All institutes within the Leibniz Association are eligible to apply.

Applications are submitted via an electronic application system (e-system). The access data is given to the scientific institute directors, who can set up an expression of interest via their user account and then also invite other persons (usually the project leader and the main administrative contact) to create their own user accounts and further edit or submit the expression of interest. Full applications are also submitted via the e-system on the basis of submitted expressions of interest.

Each institute may submit one application (up to 1 million EUR) or two applications (together no more than 1 million EUR and each no less than 250,000 EUR) as lead institute. Furthermore, there is the possibility of budget partnerships (see below).

In addition, each institute may submit an application within the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors twice a year.

No, non-lead institutions may act as cooperation partners in several applications and also receive funding in the case of approval without this affecting their own application budget. (Exception: budget partnership).

A non-lead Leibniz Institute can contribute a share of its application budget in the sense of co-financing in order to underline the importance of the cooperation. The lower limit for this is 250,000 EUR. The maximum amount of 1 million EUR per application cannot be exceeded, even if budget partners are involved. A budget partnership relieves the application budget of the lead institute and enables it to submit further applications.

Yes. The Division Leibniz Competition Procedure must be informed immediately if an application for funding of the same project is submitted to or approved by another body, in order to prevent duplicate funding. Any parallel application for funding must be indicated when submitting the application.

Please submit a complete listing of cooperation partners along with your expression of interest. Please distinguish between close academic partners conducting their own research within the project and associated cooperation partners that will take on advisory and supporting functions. Funding can only be transferred to close academic partners listed in the expression of interest. It is not possible to transfer funds to cooperation partners named at a later point in time.

In the following cases documents for close academic partners are to be submitted with the full application. Submitting documents for associated cooperation partners is optional.

For academic partners in Germany uploading of further documents will not be required. However, a declaration of participation from the cooperation partner must be in your possession. Please be aware that you must have a declaration of participation from the legal (not: natural) person which meets the minimum formal requirements (in particular, it must contain a letterhead and signature) and contains a binding memorandum of understanding. The declarations of participation must be provided to the Leibniz Association at any time upon request.

Please note that, in general, no funding is to be transferred to international cooperation partners. For international cooperation partners please provide a letter of support including a confirmation that no funding from the Leibniz Competition will be transferred to the partner and, if applicable, a statement on contribution to project costs.  If transfer of funds to international cooperation partners is absolutely necessary in order for the project to be feasible, an appropriate explanation must be provided in a separate document. The SAW will decide individually on whether to approve funding.

For collaborations with commercial partners please provide a cooperation agreement using the DFG’s cooperation agreement template (form: FDG form 41.026, http://www.dfg.de/formulare/41_026/) as well as a confirmation that no funding from the Leibniz Competition will be transferred to the partner and, if applicable, a statement on contribution to project costs.

The DFG personnel rates are suitable as a guideline for calculation of personnel costs, but not mandatory. Please note that the Leibniz Association cannot subsequently grant any additional funding in the event of tariff increases, as the total funds approved are binding in their amount. Subsequent adjustments due to wage increases are possible provided they are financed by reallocating funds within the financial plan.

Yes. In addition to the direct costs, a program allowance of up to 20 percent may be requested for indirect costs. The total amount of direct and indirect costs must not exceed the maximum application amount as detailed under “How many applications may be submitted?”.

Yes, it is possible to submit applications for targeted measures to combine family life with an academic career in the framework of the Leibniz Competition. The measures financed in this way should contribute to reinforcing family-friendly working conditions in research.

For childcare measures the following applies: Primary childcare must already be in place. Financial support for childcare is usually only available for additional offers that fall outside the normal opening hours of daycare facilities and where the parents themselves are unable to care for their children for project-related reasons.

No money may be paid to the parents directly. The so-called Besserstellungsverbot must be observed. This regulation, which is anchored in budgetary law, states that individuals supported in the framework of the Leibniz Competition may not be better paid than individuals paid according to the locally valid collective bargaining law, including collectively-agreed bonuses.

The costs for childcare may not exceed four percent of the total amount stated in the respective application.

For the first round of the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors 2024 the e-system will be made available on 1 September 2022.

For the second round of the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors as well as the other funding programmes in the Leibniz Competition 2024 the e-system will be made available on 1 March 2023.

The Leibniz institutes will be informed in advance about the application procedure.

