The Central Research Fund (ZFF)
The different funding lines at a glance:
| Goals | The funding line Coop encourages interdisciplinary collaboration by the faculties with the Kunsthochschule. |
| Focus | This funding line targets projects from which opportunities for a long-term collaboration arise. |
| Target Group | All researchers at the University of Kassel who are planning an interdisciplinary project in collaboration with the Kunsthochschule are eligible to apply. At least one PI must be a member of the Kunsthochschule. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 10,000 €, which can be used for material and travel costs as well as hiring student assistants. The maximum funding duration is one year. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via Converis. |
| Deadline | 1 May, and in case there are remaining funds, a second deadline is possible for 1 November |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Project is intended to support researchers in preparing a proposal for individual third-party funding |
| Focus | This funding line targets projects with chances of submitting a promising individual third-party funding proposals. |
| Target Group | All researchers of the University of Kassel, in particular researchers in the second and third qualification phase (R2+R3) are eligible to apply. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 10,000 €, which can be used for material and travel costs as well as hiring student assistants. The maximum funding duration is one year |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via Converis. |
| Deadline | 1 May / 1 November |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Individually Qualified supports applicants who are preparing promising proposals for individual excellence-oriented junior researcher programs (such as DFG-Emmy Noether, ERC SG). |
| Focus | This funding line targets projects with chances to submit a promising proposal for the above-mentioned programs. |
| Target Group | All researchers currently in their second and third qualification phase (R2+R3) are eligible for funding who would like to locate their third-party funded project at the University of Kassel. Only members of the University of Kassel can apply for the first preparatory year. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 20,000 € for the preparatory year, and it can be used for material and travel costs as well as student assistants. The funding duration is one year. Individually qualified (Success): In case the third party funding is approved, additional funding of up to 200,000 € can be made available. This funding can be used flexibly for staff or material costs within the funded project. The funding can also be used to secure the contract of the applicant after the external funding period; the decision on how the funds are spend must be made in advance. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via Converis. Individually qualified (Success): External applicants, who would like to apply for the 200,000 € are asked to contact the Research Support. |
| Deadline | Proposals for the preparatory year can be submitted until 15 May and 15 October. Individually qualified (Success): The application for the additional funding should be submitted before the third-party proposal is handed in. |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Pilot supports projects and Blue Sky initiatives and aims for opening up fundamentally new and under-researched areas that lie outside existing research directions or scientific paradigms. |
| Focus | This funding line targets innovative, under-studied topics and is intended to seed a promising third-party proposal. |
| Target Group | All professors of the University of Kassel are eligible for funding. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 100,000 € and can be used for staff, travel and material. The funding duration is between 6 and 18 months. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via Converis. |
| Deadline | 15 May / 15 October |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Cluster supports collaborative projects that advance the thematic focus in line with the University of Kassel's development plan and thus contribute to the medium-term excellence capability. |
| Focus | This funding line targets projects, which aim for submitting a funding draft for a collaborative proposal (SFB/GRK/TRR) within the last year of funding. |
| Target Group | All professors of the University of Kassel can apply when aiming for a collaborative research project with the University of Kassel as lead institution. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 70,000 € per year and can be used for staff, travel and material. Project duration is between 18 and 36 months. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via Converis. |
| Deadline | 15 May / 15 October |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Bridge supports initiatives that have been invited to submit a full proposal for a collaborative research project (GRK/SFB/TRR) in order to foster the evaluation and – if applicable – a quick project start. |
| Focus | This funding line targets projects that aim for developing a full proposal for a collaborative research initiative. |
| Target Group | All professors of the University of Kassel can apply when aiming for a collaborative research project with the University of Kassel as lead institution. |
| Scope | The maximum funding sum is 150,000 €, which can be spent on staff, travel and material costs. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted to the Research Support directly together with the invitation to submit a full proposal of the third-party funding organisation. |
| Deadline | A submission is possible at any time. |
| Selection criteria |
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| Goal | The funding line Focus supports collaborative initiatives in enhancing draft proposals through external coaching and thus promotes coherence in the proposal. |
| Focus | The aim of this funding line is to arrange workshops with external coaches to promote group cohesion and draft writing. |
| Target Group | Professors of the University of Kassel intending to write a collaborative research proposal are eligible for the funding. |
| Scope | Maximum funding is 5,000 € and can be spent on coaching, seminars or travel costs. |
| Submission | The proposal is submitted via the Research Support with reference to existing work. |
| Deadline | A submission is possible at any time. |
| Selection criteria |
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Decision procedure
The Research Committee deliberates on all funding applications – with the exception of the program lines Bridge and Focus. For projects in the funding lines Pilot and Cluster, a personal presentation to the committee by the PIs of the proposal is necessary in order to give the committee members the opportunity to ask questions. Following the review, the committee submits a funding recommendation for each program line to the University's Presidential Board. Once the Presidential Board has taken a formal decision to award the grant, the project may commence.
For all procedures advised by the committee, the Research Support prepares short reports, which are made available to the applicants via the research information portal Converis.
Reporting requirement
Funding from the ZFF is associated with a reporting obligation. For one-year projects, a report must be submitted on the research information portal Converis after the end of the funding period. For projects with a duration of 12+ months, annual interim reports are mandatory with further funds only to be released once the report on the previous year has been received. A reminder to submit the annual or final report is automatically released via Converis.