External Research Funding

The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) is the self-governing organisation of research in Germany. It funds research of the highest quality across all disciplines at universities and other research institutions. Its main focus is on proposals developed within the research community itself in the area of curiosity-driven research. Eligible individuals, groups, or institutions may submit funding proposals to the DFG at any time and on any topic. To this end, the DFG’s funding portfolio comprises a broad range of funding instruments. In addition to individual grants, the DFG offers funding formats to strengthen networks and international cooperation, prizes, and structured funding programmes, which are usually applied for by institutions.

An overview of the full range of DFG funding is available on the DFG website under All funding programmmes at a glance. The DFG website also provides, among other things, a link elan portal for applicants, information on DFG-funded projects (GEPRIS), and information on the research context and developments in the research system (DFG Basics and Topics).

Application route: Many DFG funding formats can be submitted individually by researchers who hold a doctoral degree and do not require formal internal approval. Exceptions include, in particular, structured programmes that can only be submitted by the institution or that require evidence of institutional support. In any case, please keep the relevant university contact points informed about intended or submitted proposals and clarify support options and needs at an early stage.

As the DFG liaison at the University of Hildesheim, Professor Dr Andreas Mojzisch is the local point of contact for DFG applicants.

For internal university support on strategic and formal questions relating to DFG funding, as well as individual advice, please contact the Research and Transfer Services team. Dr. Andrea Noll provides support specifically for (postdoctoral) researchers in the early career phases applying for a Research Grant (Sachbeihilfe)/ Own Position (Eigene Stelle) and other funding formats aimed at this target group.

The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) supports the implementation of research and innovation projects primarily through topic-specific funding programmes. Within their respective remits, other federal ministries also launch funding programmes that may, on a case-by-case basis, benefit research as well. The funding on offer is tailored to key fields of innovation and technology, as well as to a range of challenges, for example in society or education. As a rule, an application-oriented focus is required—both in terms of the results and often also in the implementation, project design and overall project structure.

An overview of current BMFTR funding announcements and funding guidelines is available on the BMFTR website (German only). Advice on federal (research) funding is also provided by the “Förderberatung des Bundes” (Federal Funding Advisory Service). Members of the University of Hildesheim can also receive regular updates about suitable calls for proposals—not only from the federal government—via the FIT newsletter.

Markus Weißhaupt and Christiane Brandau from the Research and Transfer Services will also be happy to advise you on suitable funding opportunities for your project and on questions relating to the application process.

Application route: Applications to the BMFTR and other federal ministries are submitted by the University. They therefore require a legally binding signature from the University Executive Board, which is arranged via Research and Transfer Services. Please contact the team at an early stage to receive advice on the formal steps and other units that need to be involved, and to coordinate the timeline and any support needs.

In addition to the core funding provided to universities in Lower Saxony by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture, the state of Lower Saxony also supports project-based research, thereby complementing European and federal funding. For this purpose, funding is available from the state budget and from the Volkswagen Foundation’s “zukunft.niedersachsen” programme. Zukunft.niedersachsen comprises several funding lines: some focus on structural funding for institutions and on building research consortia, and are therefore usually submitted by institutions; others provide funding for projects or events.

Application route: Applications for project or event funding can usually be submitted by researchers who hold a doctoral degree via the University Executive Board. They therefore require a legally binding signature from the University Executive Board which is arranged via Research and Transfer Services (as is the case for applications to the BMFTR and other federal ministries). Please contact the Research and Transfer Services team at an early stage to receive advice on the formal steps and other units that need to be involved, and to coordinate the timeline and any support needs.

Foundations complement the funding offered by major funding bodies with a broad range of funding instruments for project funding and individual funding. Foundations vary widely in size, regional scope, funding volumes and funding profiles and, depending on their charitable purpose, are often focused on specific disciplines or topics. Funding may also be conditional on clear practical relevance and/or cooperation with non-academic partners. As a rule, foundations do not cover overheads (indirect project costs). In some cases, funding may also require a financial contribution (co-funding) from the applicant institution.

