The Foundation supports future-oriented topics with funding offers.
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.
The Foundation provides support in four profile areas:
- Societal Tranformations: Expanding knowledge about processes of transformation and developing possible courses of action together with stakeholders in civil society.
- Exploration: Breaking into previously unexplored research territory with unconventional ideas and experimental approaches.
- 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.
Eligibility: In principle, scientific institutions from abroad can submit an application for funding. Their applications must refer to a specific funding initiative and also contain details about the previously agreed cooperation with researchers in Germany. In many funding initiatives, the German scientific institution is required to take the lead.
All applicants must have completed their doctorate. In individual calls it may also be sufficient that they have already submitted their dissertation. The details of such an exception can be found in the information documents of the corresponding call.
More Information to the specific funding initiative can be found on the website of the foundation.