FAQ

Both lines are currently suspended due to the cuts in the higher education sector in Hesse, see Executive Board resolution P/685 of 15.09.2025 on the internal resolution server.

Contacting Research Support is not mandatory, but nevertheless advisable so as to gauge your chances of success. Besides the quality of your proposal, several other factors influence funding success, viz. the amount of funding still available, as the funding lines "Project" and "Co-op" have annual caps.

The time runs from the point specified in the funding guidelines:

• "Postdocs within the first 6 years after the defence/viva": If, for example, your PhD defence/viva took place on 1 May 2022, the 6 years of eligibility to apply run until 30 April 2028 inclusive.
• "Professors within the first 5 years after taking up their post in Kassel": If you took up your professorship at the University of Kassel in Oct 2022, for example, you are eligible to apply until Sept 2027 inclusive.
• "Professors within the first 10 years after taking up their first lifetime professorship": If you took up your first lifetime professorship in April 2018 (e.g. after successfully completing your tenure track evaluation), e.g. at the University of Hamburg, and moved to a professorship in Kassel in 2022, you are eligible to apply until March 2028 inclusive.

In general, APL professors are also allowed to submit applications if they are entrusted with independent research and teaching tasks according to § 32 para. 4 HHG. However, we would ask you to contact the Research Support team before submitting an application.

No, according to the administrative regulations of the Federal Travel Expenses Act (§10 BRKGVwV), these types of costs are explicitly excluded and can therefore neither be applied for nor reimbursed via ZFF funds. Instead, support for taking children along on travel for business is provided within the framework of the Federal Equal Opportunities Act: Mobility Fund for Academics with Family Responsibilities at the University of Kassel.

ZFF receives many applications and is therefore oversubscribed. For this reason, we currently advise against submitting an application as long as you still have another ZFF grant running.

ZFF money can be used for project coordination, as this is not provided by other internal or external services.

The proposals are submitted via Converis, the format of the proposal results from the online mask.

All departments, including the School of Art and Design, are represented within the Research Commission. For more information on the Research Commission and their meeting schedule, please visit the following link.

Altogether usually 6 to 12 weeks depending on the funding line and the scheduling of committee and board meetings in a given year. The Research Committee usually discusses the submitted proposals within 2-3 weeks after the respective deadline and, possibly after a second selection round, proposes projects to the Presidential Board for funding.

Research at the University of Kassel is often interdisciplinary so that the assignment of the proposal to a department does not automatically imply a clear disciplinary affiliation. Your choice of a sub-commission will help the Research Commission to classify which members are best suited to discuss your proposal and present it to the other members of the commission. Proposals in the "Project" and "Coop" funding lines are discussed within the respective subcommittees and presented to the remaining commission members with a funding recommendation. Proposals in the funding lines "Individually qualified", "Pilot" and "Focus" will be intensively reviewed by one commission member close to the subject area and one that is further removed from the subject area. It is then discussed by all members before the entire commission agrees on a funding recommendation.

The two sub-committees are in contact with each other through the Research Commission meetings. The final recommendation for funding is made by the full Research Commission based on recommendations by the sub-committees. If it becomes evident during the discussion of the proposal that it would be better to have it reviewed by the other sub-committee, this will be taken into account in the review process, although this may lead to a delay in the decision-making process.

The aim of the funding line "Individually Qualified" is to promote proposals for excellence and junior group leader programs. During the review, it is also checked whether the proposal for the planned third-party-funded project is promising. Since all programs have their own requirements for applicants, it is advisable to identify a funding line in advance and shaping the proposal accordingly. Alternative funding opportunities can also be identified.

No, funding is only possible for use at the University of Kassel, as the funds are assigned to a cost center in your department. The goal of the Central Research fund (ZFF) is to promote researchers at the University of Kassel.

In this case, unfortunately, funding is not possible. The budget has to be used to support researchers at the University of Kassel.

Neither the low funding level of up to €12,000 per project nor the project duration of 12 months is suitable for supporting doctoral candidates. Funding is therefore limited to short-term measures to support preparation for a third-party proposals, such as the support of research work by student assistants, the piloting of research methods or presentation of the research idea at professional conferences.

Yes, members of the School of Art and Design can also apply for the "Project" funding line; due to subject-specific alternative postgraduate formats, a PhD isn't a necessary requirement. However, the proposed project must aim at raising third-party funds for further research, and the applicant must be eligible to apply with the targeted third-party funding organisation. Both aspects should be clearly stated in the application.