical method to identify and concentrate selected flavourings | Flex project | 02/2024- 10/2024 |
| BioDis | Prof. Schlömann (Institute of Biosciences) | Further development of a process for the recovery of electronic components and value elements from used printed circuit boards | Validation project | 01/2023- 05/2024 |
| DuCem Smart | Prof. Sobczyk (Institute of Mechanical Engineering) | Development of a professional market and competition analysis for an innovative coating system in interior design | Flex project | 09/2023- 01/2024 |
| Subµ | Prof. Schwarze (Professorship of Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Machinery) | Testing the utilisation possibilities of a production route for the production of monodisperse ultrafine particles | FLEX project | 09/2023- 12/2023 |
| AfterWax | Dr. Herdegen (Institute of Therm. Verfahrenstechnik, Umwelt- und Naturstoffverfahrenstechnik) | Development of a sustainable and novel wax source using the example of high-quality combustibles | Validation project | 09/2022- 10/2023 |
| Bio-Meth | Prof. Gräbner (Institute of Energy Process Engineering and Chemical Engineering) | Development of a market study for the realisation of a catalytic biogas methanation plant | FLEX project | 05/2023- 10/2023 |
| KIRA | Prof. Spitzer (Institute of Geophysics and Geoinformatics) | Development of an intelligent automation solution for optimised data analysis in explosive ordnance clearance | Validation project | 01/2022- 09/2023 |
| DuCem Next | Prof. Bier (Institute for Ceramics, Refractories and Composites) | Construction of a production line for a cement-based thin coating for interior fittings | FLEX project | 06/2022- 08/2023 |
| DeComDa | Prof. Mischo (Institute of Mining and Specialised Civil Engineering) | Further development of a prototype for decentralised communication in mines into a marketable product | Validation project | 09/2022- 04/2023 |