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The Volkswagen Foundation is taking a key step towards improving working conditions in academia: in future, full-time positions for PhD candidates are set to become the norm in Germany. In this interview, Henrike Hartmann, Head of the Business Unit Funding, explains the new policy.

Through its "Momentum" funding programme, the Foundation creates space for new ideas within the professorship. It supports initiatives that enable professors to further develop their research and teaching and to establish new areas of focus. Current projects include biodegradable plastics, AI-supported learning in schools, and the question of how public authorities can remain effective during crises.

Through this funding programme, the Volkswagen Foundation supports radical, unconventional research ideas that lie outside the mainstream. New in 2026: Distributed Peer Review (DPR) will be used to select the best short proposals. Pavel Dutow and Theresa Kratzsch explain the process and offer tips for applicants. Deadline: 27 August; Online Q&A: 11 June and 16 July

The new Academic Freedom Index (AFI) report provides an overview of the state of academic freedom worldwide. The data suggests a link between the institutional autonomy of universities and the individual freedom of researchers. In the US, a comparative analysis reveals a dramatic decline in university autonomy.

In the face of innumerous crises, expectations placed on the scientific community are growing: it is expected to develop fact-based courses of action and contribute towards shaping workable solutions. The Foundation’s Change! Fellowships are designed to facilitate transdisciplinary research projects. But what counts when submitting an application, and which projects have already been approved? The programme directors Annabella Hüfler-Fick and Mona Weyrauch explain the requirements.

The work of the Volkswagen Foundation would not be possible without the help of experts from all over the world. They support us, for example, in generating ideas, developing new funding programmes and, last but not least, in reviewing funding applications.