Newsroom

The Volkswagen Foundation’s new call focuses on the question of how concepts from the humanities and social sciences are transferred to other contexts and utilised there for political or ideological purposes – for example, to undermine trust in science, the media or the institutions of democratic society. The application deadline is 6 October 2026, online Q&As on 11 August and 8 September

In 2025, the Volkswagen Foundation was once again able to support promising ideas within the German research landscape with a total grant allocation of 310 million euros. Here you will find all the figures, data and facts from our 2025 Annual Report.

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.

The programme is aimed at professors at US universities who are conducting research on the future of democracy, fundamental rights and academic freedom, or the future of transatlantic relations and who would like to work simultaneously in both the USA and Germany for a period of three years. Applications can be submitted at any time, Online Q&A session for host institutions on 25 June (registration required)

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.

With the programme "Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown", the Foundation supports groundbreaking and risky research ideas with high scientific relevance. Online Q&A: 16 July, deadline for short proposals: 27 August 2026