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Our magazine IMPULSE 2026 paints a multifaceted picture of basic research: whether at sea, in virtual space or in the laboratory, basic research offers fascinating insights into the unknown. Read the articles on the researchers’ work online, download the magazine as PDF (in German) – or have a printed copy (in German) sent to you free of charge. 

Political scientist Daniel Ziblatt, historian Mariana Cândido and legal scholar Russell Miller are receiving funding from the Volkswagen Foundation under the "Transatlantic Bridge Professorships" programme.

Why is wealth increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few? The “Perspectives on Wealth” initiative is coming to an end after two calls for proposals – its 15 international projects, with a total budget of €38.3 million, have investigated how wealth shapes politics, society and inequality. Some  projects will continue until 2029

Why and how is the Volkswagen Foundation committed to basic research? A conversation with Henrike Hartmann, Head of Funding, and Hanna Denecke, Head of the Exploration Team.

The Volkswagen Foundation is one of a group of six founding foundations that have set up an own Mastodon instance, 'stiftungen.social'. Ten further foundations have already joined. 

Over the next three years at least, the Foundation’s reviewers will continue to be eligible to receive a grant of 10,000 euro by lottery. No application is required; participation is automatic upon undertaking the role of reviewer.