The Committee for the Coordination of International Academic Relations (AKA) includes representatives of the major German science and research organisations.
The DFG in International Scientific and Academic Organisations
The DFG plays an active role in international research policy through its membership in various international non-governmental organisations as well as in a number of other international committees. Over the years, the work of the DFG has led to the creation of a tight network of bilateral agreements with partner organisations in Europe and abroad. These now form the basis for a continual process of scientific and academic cooperation across national borders, regulate the co-financing of foreign research partners, or enable access to foreign research infrastructure or important resources.
As a service provider for the scientific and research communities, the DFG ensures that all agreements and arrangements are made for and on behalf of all member organisations.
was founded in 1919 as an international non-governmental organisation. Its members include national research and funding organisations as well as international scientific associations. The DFG has been a member of the ICSU since 1952, representing the interests of all German scientists and researchers. The ICSU supports international research activities and interdisciplinary initiatives, especially in the geosciences, including oceanography, climate research, environmental science and polar research. The DFG supports the work of the ICSU through payment of its annual contribution and by funding the participation of scientists working in Germany in ICSU programmes.
Contact at the DFG Head Office: Cora Laforet
The IFS is a foundation based in Stockholm that aims to support outstanding young scientists from developing countries in the area of biological resource management. The DFG has been a member since 1975 and contributes towards financing this support.
Contact at the DFG Head Office: Cora Laforet
Founded in 2012, the GRC is a virtual organization, dedicated to promoting the sharing of data and best practices for high-quality collaboration among funding agencies worldwide. As cooperation and collaboration can enhance the quality of science, avoid unnecessary duplication, provide economies of scale, and address issues that can only be solved by working together, heads of research funding agencies have a responsibility to meet these objectives on behalf of the research community.
The chairs and presidents of the major research funding organisations from the G8 countries (France, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, USA, Canada, Japan and Russia) meet once a year for talks on research policy. Germany is represented by the presidents of the DFG and the Max Planck Society.
Contact at the DFG Head Office: Dr. Jörg Schneider
The National Science Foundation (NSF) of the USA, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and other European funding organisations have been cooperating for many years within the framework of the "Materials World Network" to strengthen collaboration between the USA and Europe in the area of materials research. The DFG stabilised this initiative in 2008 by permanently facilitating joint projects in materials research with the aid of coordinated funding by the national funding organisations until further notice.
ECORD is a partnership between 17 European funding bodies that aims to focus and coordinate Europe’s contribution to the international IODP (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program). The DFG assumes the leading role for the German contribution to enable German researchers to participate in IODP expeditions.
The DFG has signed an international agreement on knowledge exchange, becoming the fourth partner in the network. This joint initiative with national funding organisations in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Denmark serves to expand the information and communication technologies (ICT) in education and research.
