EU and International Research Funding

At JLU, researchers receive comprehensive information on international funding opportunities such as Horizon Europe, ERC, MSCA, and Fulbright, supported by tailored advice and services.

At an international level, funding from the European Union plays a particularly important role, implementing the political guidelines of the European Commission with the 9th Framework Program Horizon Europe. In addition to open-topic basic research in scientific excellence, topic-specific projects are also funded, particularly in areas of global challenges (i.e. environment, climate, digital change).

EU Collaborative Research

EU Flag

Quelle: colourbox.de

As part of the European program for research and innovation, Horizon Europe (2021-2027), the EU, through the European Commission, funds basic and pioneering research in the form of a wide range of research activities, including individual and collaborative projects, basic and applied research, as well as open and thematic projects. Central EU funding formats for early career researchers are the mobility and career development measures of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, which enable research stays in EU member states or associated member states, as well as the funding of outstanding individual projects according to the "high risk-high gain" principle as part of the European Research Council's (ERC) excellence funding. Calls for proposals in the six thematic clusters of the second program pillar "Global Challenges and European Industrial Competitiveness" are important for collaborative projects. With an even stronger focus on the economic application of research, the third program pillar "Innovative Europe" aims to make Europe a pioneer of market-creating, technological innovations via the European Innovation Council.

1. Horizon Europe: Horizon Europe is the EU's funding program for research and innovation and is structured in three program pillars (Scientific Excellence, European Industrial Competitiveness, Innovative Europe) as well as the funding area Increasing Participation and Strengthening the European Research Area.

2. European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT): The EIT is not a research institute in the traditional sense, but an administrative structure that uses the so-called Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) as an operational tool. A KIC is a highly integrated public-private partnership that brings together outstanding business enterprises, universities and research institutes in centers of excellence, so-called "co-location centers".

3 .EU4Health: EU4Health is the EU funding in the health sector with a budget of 5.3 billion euros for the period 2021-2027. The aim of the program is to make health systems stronger, more resilient and more accessible in order to be able to counter long-term health threats.

4 LIFE+: LIFE is the EU funding instrument for environmental, nature and climate protection. The LIFE program supports strategic projects that contribute to achieving the EU's nature conservation and biodiversity goals, improving the quality of the environment, and improving the quality of life.

5. Digital Europe: The Digital Europe program was created to support the digital transformation of European societies and economies in order to support the large-scale deployment of key digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence applications, supercomputers or advanced cybersecurity tools. A network of European digital innovation centers will provide public administrations and companies with access to technological expertise.

6 Connecting Europe Facility: The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is the EU funding program for the creation and expansion of modern and efficient trans-European networks in the areas of transport, energy and digital infrastructures. The objectives of the program are to improve connectivity, close gaps in cross-border connections and promote sustainable, climate-friendly and safe mobility.

7. Innovation fund under the European Emissions Trading System (EU ETS): The resources for the innovation fund come from the auctioning of 450 EU emissions trading allowances during the period 2020 - 2030 as well as from unspent funds from the expiring NER300 program for innovative low-carbon technologies. The aim of the innovation fund is to bring high technologies and pioneering industrial innovations for reducing CO2 emissions to the market. Funding is provided for demonstration projects in the fields of renewable energies, carbon capture, utilization and storage, energy storage and projects in energy-intensive industries.

8 ERASMUS+: By dovetailing higher education, research and innovation, synergies between Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ can be achieved. This can be achieved, for example, through joint strategies for education, research and innovation and by establishing appropriate networks and enriching teaching with the latest research findings and methods. By jointly supporting the European Universities initiative, Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ will strengthen the European Higher Education Area.

9. InvestEU: The programme consists of the following elements: i) mobilization of public and private investments using guarantees from the EU budget, ii) technical advice on investment projects requiring financing and iii) easily accessible database bringing together projects and investors. The InvestEU fund promotes the four policy areas of sustainable infrastructure, small businesses, research, innovation and digitalization, and social investment and skills.

EU: ERC Research

ERC-Starting Grant (ERC-StG)

Funding type	Funding for excellent, individual research projects
Phase	Experienced researchers
Scope of funding	1,5M
Runtime	usually 5 years
Deadlines	annually, most often january
Further information	Application possible between 2-7 years after the doctorate, observe resubmission rules

ERC-Consolidator Grant (ERC-CoG)

Funding type	Funding for excellent, individual research projects
Phase	Experienced researchers
Scope of funding	2M
Runtime	usually 5 years
Deadlines	annually, most often march
Further information	Application possible between 7-12 years after the doctorate

ERC-Advanced Grant (ERC-AvG)

Funding type	Funding for excellent, individual research projects
Phase	Established researchers
Scope of funding	2,5M
Runtime	usually 5 years
Deadlines	annually, most often april
Further information	Application possible with a substantial track record of 10 years

ERC-Synergy Grant (ERC-SyG)

Funding type	Funding for excellent research projects in a team (2-4 researchers)
Phase	Experienced and established researchers
Scope of funding	10M
Runtime	up to 6 years
Deadlines	annually, most often november
Further information	-

ERC-Proof of Concept (ERC-PoC)

Funding type	Project idea with market potential
Phase	Experienced and established researchers
Scope of funding	150,000€
Runtime	18 months
Deadlines	Two deadlines, mostly October and September
Further information	Application only possible for ERC grantees

EU: Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions-Postdoctoral Fellowships (MSCA-PF)

Förderart	Förderung exzellenter, individueller Forschungsprojekte im Rahmen der Karriereentwicklung von Forschenden
Phase	Frühe Postdocphase, Späte Postdocphase
Förderumfang	Monatliches Grundgehalt, Mobilitätspauschale ggf. Familienpauschale
Förderdauer	12-24 Monate (European Fellowship), 24-36 Monate (Global Fellowship)
Fristen	Jährlich, meist September
Sonstiges	Bis zu 8 Jahre nach Promotion beantragbar, zwei Förderlinien European oder Global Fellowships, Mobilitätsregel beachten, Wiedereinreichungsregeln beachten

Marie-Skłodowska-Curie Actions-Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN)

Förderart	Mittel zur Einrichtung eines mit Kooperationspartnern entwickelten und durchzuführenden Promotionsprogrammes.
Phase	Etablierte Wissenschaftler/innen
Förderumfang	Monatliches Grundgehalt, Mobilitätspauschale ggf. Familienpauschale für Stipendiaten
Förderdauer	Bis zu 4 Jahre
Fristen	Jährlich, meist Herbst
Sonstiges	Mögliche Abschlüsse in Form von Industrial Doctorates, Joint Doctorates, mind. drei Konsortialpartner (Hochschule, Forschungszentrum, Betriebe, u.a. SMEs).

EU: European Regional Development Fund

European Regional Development Fund (EFRE)

The European Regional Development Fund (EFRE) is managed in Hesse by the Hessian Ministry of Science and Culture. In the new funding period (2021-2027), the thematic priorities are a "more competitive and smarter Europe" and a "greener Europe". Projects for the development and expansion of research infrastructure and large-scale research equipment are to be funded under the German Research Foundation (DFG) procedure. The calls for proposals for the current funding guidelines are expected in December 2022.

Important links:

Program of the State of Hesse for the European Regional Development Fund (EFRE)

Fulbright Commission

The German-American Fulbright Commission facilitates academic exchange in the form of scholarships for study, research, teaching and continuing education stays in the USA. The core program is student exchange, but the Commission also supports scholarship programs for postdoctoral researchers, doctoral students and foreign language assistants as well as training seminars for university administrators and regional experts.