Nationwide foundations with an exclusive or partial focus on research funding include, for example, the VolkswagenStiftung, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the Stiftung Mercator, the Robert Bosch Stiftung, and the Gerda Henkel Foundation, among others. An overview of objectives, funding requirements and application procedures is provided on their respective websites. 

Further foundations can be identified, for example, via the Deutsches Stiftungszentrum of the Stifterverband (a service provider for numerous smaller foundations) or the Stiftungssuche of the Association of German Foundations (a database of foundations in Germany based on publicly available information). The Research and Transfer Services team will be happy to support you in identifying a suitable funding format for your project. If needed, please also consult the team regarding the application route.

European cooperation in research, education and knowledge transfer is supported by numerous funding opportunities. The main EU framework programme for research and innovation, Horizon Europe, runs from 2021 to 2027 and is structured around three pillars:

• Pillar 1 – Excellent Science supports outstanding researchers with groundbreaking ideas through the European Research Council (ERC), international fellowships and training networks through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), and transnational research infrastructure measures.
• Pillar 2 – Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness primarily offers calls for transnational collaborative research projects in six thematic clusters covering a broad range of topics.
• Pillar 3 – Innovative Europe focuses on the economic and societal uptake of research results and aims to make Europe a pioneer in market-creating innovations through the European Innovation Council (EIC).

In addition, the programme strand Widening Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area offers opportunities to build partnerships with emerging institutions and researchers from  EU Member States with lower research and innovation performance - the so-called Widening countries - to help reduce the EU’s research and innovation gap and further strengthen the European Research Area.

Alongside Horizon Europe, a number of other European programmes also relate to research - for example by supporting the development of collaborations, making research-based expertise available for policymaking, or facilitating the uptake of research results. These include programmes such as Erasmus+, CERV, and the European Structural and Investment Funds, in particular the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF/EFRE), among others.

Seed funding to support the preparation of EU research proposals and to strengthen European cooperation can be applied for under the Europe Programme of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK).

The first point of contact for researchers planning European and international projects is the EU Liaison Office Hannover/Hildesheim. For administrative questions and budget planning during proposal preparation, please contact Stefanie Hankel (Research and Transfer Services), who also provides administrative support for approved EU projects at the University of Hildesheim. For certain funding lines, additional contact points are available (e.g. EFRE/ERDF: “Strukturfondsbeauftragte”; Erasmus+ mobility: International Office). The Research and Transfer Services team will be happy to help you identify the appropriate support unit.

Application route: As a rule, EU funding programmes require a legally binding signature from the University Executive Board, at the latest at the grant agreement stage. In some cases, funding is available only on a co-funding basis, requiring an institutional own contribution. As with funding programmes of federal and state ministries, internal financial approvals should therefore be obtained already during proposal preparation. The legally binding signature is arranged via Research and Transfer Services. Please contact Stefanie Hankel at an early stage to receive advice on the formal steps and on other units that need to be involved, and to coordinate the timeline and any support needs.

International cooperation is supported by funding organisations in Germany through individual and project-based funding. It includes funding lines for research stays and visiting lectureships, for events and networking, and in some cases also for project-based partnerships.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers a wide range of research-related funding opportunities for researchers from Germany and abroad after the doctoral degree, as well as for higher education institutions, with the aim of strengthening their international networks. Suitable programmes can be identified via the DAAD scholarship database and the calls for proposals for project-funding schemes.

The Humboldt Foundation (AvH) supports research cooperation between excellent researchers from Germany and abroad across all disciplines through a variety of individual funding instruments, and supports former fellows and awardees by maintaining a worldwide network.

The DFG, the federal government, selected other foundations, and the Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture (MWK) also offer seed-funding schemes to initiate international cooperation—either on a regular basis or through targeted calls for proposals with a regional and thematic focus.

Research and Transfer Services will be happy to advise you on internationally oriented research projects. The International Office is the general point of contact for mobility programmes.