Funding Programmes

• Individual Grants Programme

  Researchers who have completed their academic training (as a rule, those who hold a doctorate) are eligible to submit project proposals with a defined thematic focus and project duration.

• Coordinated Programmes

  Coordinated programmes promote cooperation and structural innovation by encouraging national and international collaboration in areas of current relevance and by concentrating scientific potential at a university.

• Excellence Initiative

  The Excellence Initiative aims to promote top-level research and to improve the quality of German universities and research institutions in general, thus making Germany a more attractive research location, making it more internationally competitive and focussing attention on the outstanding achievements of Germany universities and the German scientific community.

• Research Infrastructure

  The DFG offers centrally-coordinated funding to build and improve scientific infrastructure: Scientific Library Services and Information Systems, Scientific Instrumentation and Information Technology, Central Research Facilities.

• Scientific Prizes

  The DFG awards prizes to scientists and academics in recognition of their outstanding research achievements.

• International Cooperation

  In order to establish and foster scientific contacts, the DFG provides funding for scientific events, conferences, lecture and information trips and within the Mercator Programme.

Forms and Guidelines

Announcements and Proposals

Research Careers

• Student Assistants
• Doctoral Research Assistants

  As a doctoral student, the DFG offers you a wide range of opportunities to work on exciting topics within a greater research environment.

• Research Assistants in Research Projects

  The DFG offers you a wide range of funding opportunities to enhance your postdoctoral qualifications, whether you conduct research independently or within a team as part of a research project.

• Your First Proposal – Useful Information on Submitting Proposals

International Cooperation

• International Cooperation

  International research collaborations may be funded either as part of individual projects or in the context of coordinated programmes (Collaborative Research Centres, Research Training Groups, Research Units, Priority Programmes, etc.).

• The European Research Area
  

  The DFG funds research at the European level on the basis of scientific competition. To this end, and to promote cross-border scientific cooperation, the DFG has established numerous bilateral and European programmes.

• International Promotion of Early Career Reseachers

  Researchers who are integrated in the German research system may use a fellowship for a longer research stay abroad.

• International Partners and Agreements

  In order to carry out its activities in the interest of research, the DFG maintains partnerships and relations with a large number of partner organisations on all continents. In many countries around the globe, formal agreements continue to be the necessary prerequisite for scientific collaboration.

• Scientific Contacts

  The DFG provides funding for international scientific events in Germany, for bilateral events held in Germany or abroad, for conference and lecture trips abroad, and for young German researchers who are employed abroad to participate in scientific events in Germany.

• Research Collaboration
• Cooperation with Africa

  This page provides an overview of the opportunities available for cooperating with African researchers and institutions.

• Open Research Area plus (ORA plus) for the Social Sciences

  After a successful first call in 2010, ANR, DFG, ESRC and NWO will relaunch a common call for proposals in 2011. The Open Research Area (ORA) scheme will provide for the funding of integrated projects in the social sciences by researchers coming from more than one of the four participating countries – in any combination of two or more countries.