Information for Researchers, No. 89 | October 20, 2021

Priority Programme “Perovskite Semiconductors: From Fundamental Properties to Devices” (SPP 2196)

In March 2018, the Senate of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) established the Priority Programme “Perovskite Semiconductors: From Fundamental Properties to Devices” (SPP 2196). The programme is designed to run for six years. The present call invites proposals for the second three-year funding period.

The Priority Programme focusses on a new class of hybrid organic-inorganic halide perovskite semiconductors, which have attracted global attention since the first reports on high efficiency perovskite solar cells in mid-2012. Within only a few years, power conversion efficiencies surpassing 25% have been achieved. Despite rapid progress in this emerging field, it remains unclear, why in particular this material class works so exceptionally well in solar cells and which underlying basic mechanisms lead to this extraordinary performance. Currently, because of continuing optimisation strategies, the formerly simple perovskite structure is becoming increasingly complex with respect to, both, composition and dimensionality. This leads to more open questions regarding e.g. fundamental processes, phase stability, and interface behaviour. Moreover, the degradation mechanisms and the role of some of the constituents, especially lead, in high performing devices are not understood.

The main objective of this Priority Programme is to bridge the gap between the application of perovskites, mainly in solar cells, and the corresponding fundamental research on this semiconductor regarding correlation between, e.g. structural, optical, electric, or magnetic properties. Notably, this research topic is highly interdisciplinary in nature, bridging chemistry, material science, device engineering, and physics. The programme is aimed to intensify collaborations between different groups and disciplines, theory and experiment, as well as to bundle top-expert knowledge. Therefore, it is the intention that every project participating in this programme should have at least two principal investigators (PI) coming together from different institutions that can contribute distinct and complementary research expertise. Involvement of young and female investigators as PI in the consortia is explicitly encouraged.

Some selected key areas that can be covered, both in experiment and theory, are listed below:

  • Precursor chemistry, perovskite crystallisation, and film formation mechanisms
  • Effects of dimensionality (single crystals, 3D, 2D, 1D, 0D) and composition tuning
  • Role of lead and possible alternatives
  • Degradation mechanisms including compositional and phase stability
  • Nature of defects, defect tolerance, and passivation strategies
  • Fundamental electronic and optical properties (carrier dynamics/transport, charge recombination, role of interfaces, ion migration, etc.)
  • Micro- and nanoscale analysis
  • Spin effects/spin-orbit coupling
  • Emerging properties of perovskites

The Priority Programme aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the fundamental properties of perovskite materials and their role for devices. Therefore, commercial aspects such as large-scale production or improved extrinsic stability using encapsulation technologies will not be taken into account. Furthermore, the mere screening of material combinations in devices without the generation of fundamental understanding is discouraged as is the research on non-semiconducting perovskites, i.e. oxide structures.

Proposals must be submitted to the DFG by 1 February 2022 via elan, the DFG’s electronic proposal processing system.

All proposals have to be written in English and prepared according to the programme guidelines (form 50.05, section B) and the proposal preparation instructions (form 54.01). These forms can either be downloaded from our website or accessed through the elan portal.

If you would like to submit a proposal for a new project within the existing Priority Programme, please go to Proposal Submission – New Project – Priority Programmes and select “SPP 2196” from the current list of calls. Previous applicants can submit a proposal for the renewal of an existing project under Proposal Submission – Proposal Overview/Renewal Proposal.

All applicants must be registered in elan prior to submitting a proposal to the DFG. Please make sure that all new applicants of your project have done so before 18 January 2022. 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.

The review colloquium for the Priority Programme is planned to be held on 5./6. May 2022 at the Physikzentrum in Bad Honnef (arrival on 4 May 2022 in the evening). In case the regulations regarding the coronavirus pandemic will not allow such a meeting, the review colloquium will be held online as a videoconference.

Further Information

More information on the Priority Programme is available under:

The elan system can be accessed at:

DFG forms 50.05 and 54.01 can be downloaded at:

For scientific enquiries please contact a member of the SPP 2196 programme committee:

  • Professor Lukas Schmidt-Mende (coordinator)
    Universität Konstanz
    Fachbereich Physik
    Universitätsstraße 10
    78464 Konstanz
    phone +49 7531 88-5409
  • Professor Vladimir Dyakonov
    Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
    Physikalisches Institut
    Am Hubland
    97074 Würzburg
    phone +49 931 31-83111
  • Dr. Selina Olthof
    Universität zu Köln
    Institut für Physikalische Chemie
    Luxemburger Str. 116
    50939 Köln
    phone +49 221 470-4463

Questions on the DFG proposal process can be directed to:

Programme contact:

Administrative contact: