Call for collaboration visits to Germany and Africa by researchers in early career phases in the mathematical sciences

With this call, the African Institutes for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) support the initiation of international research collaboration between researchers from African countries and researchers at universities in Germany in the mathematical sciences. Researchers in early career phases are particularly encouraged to submit proposals.

Aim of the Initiative

The aim of the initiative is to familiarise and connect the wider research communities in the mathematical sciences in Africa and Germany with each other and support their internationalisation. The initiative enables participating researchers to identify joint research interests in the field of mathematical sciences and initiate joint project ideas.

Funding Mechanism

This call is based on the DFG funding programme “Initiation of International Collaboration”. Under this programme, applicants interested in establishing collaborative scientific relations with partners abroad may apply for funding for trips abroad or guest visits, for example.

For the purpose of this call:

• “Applicants” are researchers in the German research system who apply for funding under the AIMS-DFG Collaboration Visits Programme,
• “Fellows” are researchers whose collaboration visits are funded under the AIMS-DFG Collaboration Visits Programme.

Two different modules are available:

• Trips abroad to one of the six AIMS centres (in Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda, Senegal or South Africa) undertaken by researchers in the German research system (max. three months)
• Guest visits to universities in Germany undertaken by researchers in early career phases from African countries (max. three months)

The focus of this programme is to facilitate collaboration visits. However, the funding of scientific workshops can be granted in exceptional cases.

The funding remains available for a maximum of 12 months after the approval date: individual collaborative measures must be carried out within this time frame.

Eligibility

Applicants: researchers who have obtained their doctorates and who are working in the German research system may apply. Special rules apply to members of non-university research institutions. For further details, please consult the “Guidelines on the Duty to Cooperate” (DFG form 55.01(interner Link)).

Applicants from Germany visiting an AIMS centre: 

• must be working in the German research system;
• must fulfil the DFG eligibility requirements;
• can apply to visit an AIMS centre themselves;
• must submit a letter of invitation from a host researcher at an AIMS centre.

Fellows from Africa visiting a host institution in Germany:

• can receive funding for their guest visit through an applicant in Germany;
• must have obtained their doctorate, be on track to defend their thesis or show proof of research activity. Candidates must have published at least one scientific article in a peer-reviewed journal listed on Math-SciNet or zbMath, for example;
• require a letter of support from an AIMS centre.

Applicants may apply either to undertake a collaboration visit to an AIMS centre themselves or for a fellow from Africa to visit the applicant’s institution.

Application

Please submit your proposal to the DFG by 30 September 2025. Proposals are to be submitted solely via the elan portal(externer Link) in order to ensure proposal-related data is recorded and documents are securely transmitted.

Proposals can only be submitted by researchers from Germany. Researchers from African countries act as collaboration partners and can receive DFG funding through their German collaboration partners.

When preparing your proposal, please refer to the “Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration” (DFG form 1.813(interner Link)). 

If this is the first time you are submitting a proposal to the DFG, please note that you must register in the elan portal before you can submit your proposal. You must do so by 23 September 2025. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day.

Note that you will be asked to select the appropriate call “AIMS-DFG Collaboration Visits Programme 2026” during the proposal process.

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. With regard to the subject-specific focus of this call, the DFG encourages female researchers in particular to submit proposals.

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. 

With the submission of the proposal the applicants and fellows involved agree that DFG shares all necessary information with AIMS after the call deadline.

There will be an information session on 3 July 2025 for this call. If you would like to participate, please write an e-mail to the following address: aims-dfg@aims.edu.gh(externer Link)

Further Information 

Please find general information for German applicants on the “Initiation of International Collaboration” programme here(interner Link).

DFG form 55.01(interner Link) “Guidelines on the Duty to Cooperate”.

When submitting proposals, please use the elan portal(externer Link) and refer to the respective guidelines “Guidelines on Proposals for Grants to Support the Initiation of International Collaboration” (DFG form 1.813(interner Link)). The FAQ on Proposal Submission(interner Link) may also be helpful.

DFG’s and AIMS' data protection notice on research funding:

As part of the assessment procedure, the necessary personal data must be exchanged between the organisations involved. This requires the transfer of personal data between AIMS and DFG. Further information can be found in the data protection notices of the respective organisations. If necessary, please also forward this information to those persons whose data the DFG processes because they are involved in your project.

Contact Persons at the DFG Head Office

Programme contacts at the Group Mathematics and Engineering Sciences 2:

• Dr. Carsten Balleier, phone +49 228 885 2063, carsten.balleier@dfg.de(externer Link)
• Dr. Frank Kiefer, phone +49 228 885 2567, frank.kiefer@dfg.de(externer Link)
• Dorothea Wannenmacher, phone +49 228 885 2933, dorothea.wannenmacher@dfg.de(externer Link) 

Administrative contact: 

Julia Bastong, International Affairs, phone +49 228 885 3045, julia.bastong@dfg.de(externer Link)

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.