Call for Proposals “Industry Data for Research” to Support Research Data Cooperation
Research data cooperation that enables the exchange of data between academia and the private sector is crucial to realising the opportunities arising from ongoing digitalisation and the continuous growth of data volumes.
For this reason, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is issuing the call for proposals “Industry Data for Research”, which provides an impetus to promote research data cooperation. In doing so, the DFG is responding to the research community’s need for more intensive data-sharing between academia and the private sector and for suitable framework conditions for research data cooperation.
The aim is to initiate and expand cooperation between academia and the private sector with regard to data sharing, while at the same time raising the visibility of research data cooperation as part of the DFG’s funding activities, though such options have always been available under the Research Grants Programme.
In preparation, the DFG held two preliminary events in 2024 and 2025 with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the call addresses the pressing needs of the research community. See below for links to reports on these two events.
Information Event
A digital information event on the call will take place on 14 January 2026. Please register by 5 January 2026 by e-mailing forschungsdatenkooperationen@dfg.d(externer Link), stating your project idea and cooperation partner where applicable.
Projects are eligible for funding in which companies make their data available for basic research in the fields of health or mobility, thereby enabling cooperation between academia and the private sector with regard to data sharing. Project proposals must be submitted by a project consortium consisting of a higher education institution eligible to submit proposals to the DFG and an application partner in the private sector. Funds may be requested and awarded only for the project partner based at the higher education institution. It is not possible to request funding for investments.
Proposal submission and funding will proceed in two phases: a one-year “Explore” phase and a two-year “Exploit” phase. Proposals for the Explore phase can be submitted up until 11 March 2026.
Overview "Forms and Guidelines"
- DFG form 4.02 – Guidelines on the Participation of Commercial Enterprises in Research Project(interner Link)
- DFG form 4.03 – Information on Work Results and Usage Rights in the Event of an Association with a Compan(interner Link)
- DFG form 41.026 – Model of a Cooperation Agreement between Academic Research Institutions and Commercial Enterpris(interner Link)
Workshop Reports (in German only)
Further Information
Contact
| E-mail: | bastian.mohr@dfg.de |
| Telephone: | +49 (228) 885-3140 |
| E-mail: | stephanie.wegener@dfg.de |
| Telephone: | +49 (228) 885-2895 |
| E-mail: | philipp.meyer@dfg.de |
| Telephone: | +49 (228) 885-2767 |