Colombian-German Collaboration in Research
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (PUJ) in Colombia offer joint funding opportunities for bilateral research projects in any field of research under a Standing Open Procedure (SOP). Under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding between the DFG and the PUJ, researchers from Germany and the PUJ have the opportunity to apply for jointly organised bilateral research projects of outstanding scientific quality.
Under this SOP, parallel submission of proposals under the Research Grants Programme (“Sachbeihilfe”(interner Link) is possible at any time without deadlines. Researchers may apply for a funding period of up to three years in any field of research. Specific guidelines for this joint funding scheme can be found her(Download).
Please note that the eligibility criteria and the duty to cooperate (“Kooperationspflicht”) within Germany fully apply under this funding opportunity for members of non-university institutions with permanent positions. Please note that any duty to cooperate for DFG applicants at non-university research institutions can only be fulfilled through cooperation with a partner at a German university. For more information on the duty to cooperate, please refer to DFG form 55.0(interner Link).
Please note that the DFG does not provide separate funds for these efforts; proposals must succeed on the strengths of their intellectual merit and teams in competition with all other proposals under the Research Grants Programme. The documents submitted to the DFG and the PUJ must not differ with regard to the scientific content of the proposal or to the applicants involved.
Proposals are to be submitted solely via the elan porta(externer Link) in order to ensure proposal-related data is recorded and documents are securely transmitted. For submission, German partners should go to “Proposal for a Research Grant” in the Proposal Forms column (Proposal Submission > New Project > Individual Grants Programme > Proposal for a Research Grant). Please select “COLOMBIA PUJ 20XX (current year)– Joint Research Grants” to tag your proposal.
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 will normally receive confirmation of your registration by the next working day. PUJ applicants are kindly requested to adhere to all the requirements listed on the PUJ’s website and to submit their proposals to the PUJ’s InvestigarPU(externer Link) (see details below and in the guideline(Download)).
Review and Decision Process
The review process is carried out separately on each side. Funding of the joint research projects is contingent upon positive assessment by both funding organisations, DFG and PUJ. Unilateral funding of only one part of a project is not possible.
Further Cooperation of the DFG with Colombia
Besides this newly established cooperation with the PUJ, joint funding possibilities together with Colombian partners on the basis of the SOP are also possible with the Universidad de los Ande(Download) and the Universidad de Antioqui(interner Link).
Ethics Votes
If an ethics vote is required for the German or the PUJ part of the project, it must be submitted together with the proposal to the DFG. However, in exceptional cases, an ethics vote by the responsible local German ethics committee can be submitted no later than three months after proposal submission. Otherwise, the funding organisations may stop processing the proposal. Please note that the submission of an ethics vote of the local German ethics committee is also necessary if only the project part at PUJ is affected, as it is a cooperation project.
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 Practic(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 Porta(externer Link). If you have any questions on this subject, please contact the Research Integrity tea(externer Link) at the DFG Head Office.
Further Information
Guidelines for the Research Funding Scheme between the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) and the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Colombia (PUJ) may be found here(Download)
General information for German principal investigators on research grants may be found her(interner Link).
Information on the elan portal:
The complete terms of reference for this call can be found via the following links for Bogot(externer Link) and Cal(externer Link).
Contact Person at the DFG Head Office in Bonn
Dr. Dietrich Hal(externer Link), Tel. +49 228 885-2347
Contact Person at the DFG Office Latin America (based in São Paulo, available during local business hours)
Dr. Christina Peter(externer Link), Tel. +49 228 885-4550
Contact information for applicants from the PUJ Main Campus
Carla Ramíre(externer Link), International Project Manager
Kewin Cárdena(externer Link), Project manager
Contact Persons for applicants from the PUJ Cali Branch Campus
Mayra Alejandra Lópe(externer Link), Coordinator of External Resources
Hesam Sadeghian Rio(externer Link), International Cooperation Manager
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 Polic(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.