History International Activities
2019
The network IraSME achieves another extension with Turkey and the funding agency Tubitak, representing research funding for joint projects with all network members.
2018
Within the framework of the “Americas Competitive Exchange” visit in Berlin, the partner country Argentina joins the family of bilateral agreements under ZIM and starts a call immediately.
2017
The network IraSME achieves another extension with Luxembourg and the funding agency Luxinnovation, representing research funding for joint projects with all network members.
With Japan, Taiwan and Sweden the ZIM programme achieves further bilateral agreements on the basis of negotiations managed by AiF Projekt GmbH. The first calls are implemented right away and are ongoing until today.
2016
After a long term relation on a provincial level, Canada’s national research council (NRC) decides to join ZIM on a bilateral level connecting the funding programme IRAP for nation wide project consortia.
With a joint declaration Brazil and Germany decide to intensify their innovation activities and connect the ZIM with existing funding programmes to enable joint project consortia.
2015
The network EraSME is renamed IraSME (International research activities by SME), a network of ministries and funding agencies which manage programmes to support transnational cooperative research projects between small and medium-sized enterprises. AiF Projekt GmbH continues coordinating the network. With the IraSME Partnering Event, several success stories and other network partners, the AiF Projekt GmbH creates a new „International Area“ at the Innovation Day 2015. New bilateral cooperation with Nord-pas de Calais (France) are highlighted at the event. Connected to the exhibition, special guided tours for embassy members are offered in order to explain the cooperation opportunities in ZIM and the transnational activities.
With France and the province of Catalonia (Spain) the ZIM programme achieves further bilateral agreements on the basis of negotiations managed by AiF Projekt GmbH. The first calls are implemented right away and are ongoing until today.
On the basis of ZIM the AiF Projekt GmbH manages the participation in the Era Net LAC.
2014
With the Republic of Korea the ZIM programme achieves further bilateral agreements on the basis of negotiations managed by AiF Projekt GmbH. The first calls are implemented right away and are ongoing until today.
On the basis of ZIM the AiF Projekt GmbH manages the participation in the Era Net Rus+.
2013
With Finland, Vietnam and the province of Alberta (Canada) the ZIM programme achieves its first bilateral agreements and the basis of negotiations managed by AiF Projekt GmbH. The first calls are implemented right away and are ongoing until today.
The network EraSME achieves its first extension with Russia and the funding agency FASIE, representing research funding for joint projects with all network members.
2012
The network EraSME organises its first partnering event at the annual Innovation Day of BMWi in Berlin together with all network partners, including a matchmaking session and elevator pitch sessions.
2011
After the EU stopped funding the ERA-Net Initiative, AiF Projekt GmbH assumes the coordination of the EraSME network (now called IraSME) with the partners Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic and Germany.
2010
Start of a series of bilateral calls for transnational R&D project with thefirst German-Israeli call for proposals were followed by additional bilateral agreements with Israel. In Germany, the cooperation projects are funded through ZIM (Central Innovation Programme for SMEs) and overseen by AiF Projekt GmbH.
1996 – 2008
First steps in creating a network of coordination offices which help initiate and accompany transnational R&D collaborations. The AiF branch office in Berlin sets up contact points in Central and Eastern European countries.
What later became known as the Network of International Cooperation in Technology (intec.net) was comprised of 17 coordination offices in 15 Central and Eastern European countries, India, and China. The network oversaw about 150 R&D cooperation projects between German and foreign SMEs and research institutions every year.
Since 1996, intec.net has organised 175 cooperation events with more than 18,000 participants. About 1,500 professionally set up cooperation talks were organised at networking events.
In Germany, the coordination offices presented their services at annual fora for international technology collaborations, at INTEC events, and at Innovation Days in Berlin.
Since 2001, the contact points have compiled more than 300 reports on the topic of innovation processes in their host countries.
The Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Technology (BMWi) provided funding for intec.net until the end of 2008.
1995
Launch of AiF’s international networking service for transnational R&D collaborations.