The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is pleased to announce the launch of a new Lead Agency opportunity for joint research proposals together with the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) as part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

EPSRC and the DFG work in a partnership to encourage and support joint UK-German research proposals through a Lead Agency Procedure: a single main proposal is submitted to one of the two funding organisations which conducts a single external review process. Decisions are taken separately by both funding organisations and funding will be granted to projects which are successful on both sides.

Proposal Submission

This Lead Agency opportunity is open to all themes within EPSRC and all corresponding subject areas of the DFG. The standard eligibility rules of EPSRC and the DFG apply.

Proposals may be submitted at any time to either EPSRC or the DFG as the Lead Agency. This arrangement between ESPRC and the DFG is intended to be open-ended, however, it will be periodically reviewed to ensure that it remains fit for purpose. 

Please note that there are no separate funds available for this joint initiative. These opportunities follow the general funding lines and budget processes of EPSRC and the DFG. Proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit and teams in comparison with other proposals. 

Note: joint proposals submitted under this opportunity should have a maximum duration of 3 years.

Detailed Instructions

For detailed instructions on scope, eligibility, proposal preparation and proposal submission, please refer to the information in the EPSRC-DFG section(interner Link) on the DFG-Website.

Equity and Diversity

The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness. 

Good Research Practice

According to a resolution of the DFG General Assembly, DFG funding may only be awarded to research institutions that have implemented the guidelines laid down in the Code of Conduct for Safeguarding Good Research Practice(externer Link) in their own regulations. The management of your institution is responsible for implementing the guidelines in a legally binding manner. In order to avoid delays in the disbursement of funding, please verify implementation within your institution in good time. For information regarding the implementation, please refer to the Research Integrity Portal(externer Link). If you have any questions on this subject, please contact the Research Integrity team(externer Link) at the DFG Head Office. 

Further Information

Please find detailed information on the EPSRC-DFG collaboration here(interner Link).

Please find detailed information on the ESPRC-DFG collaboration on the EPSRC website(externer Link).

When submitting proposals, please use the elan portal(externer Link) and refer to the respective guidelines. The FAQ on Proposal Submission(interner Link) may also be helpful.

Contact Persons at the DFG Head Office

Please note the information on contact persons on the website.

Privacy Policy

We, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation), take the protection of your personal data and its confidential treatment extremely seriously. Therefore, please refer to the DFG’s Privacy Policy(interner Link). If you intend to transmit personal data of third parties, please make sure to do so only if the necessary legitimation under data protection law exist. Before transmitting data of third parties to the DFG, please forward the DFG’s Data Protection Notice to the individuals affected (data subjects). If there is a legitimate interest not to inform individuals beforehand (e.g. for reasons of secrecy or in case of a nomination or candidate proposal), these individuals should be informed no later than at the time of publication.