The DBU updated its funding guidelines at the beginning of the year. The foundation will remain the primary supporter for exemplary, innovative ideas for environmental relief developed by SMEs, research institutions, colleges and universities, associations, educational institutions and NGOs, but will now be placing a greater emphasis on the interdisciplinary topic of digitisation.
“It is of paramount importance that we continue to work together to advance the topics of digitisation and environmental protection,” said DBU General Secretary Alexander Bonde. Moreover, he emphasized: “We are open to all innovations and model projects that involve ways to help protect the environment. The energy revolution, resource efficiency, construction, recycling, nutrition, agriculture, sustainability impacts, environmental education, nature and water conservation: the diversity of environmentally relevant ideas at SMEs in particular is incredibly vast. German SMEs are mostly highly specialised, innovative companies. This group plays a decisive role when it comes to the health of Germany’s economy, and in terms of sustainable development in particular.” For this reason, the funding guidelines are more of a framework that outlines the areas that the DBU wants to highlight in particular without necessarily excluding others. In the new guidelines, environmental education has also been given greater attention. This, in turn, is intended to empower children and young people to use environmental protection as a compass throughout their lives to help them navigate an increasingly complex world.
The DBU’s aim is to help find solutions to current environmental problems that are, for the most part, the result of a lack of sustainability in our economy, our lifestyles and our society. The DBU considers climate change, loss of biodiversity, waste of resources and harmful emissions to be the main challenges we currently face. For this reason, the projects funded by the DBU draw on the latest scientific findings on the planetary boundaries as well as the Sustainable Development Goals set out by the UN. In the view of the DBU, the only way to tackle complex environmental problems is through interdisciplinary, systemic approaches that also incorporate societal practice. This is where the DBU wants to focus its funding efforts.
You can download the funding guidelines (in German) at: https://www.dbu.de/foerderleitlinien
