Logo: Förderung der Chancengleichheit in der Wissenschaft

Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity

It is possible to apply for the module “Standard Allowance for Gender Equality Measures” as part of the proposal submission process for research networks (Priority Programmes, Research Units including Centres for Advanced Studies and Clinical Research Units, Research Training Groups and Collaborative Research Centres) as well as when submitting a proposal under the Research Grants Programme or the Emmy Noether Programme.

The amount of the allowance will vary depending on the research project; per funding year, the following can be applied for: 

  • up to €30,000 in Collaborative Research Centres
  • up to €15,000 in Research Training Groups, Priority Programmes and Research Units
  • up to €1,000 per applicant in the Research Grants Programme and Emmy Noether Programme

Please consult the relevant programme guidelines for details.

The disbursement of the standard allowance for equity and diversity is earmarked for its purpose. Only those additional, project-related measures may be financed with the standard allowance for equity and diversity, which contribute to

  • promoting gender equality in research,
  • promoting diversity in science and the humanities or
  • making jobs in science and academia more family-friendly (including care).

See here for a description of the module “Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity”:

The following rules apply (cf. the relevant funding guidelines):

  • The Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity must be spent in accordance with the general principles set out in the funding guidelines and award letters as applicable to the research programme in question. As such, these funds are likewise to be spent in accordance with the principle of efficiency and economy.
  • Subject-specific core support must be ensured: measures that can be attributed to the respective subject-specific core support cannot be financed from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity.
  • All measures financed from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity must be related to the research project. This might derive from an affiliation with the project, for example, or from the fact that the events concerned are being organised as part of the research project. A brief and plausible reference to the project must be documented.
  • Measures can only be funded for persons who are actively involved as researchers in the network/project. Non-DFG funded persons can also benefit from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity providing the funds are used to finance measures to support an open group of participants and no additional costs are incurred as a result of the participation of external persons.
  • Measures for which funds have already been approved elsewhere in the research project or network cannot be financed from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity.
  • As a matter of principle, one and the same measure – such as a soft skills course – cannot be financed from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity for some members of the research network (e.g. for women) and from funds approved through a different channel for other members (e.g. for men).
  • The prohibition of favouritism (Besserstellungsverbot) enshrined in budgetary law must be observed. Remuneration may not be granted that is higher than the level of the collective agreement for the civil service or of other benefits above or beyond the collective agreement.
  • When planning the use of funds from the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity, it must be considered as a matter of principle whether it is more expedient to use a large portion of the funds for a single measure or to finance several smaller measures. 
  • Observation of the above-mentioned underlying framework conditions and requirements must be verified on site in each case and compliance must be ensured. The appropriate use of the Standard Allowance for Equity and Diversity must be documented on site for accounting purposes
  • Furthermore, funds approved for other purposes (such as funds for visiting researchers, travel funds or personnel funds) are likewise to be spent with due regard for the principle of equity and diversity.

For details on the expenditure of funds in Collaborative Research Centres, see DFG form 50.06.

The following catalogue of measures serves to inform and support you in making targeted use of the Standard Allowance for Gender Equality Measures in your projects – under coordinated programmes, the Research Grants Programme and the Emmy Noether Programme. The list of measures is not exhaustive; additional or newly established measures can be financed if they meet the fundamental requirements outlined above.

Given the specific characteristics of the various funding programmes, there are different ways of using the allowance in individual cases. Where such special points apply, these are explicitly indicated.

Further Information

Contact persons

Here you will find the right contacts at the DFG Head Office for various matters: