Funding opportunities

The German Research Foundation (DFG) funds research projects in all scientific fields. It offers a wide range of different programmes for this purpose:

• Individual Research Grant: project funding for up to three years
• Temporary Positions for PIs: funding of your own position within an individual research grant
• Walter Benjamin Programmme: project funding in the early career phase for up to two years
• Scientific Networks: opportunity for researchers at all career stages to engage in multi-year scientific exchange and cooperation across locations
• Emmy Noether Programme: independent junior research group for a period of six years
• Heisenberg Programme: for preparing for a future senior academic role or permanent professorship 
• Reinhart Koselleck Projects: funding of high-risk projects
• Coordinated Programmes: Collaborative Research Centers, Research Units, Research Training Groups
• Priority Programmes: thematically pre-defined individual projects that cooperate

We have compiled information on how to apply at DFG. Especially if you want to apply for a coordinated programme or your own position, please remember to involve Research Support early on in the application process.

The Federal Ministries, especially the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), support innovative research projects and ideas with targeted funding programmes on specific topics. The aim of research funding is to finance the development of new ideas and technologies. Information on current announcements of funding priorities and calls for proposals is provided by the Federal Funding Advisory Service. Research Support also provides guidance on submitting applications to the federal government.

The European Commission provides funding for different European policy areas such as research, education, social issues, culture, or structural development. We provide an overview of EU funding here.

Horizon Europe, the European Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, offers numerous opportunities for funding research projects. Calls are published in the Funding and Tenders Portal. Please pay attention to our guidelines for submitting proposals to the EU as well.

Education programmes and inter-university cooperation projects are funded via Erasmus+. Please visit our information page on Erasmus+.

The Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Wuerttemberg (MWK) promotes research and teaching at Baden-Wuerttemberg universities. The Margarethe von Wrangell habilitation programme for women and the Schlieben-Lange programme for female early career scientists with children are of particular interest to young researchers. In addition, the MWK also offers start-up funding for collaborative projects as well as EU projects. Here, the application is always made via the university management. Therefore, please contact the Research Support in time if you plan to submit an application.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) promotes the international exchange of students and researchers. The offer ranges from congress trips abroad to research stays and guest lectureships. The DAAD supports both Germans going abroad and foreign researchers coming to Germany.

The team of the International Office advises members of the University of Konstanz who wish to submit a project application to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD): Advisory Service for funding applications.

A large number of foundations fund research projects and researchers in various subject areas. The most important foundations are:

— Alexander von Humboldt Foundation: stays abroad for German researchers and stays in Germany for foreign researchers
— Baden-Wuerttemberg Stiftung: support for postdocs via the elite programme as well as teaching and research projects on specific, call-bound topics
— Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung: thematic funding of large-scale collaborative projects and research structures, especially in the Natural Sciences
— Fazit-Stiftung: habilitation scholarships as well as travel and printing subsidies for young researchers in all scientific fields
— Fritz Thyssen Stiftung: funding of research projects, conferences, scholarships, travel expenses, printing and library subsidies, primarily in the Humanities and Social Sciences
— Gerda Henkel Stiftung: support for the historical Humanities by funding research projects, research trips, scholarships, conferences and printing costs
— VolkswagenStiftung: funding of research projects, symposia and fellowships with a focus on particularly innovative ideas

Please also note the information on applying to foundations.

If you would like to apply for project funding from a US funding body, please note that the application process often involves a lot of administrative work. The University of Konstanz is already registered on various platforms (grants.gov, SAM, eRA Commons) that are necessary for applications to US public funding agencies. Please contact Research Support if you are planning to submit a proposal to a US institution.