Mapping MIC2025 in Germany | BER NOFO FY19 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for BER NOFO FY19 002

The grant opportunity titled "Mapping MIC2025 in Germany" is a U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to Germany) cooperative agreement that funds a focused research-and-outreach project on Chinese investment activity in Germany, specifically as it relates to the Chinese industrial policy initiative Made in China 2025 (MIC2025). The program is framed around concerns that Chinese firms, often supported by the state, may be using acquisitions and other strategic investments to obtain advanced technologies and critical infrastructure in Germany and across Europe. The background rationale emphasizes that Germany has been one of the largest European destinations for Chinese foreign direct investment, including significant inflows in 2018 and a large cumulative total from 2000 to 2018. It also highlights research suggesting that a large share of Chinese mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Germany has concentrated in MIC2025 priority sectors such as electric and hybrid vehicles, robotics, electrical equipment, and biotechnology, with activity clustered in major industrial regions including Baden-Wuerttemberg, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Bavaria.

The project has two main components. The first is an in-depth analytical report designed to move beyond broad, macro-level FDI statistics and instead examine Chinese M&A in Germany at the deal and company level using a case-study approach. The implementer is expected to select three to five relevant acquisitions and trace each transaction from the early exploratory stage through the acquisition itself and the transition to Chinese ownership. The analysis is meant to examine how these deals were structured and executed, whether the acquiring companies had ties to the Chinese Communist Party, and whether they benefited from state-backed financial support such as subsidized loans. A core requirement is to assess what changes followed the ownership shift for the German firms involved, including operational decisions affecting physical facilities, staffing and human resources, supply chains, and the handling or movement of intellectual property. Because Chinese M&A at this scale is described as relatively recent in Germany, the program specifically calls for conclusions that are useful for policymakers, including insights into the potential economic competitiveness and security implications if similar acquisitions continue.

The second component is a structured outreach effort to ensure the findings reach decision-makers and the wider public. After completing the written product, the implementer must develop and carry out an outreach plan in coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. This dissemination strategy is expected to amplify the report through media engagement and social media, and may also include a public-facing event co-sponsored by the U.S. Embassy and its consulates in Germany. Outreach is not meant to stay limited to Berlin policy circles; it should include engagement with think tanks and academic institutions, as well as state- and city-level governments, industry and civil society organizations, and potentially the federal government. The solicitation also stresses that the report should be written for non-specialists, aiming to reach non-elite audiences who are not necessarily experts in China policy or investment policy. Consistent with that, the outreach phase is intended to target audiences outside Berlin as well, and applicants are expected to allocate enough funding in the project budget to support meaningful communications and engagement.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity using a cooperative agreement mechanism, categorized under Business and Commerce (CFDA 19.040). Eligible applicants include nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education as specified in the eligibility line) and individuals. The opportunity anticipated a single award with an award ceiling of $30,000. The notice was created on August 16, 2019, with an original closing date of August 31, 2019, indicating a relatively short application window for the competition. Overall, the grant is designed to produce a concrete, case-based assessment of how MIC2025-linked Chinese acquisitions operate in practice within Germany and to translate that research into public communication that informs German stakeholders and broader audiences about potential long-term competitiveness and security considerations.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Germany in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Mapping MIC2025 in Germany" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 16, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 31, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $30,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Individuals.

Apply for BER NOFO FY19 002

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