19.05.2026

DFG: Preparing for Tomorrow – Societies and Strategies in Times of Transition

Deadline: 8 July 2026

In a time of profound global uncertainty – shaped by climate change, pandemics, geopolitical tensions, economic disruption, technological transformation and epistemic challenges – the call will support innovative, transnational social sciences and humanities (SSH) research that strengthens society’s capacity to anticipate, understand and respond to future challenges and opportunities.
The Preparing for Tomorrow call will fund collaborative research that advances conceptual, empirical and normative understanding of how societies envision, prepare for and respond to uncertain futures. It seeks to generate knowledge that supports resilient, inclusive and forward-looking strategies, and that informs policy and practice at local, national and international levels.
Proposals are invited from transnational research teams to address one or more of the following overarching themes:

• Uncertainty: sources, costs, communication and improvement
• The many faces of the future and crisis: historical, cultural and regional perspectives
• Scope and coordination of response strategies
• Normative inquiry into prevention and preparation for future crises

Research may draw on a wide range of disciplinary, interdisciplinary, theoretical, methodological and applied approaches within SSH, including qualitative, quantitative, mixed-methods, historical and future-oriented methodologies.

The call will:

• Support international and interdisciplinary collaboration across countries on both sides of the Atlantic and beyond.
• Encourage engagement with policymakers, communities and other stakeholders.
• Promote diversity within research teams, including the involvement and development of early career researchers.
• Address both risks and opportunities arising from societal, political, technological and environmental change.

Please submit a compulsive letter of intent to the DFG as call secretariat by 8 July 2026 and the proposal by 28 October 2026. Letters of intent and proposals are to be submitted solely via the elan portal in order to ensure proposal-related data is recorded and documents are securely transmitted.

The DFG strongly welcomes proposals from researchers of all genders and sexual identities, from different ethnic, cultural, religious, ideological or social backgrounds, from different career stages, types of universities and research institutions, and with disabilities or chronic illness.

Further information:
https://www.dfg.de/de/aktuelles/neuigkeiten-themen/info-wissenschaft/2026/ifw-26-26 

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