The main responsibility of review board members is to scientifically evaluate funding proposals in their respective subject areas and thus ensure that all proposals within a given subject area are assessed using a common standard. The review board members write a final recommendation which is submitted to the relevant decision-making body of the DFG together with the proposals. – Photo: Meeting of the review board "Non-European Languages and Cultures..."on 18 February 2013 in Bonn.

© DFG/ Fotograf Eric Lichtenscheidt

The review boards also advise the DFG's statutory bodies on strategic issues relating to research funding. The review boards also work on an interdisciplinary basis, both in terms of research funding and on strategic matters. For example, the meeting of the spokespersons of all review boards on 18-19 June 2013 at the DFG's Head Office in Bonn provided an opportunity for interdisciplinary discussion.

© DFG / Jan Schumacher

The review boards are made up of researchers from the German research system who perform their responsibilities either in face-to-face meetings or through a written process.

© DFG / Eric Lichtenscheidt

All 48 review boards work in accordance with the framework rules of procedure approved by the DFG Senate. On this common basis, some review boards work mostly face to face or through teleconferences, while others mainly use a written process or a combination of these methods. Individual review boards come together for joint meetings on average four times a year. – Meeting of the then acting Education Sciences review board on 21 January 2011 at the DFG's Head Office in Bonn.

© DFG / Fotograf Eric Lichtenscheidt

The DFG's Head Office prepares meetings and distributes meeting documents electronically. Documents can also be accessed during the meeting by means of the electronic proposal processing system "elan".

© DFG / Fotograf Peter Himsel

Login interface for the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system (elan).

© DFG

Discussions on funding decisions in review board meetings usually focus on proposals for which a unanimous decision has still not been reached after the review process is complete. To this end, each proposal is assigned a rapporteur from among the review board members who will present the research project and appraise the review situation. The review board then discusses the proposal and formulates a recommendation.Photo: Impression on "What counts in science" from the Heisenberg meeting on March 1, 2017 in Bonn

© DFG / Fotograf Eric Lichtenscheidt

Researchers frequently collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. For the optimum evaluation of interdisciplinary proposals, different review boards also work together. In order to reach a decision in cases like these, guests from other review boards might be invited to meetings or two review boards might present their views on a proposal one after the other.

© DFG / Fotograf Peter Himsel

Meetings are not only concerned with funding decisions. Review board members also receive information about changes to funding processes and may discuss strategic issues affecting their review board. The results may enter the Joint Committee. Foto: Meeting of the DFG's Joint Committee on March 5, 2017 in Bonn

© DFG / Eric Lichtenscheidt

In the DFG's coordinated programmes, which involve reviews by panels, review board members are also at the on-site evaluation. This ensures that all DFG funding programmes are based on the same quality standards. On average, each member of a review board is required to perform this duty one or two times per year. On-site reviews generally last one to two days and allow the review group not only to speak directly to the applicants and the proposed project team, but also to see the research environment.

© DFG / Fotograf Harald Frater

All review board members are elected for a period of four years and serve on a voluntary basis. The DFG's research funding is based on the principle of self-governance and relies on the valuable support of the elected review boards in the evaluation of funding proposals.

© DFG / Fotograf Eric Lichtenscheidt