Our Funding Portfolio
The Volkswagen Foundation is dedicated to the support of the humanities and social sciences as well as science and technology in higher education and research. It funds research projects in path-breaking areas and provides assistance to academic institutions for the improvement of the structural conditions for their work.
We provide support in four profile areas
Funding portfolio
We support future-oriented topics with our funding offers.
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Opus Magnum
Learn moreThe funding offer is aimed at outstanding professors from the humanities and social sciences.
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area of research: humanities, cultural studies and social sciences
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type of funding: funding of a substitute professorship
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zukunft.niedersachsen: Lower Saxony Impulse Professorship
Website zukunft.niedersachsen.deThe "Lower Saxony Impulse Professorship" addresses academics approaching the end of their early career phase up to a maximum of ten years after completing their doctorate.
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area of research: all
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type of funding: additional equipment, if necessary a separate position
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Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown
Learn moreThe funding offer addresses outstanding post-doctoral researchers and professors universities and research institutes in Germany, international cooperation partners are possible.
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area of research: all disciplines
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up to 1.3 million Euro
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Circularity with recycled and biogenic resources
Learn moreThe current call within the funding line 'Collaborative projects' of this initiative is primarily targeted at the natural sciences and engineering.
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area of research: natural sciences and engineering, if required social sciences
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type of funding: research projects
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Perspectives on Wealth: Repercussions of Wealth
Learn moreThe call is aimed at (inter-)national research consortia, collaborations with partners from LMICs are preferable, transdisciplinary consortia possible.
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area of research: Humanities, cultural and social sciences, economics (lead); cooperations with natural, life, data and technical science possible
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type of funding: (inter-)national cooperation projects with up to five partners
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Momentum – Funding for Recently Tenured Professors
Learn moreThe funding offer is aimed at professors three to five years after taking up their first tenured professorship at a university in Germany.
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area of research: all disciplines
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type of funding: concepts for the broadening of perspectives
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Lower Saxony – Scotland Research and Innovation Scheme: Stream II – Excellence Track
Website zukunft.niedersachsen.deThe programme provides Lower Saxonian and Scottish higher education institutions and their researchers with an opportunity to conduct joint research to lay the foundation for successful third-party funding bids, in particular Horizon Europe.
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area of research: all topics, particularly energy (transformation), life sciences, educational sciences, mobility and its transformation as well as security policy
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type of funding: cooperative research projects
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Night Science – Space for the Creative Mind
Learn moreThe funding programme is aimed at interdisciplinary tandems of two scientists who are open to unconventional approaches and have the desire to develop and implement innovative ideas for their research.
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area of research: Natural, Life and Engineering Sciences (excluding medical sciences)
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type of funding: Promotion of scientists’ creativity in tandems + obligatory support programme with three workshops
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