For the first round of the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors 2024 please note the following deadlines:

Expression of interest in applying: 30 September 2022

Submissions deadline for submitting the completed applications: 30 October 2022

Senate session: 4 July 2023

Funding of the approved projects begins: not before 1 August 2023

For the second round of the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors as well as the other funding programmes in the Leibniz Competition 2024 please note the following deadlines:

Expression of interest in applying: 30 March 2023

Submissions deadline for submitting the completed applications: 30 April 2023

Interviews for preselection (Leibniz Junior Research Groups only): summer 2023

Senate session: November 2023

Funding of the approved projects begins: not before 1 January 2024

The appointment procedure should be as advanced as possible, but as yet incomplete at the time of submitting the application. An appointment procedure is completed when the candidate assumes office.

The process should have reached a point at which both the university and the Leibniz institute have a discernible interest in successfully completing the appointment.

The Leibniz Association points out that proactive components within the appointment procedure are expressly desired (see also Leibniz Recruitment Standards).

No. In principle, applications from external candidates with a Leibniz Institute of their choice are also possible. External candidates are recommended to seek long-term matchmaking actions prior to the application in the form of a personal introduction or joint projects with the institute.

Funding starts earliest when the candidate assumes office. This must occur no later than 18 months after the effective date of the funding agreement.

No. The Leibniz Programme for Women Professors does not have an age limit and no restriction with regard to when the doctorate was obtained.

The Leibniz Association offers successful candidates in the Leibniz Programme for Women Professors participation in its Leadership Academy. Incurring participation fees will be reimbursed.

No. Child-rearing times are calculated at a fixed term of two years per child under the age of 12. Whether or not the candidate took parental leave is immaterial.

The co-financing amount must be at least 40% of the total costs. Co-financing amount of at least 0.7 million € must be provided in order to apply for the full central funds of 1 million €, so that total project costs of 1.7 million € can be covered. Indirect costs must be considered for the calculation.

Yes. The prerequisite for this is that the Leibniz institute contributes a total share of 40% of the funding for the project.

The date on the doctoral certificate is decisive.

Yes. The application is submitted to the Senate Competition Committee (SAW), which decides on whether or not to recommend the application's approval. In the case of two equally excellent applications, the SAW may give preference to a candidate who obtained their doctorate more recently.

The Leibniz Association offers successful candidates in the Leibniz-Junior Research Groups Programme participation in its Leadership Academy. Incurring participation fees will be reimbursed.

No. Child-rearing times are calculated at a fixed term of two years per child under the age of 12. Whether or not the candidate took parental leave is immaterial.

The co-financing amount must be at least 40% of the total costs. Co-financing amount of at least 0.7 million € must be provided in order to apply for the full central funds of 1 million €, so that total project costs of 1.7 million € can be covered. Indirect costs must be considered for the calculation.

Yes. The prerequisite for this is that the Leibniz institute contributes a total share of 40% of the funding for the project.

Selected applicants in the Leibniz Competition 2024 will be invited to present their project in person in summer 2023.

A project that enables innovations in the sense of an academic breakthrough, introduces fundamental changes in perspective or provides essential impulses for the development of a research field can be seen as a "high risk - high gain" project.
In addition, there are projects for which the innovative character derives from the type of cooperation and networking itself, whereby the intended research goals could not be achieved in any other way.

In addition to the presentation of the synergies and the academic added value of the planned networking, the financial plan of the collaborative project should show substantial participation of at least one other Leibniz Institute in addition to the applicant institute in the amount of at least 200,000€.

Yes. Funding can continue to be distributed by the lead Leibniz institute to national academic partners, such as universities based in Germany.

Cooperative projects can be funded within the scope of the Leibniz Competition. In the event of approval, the Leibniz Association enters into an agreement on the transfer of funds with the lead institute, which in turn enters into its own agreements on the transfer of funds with the cooperation partners that are supposed to receive funding according to the application.

This is to be distinguished from material costs that are paid for by the lead institute on an invoice basis, for example in case of freelance or service contracts; such payments are not considered to be transfers of funds.

Funds may only be transferred to partners outside of Germany in exceptional cases. A justification must be provided in the application and approved by the SAW.

Yes. International collaboration partners must generally pay their own costs. Declarations from the collaborating institutes regarding the extent to which they will share the costs of the joint project must be included in the application. If application transfer of funds to a foreign partner institution is essential to the project's feasibility, an appropriate explanation must be provided in a separate document. The SAW will decide individually on whether to approve funding.

Yes. However, the Leibniz institute submitting the application cannot request any funding for commercial partners as part of the Leibniz Competition. The guidelines for the use of funds prescribe that the collaboration agreement must follow the DFG template.
Please address all further questions regarding the application process to the Division Leibniz Competition Procedure.