Our Funding Portfolio

Mehrere Personen mit unterschiedlichen Gegenständen, z. B. Molekülmodell, Globus, Gehirnmodell, Geige

The Volkswagen Foundation is dedicated to the support of the humanities and social sciences as well as science and technology in higher education and research. It funds research projects in path-breaking areas and provides assistance to academic institutions for the improvement of the structural conditions for their work. 

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Societal Transformations

Expanding knowledge about processes of transformation and developing possible courses of action together with stakeholders in civil society.

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Exploration

Breaking into previously unexplored research territory with unconventional ideas and experimental approaches.

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Understanding Research

Critically exploring and reflecting on the research system with a view to initiating positive change on areas such as career paths, governance, research and teaching.

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Schachfigur "Pferd"

zukunft.niedersachsen

Funding program for top-level research in Lower Saxony.

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Funding portfolio

We focus our funding activities on selected initiatives. By means of these initiatives, we endeavor to provide effective stimuli for research and to establish forward-looking topics.

Area of research

Type of funding

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  • August 27, 2024 Deadline
    May 23, 2024 Deadline workshop registration

    Additional Funding for Science Communication

    The offer is aimed at grantees currently receiving funding from the Volkswagen Foundation.

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    • all disciplines
    • funding for: innovative measures for science communication
  • Currently no application possible

    Challenges and Potentials for Europe: Intergenerational Futures

    The call "Challenges and Potentials for Europe: Intergenerational Futures" is aimed at international research groups from the social sciences, cultural studies and humanities. 

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  • April 24, 2024 Deadline for research groups (senior scientists) (next deadline in 2025)
    Next deadline for fellows (early career researchers) in 2025

    Change! Fellowships and research groups

    Our target group: Personalities from science who are researching transformation processes jointly with non-academic partners.

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    • area of research: all disciplines
    • funding for: own position, research project
  • May 15, 2024 Deadline

    Circularity in daily life – Communication contest

    The call is directed at transdisciplinary project teams of scholars and practitioners.

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    • area of research: all disciplines
    • type of funding: science communication
  • next deadline in 2025

    Circularity with recycled and biogenic resources

    The current call within the funding line 'Collaborative projects' of this initiative is primarily targeted at the natural sciences and engineering.

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    • area of research: natural sciences and engineering, if required social sciences
    • type of funding: research projects
  • Apply anytime

    Data Reuse – Additional Funding for the Preparation and Storage of Research Data (Open Science)

    The funding offer aims at grantees of the Volkswagen Foundation, eligible are current projects and projects that have been funded approximately in the last 6 months.

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    • area of research: all
    • funding for: preparation and storing of research data for its reuse
  • No open call

    Earth System Sciences

    The offer is aimed at universities in Germany with a focus on geosciences that wish to establish one or two junior professorships with tenure track.

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    • area of research: Geosciences
    • funding for: 1-2 junior professorships with tenure track per University location
  • April 24, 2024 Deadline (future deadlines on April 28, 2025 and April 21, 2026)

    Momentum – Funding for Recently Tenured Professors

    The funding offer is aimed at professors three to five years after taking up their first tenured professorship at a university in Germany.

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    • area of research: all disciplines
    • type of funding: concepts for the broadening of perspectives

Completed 

And these are our completed funding offers.

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