A Foundation of Knowledge 02.2013 - VolkswagenStiftung

At the Marine Science Center in
Rostock, Prof. Dr. Guido Dehnhardt
and his team investigate the
sensory and orientation systems of
harbour seals.
A foundation for knowledge
The Volkswagen Foundation (VolkswagenStiftung) 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. In particular, the Foundation perceives its mission
in supporting aspiring young academics and in promoting
interdisciplinary and international collaboration.
Independent and autonomous
The foundation’s assets, amounting to about 2.3 billion
euros, are invested so as to obtain the optimum longterm
yield. The Foundation is economically independent and
autonomous in its decision-making. It is thus able to
provide funding in all branches of higher education and
research. Since its beginnings the Foundation has supported
more than 30,000 different projects, providing funding
to the tune of about 4 billion euros.
Providing new impetus
By constantly developing new funding initiatives the
Volkswagen Foundation injects impetus into the world of
research. This is achieved by drawing up initiatives which
direct attention to new areas, contents, and methods
of research and aim at improving the infrastructure for
research and higher education as well as international
cooperation. The current funding initiatives are listed on
the right side.
Applications
As a rule, applications are only accepted within the context
of current funding initiatives. Details on how to apply are
given in the respective “Information for Applicants” available
for each initiative. (Please see the Foundation’s website:
www.volkswagenstiftung.de)
Reviews are obtained from external experts prior to any
firm decision being made. The Foundation does not retain
referees on a regular basis, but, depending on the circumstances,
may seek such expert opinions from any source
and any discipline, also from abroad. For some funding
initiatives the Foundation is advised by a review panel.
The Foundation also supports projects outside the scope of
its funding initiatives – but only under certain wellfounded
circumstances. Before embarking on a lengthy application
it is advisable to contact one of the program managers first.
International cooperation
Applications submitted by institutions located outside
Germany should also relate to a specific funding initiative.
In addition, they must contain particulars of a previously
agreed-upon cooperation with academic institutions in
Germany. This cooperation may take various forms, e.g., of
joint studies, of tackling identical problems simultaneously
but with different approaches, and of mutual exchanges
between scientists or scholarship holders.
Eric Debrah Otchere (with headphones
and recorder) studies
various musical genres of West
Africa and their significance for
the African identities.
Funding Initiatives
• • • • • • •
Persons and Structures
Lichtenberg Professorships
Freigeist Fellowships
University of the Future
Research in Museums
Opus magnum
•• • • • • •
International Focus
Between Europe and the Orient – A Focus on
Research and Higher Education in/on Central
Asia and the Caucasus
Knowledge for Tomorrow – Cooperative
Research Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa
Europe and Global Challenges
Post-doctoral Fellowships in the Humanities at
Universities and Research Institutes in Germany
and the U.S.
• • • • • • •
Challenges – for Academia and Society
Experiment! – In Search of Bold Research Ideas
Key Issues for Research and Society –
Integrative Projects in the Area of
Cultural Studies and Social Sciences
Integration of Molecular Components into
Functional Macroscopic Systems
Free-electron Laser Science: Peter Paul Ewald
Fellowships at LCLS in Stanford
European Platform for Life Sciences,
Mind Sciences, and the Humanities
Symposia and Summer Schools
• • • • • • •
Off the Beaten Track
• • • • • • •
Priority for Lower Saxony
(„Niedersächsisches Vorab“)
• • • • • • •
Communicating Science and Research