Strategic Experimental Spaces – University Development Requires Flexibility
Funding is provided for strategic concepts at universities in conjunction with the relevant ministries, within which new approaches are tested that previously could not be implemented due to legal or bureaucratic regulations. Next deadline: 10 September 2026; online Q&A on 2 July
With the new funding program, the Volkswagen Foundation supports scientists who conduct research on transformation processes and, with the help of their network, put their knowledge into practice. Next deadline for Fellowships in 2027
This is about the future of your research area: What is the current status? What prospects are there for further development - and how can they be realised? With the "Scoping Workshops" the foundation offers space for discussion and intensive exchange.
"Momentum" Initiative Provides Funding for Recently Tenured Professors
The Volkswagen Foundation supports professors three to five years after taking up their first tenured professorship at a university in Germany. The next application deadline: 6 April 2027
New Funding Programme: Calling for Europe's Security Experts of the Future
We are looking for the security experts of the future: The call is aimed at young postdoctoral researchers who do research on the nexus of security and technology with a distinct European perspective. Online Q&A: 9 April, application deadline: 5 May 2026
The Lower Saxony Ministry of Science and Culture and the Volkswagen Foundation are jointly seeking scientists who want to set up their own AI research group. Deadline: summer 2026
Manganese Nodules and Microorganisms: Life Fuelled by Radioactivity?
Radioactivity is generally considered harmful to life. Yet in manganese nodules in the deep sea, microorganisms might benefit from it. Or even live off it? This is the intriguing hypothesis that geoscientist Walter Geibert hopes to prove.
Climate Research Using Old Ship’s Logs: the Wind Leaves no Trace on the Sea
Did a volcanic eruption in 1783 shift the tropical rain belt? Old ship’s logs could provide the answer – and also shed light on the future climate for millions of people living around the equator.
