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.
Funding portfolio
We focus our funding activities on selected initiatives. By means of these initiatives, we endeavor to provide effective stimuli for research and to establish forward-looking topics.
-
Pioneer Projects – Impetus for the German Research System
The funding offer addresses active researchers who, in addition to their research activities, would like to explore a project idea for the further development (of a specific area) of the German research system, as well as academic administrators at universities and research institutions in Germany.
-
area of research: all disciplines
-
up to 500,000 Euro
-
-
Thematic week: Human rights in times of multiple challenges – perspectives from science and society
Researchers at German universities and research institutions (all career stages after the doctorate) can apply.
-
area of research: Humanities and social sciences
-
aimed at researchers at German universities/research institutes, possibly intl. co-applicants
-
-
Researching Research: Summer Schools & Workshops
The program addresses scholars from diverse disciplinary backgrounds working on questions or topics relating to research on research.
-
area of research: disciplines conducting research on research
-
type of funding: summer schools and workshops
-
-
Opus Magnum
The funding offer is aimed at outstanding professors from the humanities and social sciences.
-
area of research: humanities, cultural studies and social sciences
-
type of funding: funding of a substitute professorship
-
-
Circularity with recycled and biogenic resources
The current call within the funding line 'Collaborative projects' of this initiative is primarily targeted at the natural sciences and engineering.
-
area of research: natural sciences, engineering
-
type of funding: research projects
-
-
Open Up – New Research Spaces for the Humanities and Cultural Studies
The funding initiative addresses teams of two or three researchers who aim to explore new and original research spaces.
-
area of research: humanities and cultural studies, theoretical social sciences
-
type of funding: research projects; funding of a teaching substitute
-
-
Momentum – Funding for Recently Tenured Professors
The funding offer is aimed at professors three to five years after taking up their first tenured professorship at a university in Germany.
-
area of research: all disciplines
-
type of funding: concepts for the broadening of perspectives
-
-
zukunft.niedersachsen: Research Cooperation Lower Saxony – Israel
Funding is provided for scientifically outstanding projects conducted jointly by researchers from Israel and Lower Saxony.
-
area of research: Natural Sciences, Engineerings Sciences and Mathematics (call 2023)
-
type of funding: research projects
-