Profile

As one of the leading project management organizations in Germany, we work hand in hand with public authorities in the topics of science, industry, and policy-making. With our expertise in research and innovation management, we support our clients in the German federal and state governments, federal institutions and foundations as well as the European Commission in achieving their funding policy objectives. On behalf of our clients, we implement research and innovation funding programmes that have been tailored to meet their specific requirements and address socio-political needs. We integrate national and European funding measures with the aim of enhancing Germany’s competitiveness as a prime location for research and innovation in a common European Research Area.

Founded as a project management agency in 1974 to implement the German federal government’s first energy research programme, today we boast a wide range of topics with nearly 50 years of experience and more than 1,500 employees. With our portfolio, we cover the entire chain of innovation – from basic research right up to market entry. Above and beyond this, we play our part in helping to establish innovations in society. We aim to refine funding instruments in order to accelerate the innovation process. By coupling science with industry at the regional level, we seek to exploit local innovation potential.

As a largely independent organization, we are affiliated with Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH. In addition to our headquarters in Jülich, we have three more offices in Berlin, Rostock, and Bonn.

Within programmes supporting research and innovation, we allocated some € 2,673.56 million of funding during the 2022 financial year on behalf of our clients. Of this, € 1,235.80 million went to the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, € 842.80 million to the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection, € 194.74 million to the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport, € 305.06 million to the federal states and € 95.16 million to other federal authorities. We were also pleased about 36,496 ongoing projects and 14,577 newly approved projects.

Head of PtJ: Dr. Stephanie Bauer

After studying mineralogy at the Technical University of Munich, Dr. Stephanie Bauer earned her doctoral degree at the University of Cologne and Forschungszentrum Jülich. During this time, she also completed a distance learning course in economics at the FernUniversität in Hagen. Following a stint at Volkswagen AG in Wolfsburg, she took up a post at the then Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi) in 1999. There she worked as a policy officer in several areas including the economic policy department, the Permanent Representation of the Federal Republic of Germany to the OECD in Paris, and the energy department. In January 2003, Bauer made the switch to the Federal Chancellery, where she first worked as a policy officer in the division for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), the craft sector, competition policy, and commercial law, and from May 2005 as deputy head of the cabinet and parliament division. In January 2010, she took over as managing director of the parliamentary subgroup for SMEs within the CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group in the German Bundestag (PKM). In July 2012, she became managing director of the Federal Association of Liberal Professions (BFB). She then took over as head of PtJ in November 2018.

„PtJ is defined by its enormously broad spectrum of expertise and first-rate administrative excellence, paired with its excellent team spirit and high degree of flexibility. PtJ not only acts as a highly competent service provider for its clients, it also provides optimal advice and support at every step of the innovation process.“

Heads of business areas

Head of business area “Research and Society NRW”: Daniela Wirtz

After studying economic geography at RWTH Aachen University, Daniela Wirtz initially worked for a consultancy firm carrying out regional economics and transport geography analyses, and was also involved in funding consultancy and funding management. In 2009, she moved to TÜV Rheinland Consulting GmbH, where she worked until November 2021 in various positions. As a scientific employee, she first worked in project management for the Federal Government’s third transport research programme, and in 2014 she took on the role of project management team lead for land-based transport technologies. As head of the research management department from 2016, she had responsibility for project management for the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport (BMVi), and the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) in the areas of mobility and transport. In December 2021, Wirtz took over as head of the business area “Research and Society NRW” at PtJ.

„Promoting future-oriented topics in a holistic manner is the key driving force at PtJ. To do so, we combine research and innovation funding at regional, national, and EU level. This allows us to make a significant contribution to the sustainable and digital transformation of the economy for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.“

Head of business area “Energy and Climate”:
Dr. Dirk Bessau

Economist Dr. Dirk Bessau brings with him many years of experience in the energy industry and various management positions. In addition to posts as head of corporate communications and a member of the management team at public utility Stadtwerke Flensburg, managing director of the German Wind Energy Association (BWE), and managing director of GASPOOL GmbH, from 2014 to 2020 he served as head of the Berlin office of InnoEnergy GmbH, a large European early-stage investor and innovation funder in the energy sector operating as a public–private partnership. Bessau has been head of the business area “Energy and Climate” since April 2020.

„To meet national and international energy and climate goals, PtJ develops successful concepts for research and innovation funding. It is a well-known player in this area, with a long history and a solid reputation. I am delighted to be a part of its further strategic development.“

Head of business area “Sustainable Development and Innovation”: Michael Weber

Michael Weber came to PtJ in 2005. Following stints as a scientific employee and head of division, he served as head of Sustainabilty (UMW) from 2017 to 2020. He studied biology, environmental sciences, and environmental management. His subsequent professional roles included scientific assistant at the Berlin House of Representatives, the University of Halle, and the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG). He brings with him extensive expertise in the fields of sustainability and project funding. Weber took over as head of the business area “Sustainable Development and Innovation” in April 2020.

„I find it fascinating to work at the interface between research and society and to play a part in ensuring that the funding deployed generates real benefits. Knowledge and technology transfer are fundamental to achieving sustainability goals. PtJ supports its clients in bringing about effective funding.“

Organization Chart

PtJ is certified according to DIN EN ISO 9001: 2015 and ISO 27001 based on IT-Grundschutz