The German Research Foundation (DFG) is a self-governed organization which funds and supports research in Germany. With a yearly funding volume of approximately EUR 3 billion, it is the largest provider of third-party funding in Germany and Europe. Funding is provided for individual projects, collaborative projects and infrastructure.
Information on the major funding and support programs offered by the DFG is provided here.
Collaborative Research Centers are interdisciplinary research associations of distinguished scientists and researchers at a single university which offer long-term funding and support (up to 12 years). Transregional Collaborative Research Centers may include up to three universities. Collaborative Research Centers promote excellent interdisciplinary research, the formation of priorities and structures at the applicant university and support junior researchers and equal opportunity measures.
Research Training Groups support junior researchers by providing training for doctoral candidates within an interdisciplinary, focused research program and a structured training strategy. In International Research Training Groups, researchers at a German university collaborate with a partner research group in another country.
Research Units are established for medium-term joint work on a specific research task by several distinguished scientists. The aim is to achieve research results that go well beyond the individual grant programs and to establish new approaches, as appropriate.
Centers for Advanced Studies in the Humanities and Social Science are specifically designed for projects in these disciplines. This funding model is suitable for comparatively open and experimental questions. Interdisciplinarity is not mandatory.
Clinical Research Units offerfunding for translational clinical research. They support collaboration between clinicians and scientists in disease- and patient-orientated basic research and the development of research priorities at medical institutions.
The DFG offers various programs for researchers with a doctoral degree. The funding options for research fellowships and temporary positions for principal investigators are aimed at junior researchers. The Emmy Noether and Heisenberg programs are designed for postdoctoral researchers, preparing them for a professorship and a position in scientific management.
