The programme addresses transdisciplinary teams of researchers from the humanities, cultural or social sciences and partners outside of academia who jointly work on different ideas and issues relating to democracy in transition. Questions about the funding programme? Visit one of our online consultation hours. Deadline: 9 September 2025

Election victories for authoritarian parties, demonstrations against the right, Fridays for Future and increasing populism: democracies in Europe are coming under pressure. The "ProDem" project has analysed the impact of protest movements on the development of democracy in six European countries.

Liberal democracy is a basic prerequisite for a scientific landscape with independent freedom of research. But how can we protect our democratic structures? And what dangers are they exposed to? Ten newly funded research projects are dedicated to these and other highly topical questions of democracy research.

Disinformation, media fragmentation, instrumentalization of science – how can the facticity crisis be countered? One of the central research questions at the Rhine Ruhr Center for Science Communication Research (RRC).

The Munich Science Communication Lab is dedicated to the research topic "Planetary Health", which considers the health of both the planet and its human population.

Is it possible to address the topic of artificial intelligence with objectivity and free of emotion? Researchers at the RHET AI Center are investigating the interests and images that shape the social perception and discourse surrounding the technology.