The Humanities and Social Sciences in 'Dual Use': New Call for Proposals
Jonas Willingstorfer für VolkswagenStiftung
The Volkswagen Foundation’s new call focuses on the question of how concepts from the humanities and social sciences are transferred to other contexts and utilised there for political or ideological purposes – for example, to undermine trust in science, the media or the institutions of democratic society. The application deadline is 6 October 2026, online Q&As on 11 August and 8 September
Concepts from the humanities and social sciences often have an impact that extends far beyond the academic context. But what happens when theories and conceptual frameworks are taken out of their original context and used for other, unintended purposes?
In the natural and engineering sciences, the term ‘dual use’ is well established. With the call for proposals NEXT – 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social Sciences, the Volkswagen Foundation is now offering researchers the opportunity to apply this concept to ideas from the humanities and social sciences. The new call for proposals is part of the NEXT funding programme, through which the foundation is exploring new, future-oriented topics.
The focus is on cases in which concepts are taken out of context, exaggerated and used for anti-liberal, anti-scientific or anti-democratic purposes. For example: the epistemological insight that knowledge is also socially constructed is reduced to the sweeping claim that everything is merely a matter of opinion. This creates the impression that scientific findings are arbitrary – and that science and the media as a whole are untrustworthy.
Dr Pierre Schwidlinski, Program Director at the Volkswagen Foundation: "When key concepts from the humanities and social sciences are taken out of context and used for ideological purposes, this affects both academia and democracy. With our new call for proposals, we are creating space for risk-taking research that brings these mechanisms to light and identifies ways in which we can discuss complex ideas responsibly."
The Foundation is providing funding in three areas:
- It supports exploratory basic research that reveals where and under what conditions such repurposing occurs and what mechanisms underpin it.
- It creates space for reflection within the philosophy of science on how theory-building can take into account its potential impacts beyond the realm of science, without restricting the freedom of research and teaching.
- And it seeks to stimulate science communication that conveys complex concepts in an accessible way, without oversimplifying them.
General conditions and deadlines
Under this call for proposals, the Foundation is funding collaborative projects lasting up to two years with grants of up to 650,000 euros. Project teams comprising researchers with a PhD from German universities and research institutions are eligible to apply; international collaborations are permitted.
For further details, the Foundation is offering online Q&A sessions on 11 August 2026 and 8 September 2026. The deadline for applications is 6 October 2026.
Further information can be found at NEXT – 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social Sciences.
