• Applications may be submitted by university lecturers with a permanent appointment who wish to initiate a joint application as designated spokesperson or coordinator.
• Special requirements are placed on the spokesperson with regard to professional expertise, experience in project management, including externally funded projects, as well as integration and leadership skills.
• Applicants may submit a maximum of one application per call.
• Repeated submission of a (rejected) application is not possible.

The following funds can be applied for to support the submission of coordinated collaborative proposals to the DFG, EU, federal and state ministries and foundations:

• Personnel resources for coordination (50% E13)
• Material resources (workshops, travel expenses, printing costs, translations, etc.)
• Auxiliary staff for preparatory work - (see calculation tool for auxiliary staff)

The funds can be used flexibly and can only be used once, either for the outline or for the initial application.

The preparation of follow-up applications is not eligible for funding.

The prerequisite for funding is that the University of Siegen is the speaker or co-speaker university or the coordinating university. The funds can only be used once, either for the outline or for the application, and are available for 12 months.

Collaborative Research Center (SFB) or Transregio (TRR)

• 50% E13 position for 12 months (max. € 40,000)
• Up to 5,000 € material resources

Research Training Group (GRK)

• 50% E13 position for 6 months (max. € 20,000)
• Up to € 5,000 in kind

Research groups (FOR)

• 50% E13 position for 6 months (max. € 20,000)
• Up to € 5,000 in kind

EU - HORIZONT Europe:
individually agreed

Federal and state ministries (with at least 3 applicants from the University of Siegen):
individually agreed

Applications must be submitted electronically to the Prorectorates for Research, Infrastructure and Networking and comprise two documents:

1. Data sheet with binding confirmation that the application will be submitted
2. Application according to the application template (max. 5 pages)

Please use only the templates provided for your application. Incomplete applications and applications that deviate from the templates cannot be considered.

The application template includes the following sections:

1. Application consortium
2. Concrete project outline
3. Current state of research, innovative content and own preliminary work
4. Structure and coherence of the consortium, incl. assignment of the applicants to sub-projects or areas of work and highlighting of expertise in the subject area of the application, if available, previous collaborations between the applicants
5. Contribution to building the profile of the University of Siegen
6. Timetable for submitting the application (taking into account internal procedures)
7. Cost plan and justification for the start-up funding
8. Performance profiles for each applicant

Applications are processed in the order in which they are received. Promising initiatives undergo the internal quality assurance procedures for coordinated collaborative projects following an internal review and, if necessary, prioritization.

The spokespersons of the applications present their projects in the form of a short presentation to the Research Commission and are then available to answer questions. The decision on the applications is based on four selection criteria:

1. Scientific innovation content: in particular, the scientific relevance and originality of the main topic or research idea and the work plan and timetable are to be assessed.
2. Qualification of the applicant group: Evaluation of the technical requirements for carrying out the project and the completeness of the thematic coverage. The prospects of success of a planned application for third-party funding should also be roughly assessed here.
3. Networking potential: The potential for new cooperation topics and/or constellations should be assessed.
4. Resources applied for and services to be agreed by the applicants: It must be checked whether the resources requested are appropriate for the services envisaged by the applicants.

In addition, the commission also takes into account subject-specific framework conditions. In a summarizing vote, the present application is considered in its entirety.