As a private research funding organization, we support researchers with creative ideas aimed at changing the world of science – something we have been doing for more than 60 years now. Our mission: We endow knowledge.

Visit our funding portfolio Who we are

We provide support in four profile areas

Bücherstapel

Understanding Research

Critically exploring and reflecting on the research system with a view to initiating positive change on areas such as career paths, governance, research and teaching.

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Androiden-Kopf mit technischen Geräten statt des Gehirns

Societal Transformations

Expanding knowledge about processes of transformation and developing possible courses of action together with stakeholders in civil society.

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Kompass

Exploration

Breaking into previously unexplored research territory with unconventional ideas and experimental approaches.

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hölzerner Schach-Springer (Pferd)

zukunft.niedersachsen

Funding program for top-level research in Lower Saxony.

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Inken Dworak-Schultz

Story

Pharmacy from the Rainforest: Remedies for the Mind

To the Article on Ethnopharmacologist Fabien Schultz

Events

  • Public event

Wed, 26 Aug 2026, 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

The Future of Postdocs in the German Research Ecosystem: Where Do We Stand One Year After the German Science and Humanities Council’s Position Paper?

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  • Expert meeting
  • Symposium

Wed, 26 Aug 2026, 1:00 p.m. to Fri, 28 Aug 2026, 1:00 p.m.

Postdocs and the Research Ecosystem: Shaping Sustainable Career Paths (Theme Week)

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Newsroom

Demonstranten mit großem Spruchband mit Text March for Science
News 05 August 2026

Protecting Academic Freedom: Study Recommends Four Strategies to Counter Authoritarian Policies

An authoritarian government can put pressure on universities and research institutions – because the state provides them with funding and regulates their organisation. In a study commissioned by the Volkswagen Foundation, legal scholar Christoph Möllers has examined where the German research system is vulnerable to political influence and how it can be better protected.

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An illustration showing a mirror, with a man in front of it reading a book; in the mirror, a man juggling letters
Funding Offer 03 August 2026

New Funding Offer: NEXT – 'Dual Use' of Ideas and Concepts from the Humanities and Social Sciences 

When scientific ideas are taken out of their original context, they can have unexpected effects. The Foundation supports research into such 'dual-use' effects in the humanities and social sciences. Deadline: 6 October 2026; online Q&A sessions on 11 August (in German) and 8 September (in English).

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