Apply now with your symposium: With a themed week in December 2024, the Volkswagen Foundation would like to contribute to making ideas and initiatives on digital competences in science more visible and to promote interdisciplinary and supra-regional exchange. The themed week is primarily aimed at applicants from core facilities, science management, libraries, technical services and administration. Deadline: May 7, 2024

Political scientist Andrea Binder wants to be sure that her research findings will stand up to a reality check – and attaches importance to having her conclusions heeded. To this end, she participates in intensive dialog with stakeholders.

Physicist Bianca Lim is responsible for strategic planning at the Institute for Solar Energy Research in Hamelin, keeping research "at the cutting edge". She wants to help bring the production of solar modules back to Germany.

With the program "Pioneering Research – Exploring the Unknown Unknown", the Foundation supports groundbreaking and risky research ideas with high scientific relevance. 

Current grantees of the Volkswagen Foundation can apply for additional support for innovative projects aimed at communicating science. Deadline for application is June 17, 2025.

The new call for proposals for "Pioneering Research - Exploring the Unknown Unknown" offers higher funding amounts and longer funding periods. Pavel Dutow and Theresa Greupner explain what has changed and who can apply. Application deadline for the program is Sept. 3, 2024.