Funders German Research Foundation

General information

The guide describes the most important rules and procedures for third-party funding at Heidelberg University.

Administrative guide to research funding

About the process

There are DFG contacts for the various subject areas. Two reviewers evaluate the proposal and the head of the relevant review board reaches a decision based on these evaluations. In special cases, such as for funding in excess of 130,000 euros, the proposal is forwarded to the Joint Committee of the DFG.

What is approved?

By no means do all proposals submitted to the DFG get approved. The original idea alone does not suffice. A clear concept – unique hypothesis and specific knowledge to be gained – is, of course, a basic prerequisite. Many applicants find developing a sound work plan difficult. Scheduling and resource requirement estimates must be realistic. Requesting too little funding can also be a mistake.

Initial funding

For initial funding of collaborative research centres, the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts (MWK) awards funding on request of a maximum of 50,000 euros, for research training groups and research units a maximum of 30,000 euros. For additional information, please contact the Heidelberg Research Service.

Submission process

We strongly recommend that you contact the project manager for your department at the Heidelberg Research Service early on. All documents requiring signature by the rectorate must be submitted through the Research Division in a timely fashion (at least two weeks prior to the DFG application deadline).
Please note: Since 6 January 2017, draft proposals for Research Training Groups have been submitted via the elan portal, which is also used for proposals in DFG individual grant programmes.