The G-BA Innovation Committee published funding priorities in Germany

In late June 2020, the Innovation Committee at the Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) published funding priorities on its website. For the first time, the decision on the funding priorities was preceded by a consultation process. Healthcare stakeholders who are not members of the Innovation Committee were asked to come up with suggestions for funding topics and criteria.

The following funding priorities were defined:

• Further development of care structures and care processes
• Care models for regions with special structural requirements
• Integration and networking of rehabilitative measures to increase the treatment success within the framework of statutory health insurance services
• Care models for patient pathways
• Data-based care models in outpatient care for people with chronic diseases.

The funding process will be conducted in two stages. First, applicants will submit the sketch of an idea, presenting the main content of the planned project on a maximum of 12 pages. The Innovation Committee then will decide which ideas sketches will be funded for concept development and the preparation of a qualified application (full application). The preparation of a complete application can be supported for a period of up to six months with a grant of up to a maximum of €75,000.

The deadline for submitting ideas is August 25, 2020, at noon. Applications can only be submitted in electronic form via the Internet portal of the project sponsor responsible for handling the funding measures, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR).

The Innovation Committee is expected to decide on whether to prepare a full proposal in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The subsequent implementation phase of the funding process includes the actual provision and implementation of the projects selected by the Innovation Committee during a regular funding period of three years. As a rule, no more than 20 project plans are selected from the submitted full applications, which are financed with the annual funding available. The submission of a complete application requires the prior successful selection of the idea sketch by the Innovation Committee, direct submission of a full application is not possible.

Further announcements by the Innovation Committee are planned for the fourth quarter of 2020. In addition to the area of health services research, this may include a funding announcement for the evaluation and further development of guidelines of the G-BA as well as a funding announcement for the development or further development of selected medical guidelines for which there is a particular need.

Full details in German can be found here.

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