Joint Committee
The Joint Committee is the DFG’s main decision-making body. It bases its final research-policy decisions that relate to the DFG on resolutions passed by the DFG’s Senate. These especially pertain to decisions regarding the DFG’s budget and the general development of its funding policy. The Joint Committee decides on the implementation of new funding programmes and on modifications to existing funding instruments. In addition, it makes the funding decisions in the DFG’s Individual Grants Programme, Priority Programmes, Emmy Noether Programme, Heisenberg Programme and on proposals submitted for library funding. It also makes the final selection in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme.
The Joint Committee is made up of 39 members of the DFG’s Senate, representatives from the federal government (with a total of 16 votes), 16 state representatives and 2 representatives from the Donors’ Association for the Promotion of Sciences and the Humanities in Germany.
The Committee on Scientific Instrumentation advises the DFG's Grants Committee on General Research Support on the acquisition of major equipment and produces statements on questions relating to the technical specifications and operation of scientific equipment.
The Grants Committee on Research Training Groups is responsible for the establishment and funding of Research Training Groups.
The Grants Committee on Collaborative Research Centres is responsible for funding decisions for Collaborative Research Centres.
The Excellence Initiative Grants Committee considers proposals for the three types of funding provided for in the initiative, i.e. graduate schools, clusters of excellence and institutional strategies to promote top-level research.
The Commission on IT Infrastructure is a subcommittee of the Joint Committee of the DFG and, in this function, evaluates the results of reviews of proposals for major instrumentation that contain IT systems from the general research funding programmes of the DFG as well as from the “Forschungsgroßgeräte” (Major Research Instrumentation) and the “Großgeräte der Länder” (State Major Instrumentation) programmes with respect to technical, methodical and fundamental criteria.
The decision on the prizewinners in the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme is made by the Joint Committee on the basis of a recommendation submitted by the Nomination Committee, whose members are particularly respected and experienced scientists and academics with a broad overview of the research landscape.
The Committee of Inquiry on Allegations of Scientific Misconduct investigates allegations of scientific misconduct carried out by applicants, funding recipients, others responsible for the use of DFG funds, and DFG-funded staff and reviewers, as well as members of DFG bodies involved in consultation and decision-making processes.
The Committee on Scientific Library Services and Information Systems is responsible for advising the DFG on all projects and activities relating to the development and support of scientific library services and information systems in Germany.
