Newsroom

News 03 March 2021

The Volkswagen Foundation’s new funding strategy

The Volkswagen Foundation is realigning its funding strategy, with the three profile areas "Exploration", "Understanding Research – Evaluation and Science Practice", and "Societal Transformations", as well as the cross-sectional area "Science in Society".

News 18 February 2021

Freigeist Fellowships: 12.2 million euros for nine exceptional research personalities

Nine early career scientists have been awarded prestigious Freigeist Fellowships for their daring projects. A Freigeist Fellowship offers creative minds maximum freedom and a clear time perspective for their research.

Henrike Hartmann und Georg Schütte
Interview 16 February 2021

"Swimming ahead of the tide"

The Foundation develops a radical new take on the future: and asks its researchers to do the same. A talk on strategy with Georg Schütte and Henrike Hartmann.

Dr. Cora Schaffert-Ziegenbalg und Dr. Selahattin Danisman betreuen die Förderinitiative.
Interview 12 January 2021

Global health in times of high mobility

Green light for 15 projects under the global call for interdisciplinary research on "Mobility – Global Medicine and Health Research". The following interview surrounds first experiences with a funding offer that has unintentionally become topical in the wake of the corona pandemic.

News 15 December 2020

Artificial Intelligence and the Society of the Future: 12 million euros of funding

The Volkswagen Foundation has approved a total of around 12 million euros for eight interdisciplinary and international research networks in the social and the engineering sciences that share an integrative focus on the field of artificial intelligence (AI) and society. The aim of this funding initiative is to strengthen interdisciplinary and trans-national research on socially responsible approaches to the further development of AI systems.

Interview 07 December 2020

When science fails: "You might as well spare yourself the effort!"

Science, too, has its share of failures and mistakes. But nobody likes to talk about it in public. The Journal of Unsolved Questions takes a completely different approach. It publishes zero results.

Illustration: Reproduktion von Reichtum
Story 14 May 2025

Politics and wealth: a lopsided alliance?

A small, rich minority is becoming increasingly wealthy. Eva Wegner and Miquel Pellicer ask: How does politics contribute to growing economic inequality – and whose interests do MPs actually represent?

Eine Frau, die aufmerksam zuhört
Story 06 March 2025

So that everyone can have their say: Citizens' assembly on AI research

Rhetoric expert Anika Kaiser researches how people can make themselves heard on the major issues of our time – artificial intelligence (AI) being a case in point. She is the right person to take care that this grassroots democratic process does not remain too detached from reality: in her first life, she trained as a painter.