In 2007, the Senate of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) established the Priority Programme “Atmospheric and Earth System Research with the ‘High Altitude and Long Range Research Aircraft’ (HALO)” (SPP 1294). The present call invites proposals for projects (with a duration of up to three years) starting in 2027 (“HALO 2027”). An earlier start of funding is not possible.

HALO plays a key role in atmospheric research in Germany. It is a state-of-the-art airborne platform specifically equipped with modern in situ and remote sensing instruments. HALO enables cutting-edge Earth System science and allows innovative atmospheric and geophysical measurements with an impressive high ceiling altitude of up to 15 km and a spatial endurance of about 10,000 km. It may carry an instrumental payload of up to 3 tons and can be used to study processes within the troposphere and lower stratosphere. HALO-based research is supposed to help understand the interaction of processes within the Earth system and human activities, which are highly relevant for society. For satellite missions, HALO provides unique possibilities to combine and validate space-borne data with measurements of the atmosphere that were performed in situ and near the ground.

HALO enables Earth System research on a high international level. Main foci of the scientific investigations are:

• sources, properties and processing of aerosol particles
• formation, evolution and radiative effects of clouds and precipitation
• transport and dynamics in the troposphere and lower stratosphere
• transport and transformation of chemical composition
• atmospheric coupling processes

Proposals must be written in English and submitted to the DFG by 28 November 2025 and should primarily refer to an upcoming mission, while it is also possible to submit proposals that utilise data from previous missions. Funds can be provided for the development of high-tech sensors and instruments which will be used mission-specifically. Instruments to be permanently installed aboard HALO cannot be funded.

Please indicate in the abstract of your proposal the related HALO mission(s), if applicable. 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. To enter a new project within the existing Priority Programme, go to Proposal Submission – New Project/Draft Proposal – Priority Programmes and select “SPP 1294/12” from the current list of calls. Applicants who already receive funding can submit a proposal for the renewal of an existing project under Proposal Submission – Proposal Overview/Renewal Proposal. Your current funded project(s) will be displayed.

When preparing your proposal, please refer to the programme guidelines (DFG form 50.05(interner Link), section B) and follow the proposal preparation instructions (DFG form 54.01(interner Link)). These forms can either be downloaded from our website or accessed through the elan portal.

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 14 November 2025 to submit a proposal under this call; registration requests received after this time cannot be considered. You will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day. Note that you will be asked to select the appropriate Priority Programme call during both the registration and 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.

Further Information 

More information on the Infrastructure Priority Programme is available at: www.halo-spp.de(externer Link)

Website for information about the research aircraft HALO: www.halo-research.de(externer Link)

When submitting proposals, please use the elan portal(externer Link) and refer to the respective guidelines DFG form 50.05(interner Link) and DFG form 54.01(interner Link). The FAQ on Proposal Submission(interner Link) may also be helpful.

For scientific enquiries, please contact the Priority Programme coordinators:

• Professor Dr. Manfred Wendisch, Universität Leipzig, Fakultät für Physik und Erdsystemwissenschaften, Tel. +49 341 97-32851, m.wendisch@uni-leipzig.de(externer Link)
• Professor Dr. Joachim Curtius, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Fachbereich Geowissenschaften/Geographie, Institut für Atmosphäre und Umwelt, Tel. +49 69 798-40258, curtius@iau.uni-frankfurt.de(externer Link)

Contact Persons at the DFG Head Office

• Programme contact: Dr. Tim Haarmann, Tel. +49 228 885-2328, tim.haarmann@dfg.de(externer Link)
• Administrative contact: Pia Schmidgen, Tel. +49 228 885-2034, pia.schmidgen@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.