With this programme, the foundation aims to support the proof of quantum effects in biological systems, thereby increasing the acceptance of this research field. We are looking for interdisciplinary project teams that are prepared to take on the challenge of overcoming the limitations of current approaches. Application deadline: 11 February 2025

The last projects in the Foundation's funding initiative 'Central Asia/Caucasus'  will soon come to an end. Other research funders, including the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, will follow up in the region – and the Foundation will be continuing its international funding activities with new topics. A discussion about the complementarity of private and public funding of projects that take place abroad. 

For calls with an application deadline after January 1, 2025, researchers who submit applications for project funding can at the same time apply for funds to improve equal opportunities. Such funds can be used for measures such as childcare, support for people with physical disabilities, awareness-raising workshops, or coaching.

Trained as a mechanical engineer, the Kampala-based researcher Peter W. Olupot has spent the last decade finding ways to produce affordable water purification systems using rice husks, a common byproduct of rice production.

Human societies transform the natural environment around them. If this impact is negative, it can increase infectious disease risk. Epidemiologist Joacim Rocklöv believes changing human behavior is critical to preventing pandemics from happening in the future. 

Lower Saxony's Science Minister Falko Mohrs takes over as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Volkswagen Foundation, Germany's largest private science funding organisation. The federal cabinet and the state government of Lower Saxony have appointed a total of three new members to the foundation's highest decision-making body.