Conflict of Interest Policy

The structure and organisation of the Prototype Fund means that it is particularly close to its community. The strong embedding of the funding programme in the NGO landscape and its many contacts in various free and open source communities are a strength of the Prototype Fund, but also lead to a number of risks. Funding measures must be fair and transparent, but close networks can cause situations in which people, organisations or topics are consciously or unconsciously favoured or disadvantaged.

The purpose of this document is to define clear guidelines for funding and collaboration with people and organisations close to the Prototype Fund. These include, in particular, the Open Knowledge Foundation Deutschland e. V. (OKF), jury members, project partners and service providers of the Prototype Fund.

In addition to this "Conflict of interest Policy", further guidelines apply, most notably the guidelines for the project selection by the jury and for the internal application review by the team.

1. Application

General information

The Prototype Fund is part of the OKF and its network with various FOSS communities is generally strong. This means that the team knows many people who are potentially interested in applying for funding from the Prototype Fund. In addition, alumni regularly apply for further funding rounds.

As a team, we recognise that this situation leads to applicants having different levels of knowledge about the Prototype Fund. In the context of applications, we ensure that all applicants are treated equally:

Eligibility

Funding of service providers of the Prototype Fund

Service providers of the Prototype Fund who perform regular content or tech related work (e.g. coaches, hosting service providers) can apply after a so-called "cooling-off period": A period of at least three months must have passed between the end of the collaboration with the Prototype Fund or with the Prototype Fund service provider and the application.

All other service providers of the Prototype Fund (e.g. keynote speakers) can apply directly after completion of their work with the Prototype Fund or with the service provider of the Prototype Fund.

Funding of former team members of the Prototype Fund

Employees of the Prototype Fund cannot apply for the Prototype Fund. Former employees of the Prototype Fund team in the OKF can apply after a so-called "cooling-off period": At least two years must have passed between the end of the employment contract and the application.

Funding of former OKF team members

Employees of the OKF cannot apply for the Prototype Fund. Former employees of the OKF can apply after a so-called "cooling-off period": At least three months must have passed between the end of the employment contract and the application if the person was employed by the OKF for up to one year, and at least six months if the person was employed by the OKF for more than one year.

Former team members of an OKF project cannot apply with an idea that is specifically designed for use in an OKF project.

Funding of OKF projects

OKF projects cannot be supported by the Prototype Fund. This applies both to projects that are carried out by the OKF in a professional capacity and to community projects that are officially part of the OKF (e.g. projects that mention the OKF in their imprint).

External projects that have worked with the OKF on a punctual basis (e.g. project partnership, joint application) can apply for funding from the Prototype Fund after a cooling-off period of 3 months.

2. Selection process and jury

The Prototype Fund projects are selected in a two-stage selection process. First, the Prototype Fund team at the OKF and the DLR Projetträger draw up a shortlist of eligible projects. In the second step, the projects on the shortlist are evaluated by an external jury and a funding proposal is drafted. The final approval for funding is given by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.

Internal selection process (shortlist)

If a member of the Prototype Fund team knows an applicant well on a personal level, they must inform the team and refrain from taking part in the decision as to whether the application is selected for the shortlist. This only applies to close personal relationships (e.g. friendships, former colleagues) - in case of doubt, the team discusses whether the team member should withdraw from the decision.

Jury

Partiality of the jury members

If a jury member of the Prototype Fund team knows an applicant well personally, they must inform the team and will not be involved in deciding whether the application becomes part of the funding proposal. This rule applies to close personal relationships (e.g. friendships, former colleagues) as well as other biases (e.g. involvement in the project or a competing project, partnerships, etc.) - in case of doubt, the team will discuss whether the jury member should withdraw from the decision.

Funding of jury members

Members of the Prototype Fund jury pool can apply for funding. If a Prototype Fund jury member applies for funding, he/she will not take part in the entire selection process for this round.

In the event of a successful application, the jury member will also not take part in any Prototype Fund selection procedures during the funding period.

Admission of former grantees to the jury

Former Prototype Fund grantees have in-depth expertise and valuable insights into the success factors of Prototype Fund projects and are an important asset to the jury.

Alumni of the Prototype Fund can be included in the jury pool.

Admission of Prototype Fund service providers to the jury

Active service providers of the Prototype Fund who perform regular content and tech related work (e.g. coaches) cannot be added to the jury pool.

They can be added to the jury pool after a so-called “cooling-off period”: At least three months must have passed between the end of the collaboration with the Prototype Fund service provider and inclusion in the jury pool.

If a regular content-related service is initiated between the Prototype Fund and a jury member, they are removed from the jury pool.

Prototype Fund jury members can give keynotes, seminars or accept other one-off or short-term assignments for the Prototype Fund.

3. Cooperation beyond project funding

Cooperation of the Prototype Fund with alumni

Collaborating with former grantees is a strength for the Prototype Fund in terms of knowledge transfer and networking. Former grantees can, for example, share valuable knowledge with later funding rounds in coaching or seminar formats.

Collaboration between the Prototype Fund and its alumni cannot be initiated during the funding period. Collaboration can begin after submission of the final report (at the latest one month after the end of funding).

In the event of a new application by the alumni, the collaboration will be terminated.

Collaboration of the OKF with alumni

Collaborating with different partners is beneficial for the sustainability of the funded projects and is welcomed during the funding period. In some cases, the OKF can be a suitable partner for projects and cooperation can be beneficial for both sides.

As the Prototype Fund does not fund OKF projects, however, this collaboration is not possible within the funding period beyond the regular services offered by the Prototype Fund. In concrete terms, for example, the joint writing and submission of applications, the inclusion of the OKF in the imprint of the project website, the employment of project participants at the OKF or the public communication of future collaboration during the funding period are excluded.

Once the final report has been submitted (at the latest one month after the end of the funding period), the collaboration can begin.