International consortium projects
Would you like to conduct joint research with scientists from abroad? Research projects in international collaborations can be funded by various funding bodies. The most important funding body for researchers from Germany is the European Union.
Comparison of funding providers
Application and innovation-oriented international collaborative research can be funded by ministries and the EU as well as through joint calls for proposals from various funding bodies. The calls for proposals have fixed submission deadlines and are subject-specific - whereby the topics of the various funding bodies are complementary. As a rule, at least three, and often significantly more, participants are involved in the projects. The participation of international and non-academic members is usually necessary. Details can be found in the specific call texts.
A good overview of funding for international consortium projects is provided by Kooperation international.
Funding profile (funding objective, target group)
Horizon Europe is the EU's central research and innovation programme (2021-2027) with the aim of strengthening scientific excellence and innovation, increasing Europe's competitiveness and addressing pressing societal challenges (including climate, health, digitalization). It is aimed at a wide range of stakeholders - universities, non-university research institutions, companies (including start-ups and SMEs), public institutions, NGOs and other organizations from Europe and associated and, in some cases, third countries.
Scope of funding
Around €95.5 billion is available for the period 2021-2027, structured in three pillars ("Excellent Science", "Global Challenges & Industrial Competitiveness", "Innovative Europe") and a cross-cutting component "Widening participation & ERA". Funding is provided for excellent individual research (ERC), mobility and qualification (MSCA), collaborative projects on thematic clusters, mission projects, partnerships and innovation-related instruments such as the European Innovation Council.
Eligibility and deadlines
As a rule, legally responsible organizations from EU member states and associated countries are eligible to apply; depending on the funding instrument, institutions from third countries or individual researchers (e.g. ERC, MSCA) may also be eligible to apply or participate. The submission deadlines are specified in the work programs and are published with specific cut-off dates in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
Special features
The Project Development and Management department will support you with project preparation and the search for suitable EU calls for proposals.
Application and selection procedure
Applications are submitted electronically via the Funding & Tenders Portal on the basis of the respective work programs and call texts; as a rule, one-stage or two-stage full proposals with a fixed structure are required. The selection is made in a competitive, international review process based on uniform criteria - excellence, impact, quality and efficiency of implementation - whereby only the best-rated projects are selected for funding and then contractually anchored in a grant agreement with the EU.
Funding profile
The DFG format "Initiation of International Collaborations" serves to initiate new scientific collaborations with foreign partners, not to implement already established joint projects. The modules available for this purpose are project preparation workshops, trips abroad and guest stays; traditional conferences, grants in kind or scientific networks are explicitly reserved for other programs.
Scope of funding
Funding is available for trips abroad by German researchers, guest stays by foreign partners in Germany (up to three months in each case) and project preparation workshops; the modules can be combined if they are closely related in terms of time. The funding runs for a maximum of 12 months from the date of approval, within which all measures must be implemented, and can be co-financed by foreign partner organizations if necessary.
Application eligibility and deadlines
Doctoral researchers working in the German academic system are eligible to apply; for members of non-university research institutions, supplementary regulations apply in the information sheet. There are no application deadlines: applications can be submitted at any time.
Application and selection procedure
Proposals are submitted electronically via the DFG portal elan using the specific forms and information sheets for the program. The review process follows the regular multi-stage DFG procedure: written peer review reports, evaluation by review boards and subsequent funding decision by the responsible DFG bodies/main committee on a competitive basis.
Funding profile
Interreg is an EU cohesion policy funding instrument for European territorial cooperation that supports cross-border, transnational and interregional cooperation projects so that national borders do not hinder the development of regions. National, regional and local partners work together in defined cooperation areas (e.g. border regions between Germany and neighbouring countries) on projects relating to the environment, mobility, innovation, social issues and good governance, among other things. As TU Dortmund University is not located in a classic border region supported by Interreg funding line A, members of the university are more likely to be located in Interreg B funding lines, which support transnational cooperation, or funding line C, which supports cooperation networks to improve the effectiveness of existing instruments for regional development.
Scope of funding
Interreg is mainly funded by the ERDF and provides around €8.05 billion EU-wide for 2021-2027; the local programmes (e.g. Interreg Greater Region, Interreg Germany-Nederland) have their own budgets in the double-digit or triple-digit million range. Funding is provided on a pro rata basis for project-related costs - typically personnel, investments/infrastructure, material costs, events, communication and project management - with co-financing rates of up to 80%, supplemented by national/regional own funds.
Application eligibility and deadlines
As a rule, legal entities in the respective cooperation area (e.g. local authorities, universities, research institutions, associations, NGOs) that work together in cross-border consortia are eligible to apply; Interreg explicitly aims at joint programs, projects and networks of national, regional and local actors. The application deadlines are set by each Interreg program itself and published via project calls; there are therefore no uniform deadlines, but program-specific, sometimes multi-stage deadlines.
Application and selection procedure
Project applications are submitted in accordance with the requirements of the respective program - usually electronically via portals such as JEMS - and checked in terms of form and content by the Joint Secretariat or the managing authority. Monitoring/selection committees of the programs, which consist of program partners from the participating countries and select eligible projects according to defined criteria (e.g. contribution to the program priorities, cross-border added value, quality and budget appropriateness), decide on funding,