Application and Selection Procedure: "Artificial Intelligence" Initiative

Within the framework of its inititive "Artificial Intelligence and the Society of the Future", the Volkswagen Foundation supports interdisciplinary research cooperations ("Full Grant"). In advance of submitting a full grant, the Foundation offers the option to apply for a "Planning Grant" with a duration of nine to twelve months and a maximum funding amount of EUR 150,000.

Have you already identified your project team and research topic? Click here to go directly to the Full Grant selection process.

1. Planning Grant – Orientation Phase (Optional)

The Planning Grants are used to build a project team, identify a joint topic, preparatory work and full grant application.

Submit the application online (3-page project description, short CVs, budget plan).

Pre-selection by the Volkswagen Foundation’s funding team: Which applications generally meet the program criteria and formalities?

Selection of the best projects (approx. 20) on the basis of short written evaluations by the review panel.

Upon approval: Start of the orientation phase to specify the project and to formulate the application for a Full Grant.

2. Full Grant – Research Project

The project team is made up of researchers from the engineering sciences and the social sciences or the humanities.

Submit the application online as a team (5-page project description, short CVs, time and work schedule, budget plan).

Pre-selection by the Volkswagen Foundation‘s funding team: Which applications generally meet the program criteria and formalities?

In a joint meeting, the review panel discusses the scientific quality of the pre-proposals and decides which teams reach the second stage of the selection procedure (submit full proposal and present project).

Selected teams submit the full proposal online (approx. 10-page project description, short CVs, time and work schedule, budget plan).

Following a project presentation, the review panel proposes to the Board of Trustees which projects should be supported.

The Board of Trustees reaches a decision.