1. National Science Fund Conference Sofia, 29 September 2005
The DFG’s Portfolio for Funding Cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe
National Science Fund Conference
Sofia, 29 September 2005
Dr. Alice Rajewsky
Programme Director
International Cooperation
Central and Eastern Europe; CIS

2. The Mandate
Central self-governing organisation for funding research in Germany
Serving all fields of science and research
Supporting scientific excellence in competition
Bottom-up funding policy
Peer review
Promoting international cooperation
Promoting young researchers
Advising parliaments and governments on scientific matters
Budget: 1,3 billion € p.a.
Die DFG ist diezentrale Selbstverwaltungseinrichtung der Wissenschaft zur Förderung der Forschung an Hochschulen und öffentlich finanzierten Forschungseinrichtungen in Deutschland, zuständig für alle Fächer.
Der Rechtsform anch ist die DFG ein eingetragener Verein, dessen Mitglieder wissenschaftlichen Hochschulen, Akademien der Wissenschaft, MPG, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft und Forschungseinrichtungen von allgemeiner Bedeutung sind.
Das wichtigste, grundlegende Prinzip ist das bottom-up Prinzip – demzufolge sich die Förderung nach der Nachfrage aus der Wissenschaft richtet, sowohl inhaltlich als auch programmatisch. Erst in jüngster Zeit, als eine Ergebnis der Systemevaluation von DFG und MPG, gibt es in Ergänzung zu diesem bottom-up-Prinzip stärker strategische Ansätze in der Forschungsförderung der DFG.
Hauptaufgabe ist es, die besten Projekte in einem transparenten, fairen Wettbewerb auszuwählen, durch peer review, wobei wissenschaftliche Exzellenz immer das wichtigste Kriterium ist. Das Rückgrat dieses Prozesses sind die gewählten Fachgutachter in den Fachausschüssen, die wissenschaftliche Qualität und Unabhängigkeit garantieren.

3. Our goals Internationality Promotion of Young Researchers
Drei satzungsmäßige Aufgaben
Internationalität:
Öffnung aller Programme
Internationalisierung der Begutachtung und der Gremien
Intensivierung der institutionellen Kooperation
Übergreifendes Ziel: Internationalisierung der Wissenschaft und der Wissenschaftsförderung
Präsenz im Ausland
Beijing (seit Oktober 2000)
Washington (seit Mai 2002)
Moskau (ab Sommer 2003)
Interdisziplinarität
koordinierte Programme, Reform des Begutachtungswesens
Nachwuchs:
insbesondere ein Anliegen des amtierenden Präsidenten
„frühe Selbständigkeit“ , Emmy Noether
Promotion of
Young Researchers
Interdisciplinarity
Illustration unter Verwendung von:

4. DFG Funding Programmes
International Co-operation
Membership in Inter-national Organizations
Bilateral collaboration
Project Funding
Sabbatical
Publication Costs
Individual Grants Programme
Mercator-
Visiting Professorships
Promoting Scientific contacts
International Academic Conferences in Germany
Travels to Conferences
Priority Programmes
Research Units
Humanities Research Centres
Collaborative Research Centres / Transfer Centres
DFG-Research Centres
Centres of Excellence
Coordinated Programmes
DFG
Funding
Programmes
Infrastructure funding
Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz-Programme
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Programme
Communicator Prize
Eugen and Ilse Seibold-Prize
Albert Maucher-Prize
Prizes
Research Training Groups
(national & international)
Programme "Independent Position"
Research Fellowships
Emmy Noether Programme
Heisenberg -
Programme
Direct Funding of Young Researchers

5. International Dimension of all Programmes
All fellowship-programmes
are open to candidates from abroad, as long as they intend to be based in Germany for a longer time
All programmes have been opened for international cooperation:
funding for travel costs, research stays, inviting guest scientists
bilateral research projects
integration of research groups abroad

6. Promoting International Cooperation
Research Stays (max. 3 months)
enable researchers to build up or intensify cooperation
Inviting researchers from CEEC to take part in conferences in Germany
Both instruments:
Application to be submitted by the
German partner
Joint research projects (2-3 years)
narrowly-defined research project
funding: personnel, consumables, travel cost
co-funding for the non-German partner should be secured from other sources (national funding organization, EU)
Cooperation within Coordinated Programmes
Bilateral Symposia
can be held in either
country
application to be submitted by the German coordinator
International Research Training Groups
Collaborative Research Centres
DFG-Research Centres etc.
co-funding needed
(2)
(air china)
Illustration taken from: ;

7. A Focus on Promoting Young Researchers
Excellency
Early Independence
DFG
Internationality
Illustration unter Verwendung von:

8. Research Training Groups (Graduiertenkollegs) excellent – innovative – international
thematically focussed research and study programme
faculty, postdocs, PhD students
research students, coordinator
established at centres of scientific excellence
selected on a competitive peer-review basis
limited duration (max. 9 years, 2 funding periods)

9. Research Training Groups: Funding
Fellowships/positions for PhD students, B.A. students, and some postdocs
Positions advertised world wide
Local selection by Research Training Group
PhD fellowships 3 years, postdocs 2 years
Means for research students (undergraduates)
Research materials, consumables, and travel funds for students
Workshops, excursions, and a visiting scientist programme
Costs for soft skill seminars
Co-ordination costs
DFG provides fellowships for Postgraduates and for 1 or 2 Postdocs,
but not only stipends, but also considerable funding for acutally to do research: materials, consumables...
to meet the scientific community
to exchange results in a broader forum
Graduiertenkollegs provide substantial funds for travel and international contacts, made even more attractive by the fact that students are encouraged to participate in funding decisions.

10. Research Training Groups: Figures
272 RTGs in all scientific fields, 41 International RTGs
6.600 doctoral students currently funded,
41% female, 28% foreign doctoral students (of these 35% from CEEC = largest group)
~ 10% of Germans doctoral students complete their doctorate in RTGs
Averaged budget of one RTG: ~ € p.a.
Programme budget 68 m € p.a. (6% of DFG´s total budget)
Individual PhD funding: stipend up to €/month or
position (applied Maths, Physics, Informatics, Engineering, Chemistry)
Annually ~ 100 new proposals, going up
Funding rate: ~ 35%, going down
After its inception in 1990 the programme has been built up to include some 300 Gradu­iertenkollegs in all disciplines. Humanities have a particular emphasis.
Some 10% of German PhDs are now completed by participants in a Graduiertenkolleg.

11. & International Research Training Groups DFG Research Training
integration of complementary expertise at centres of excellence
systematic coordination of bilateral research projects / joint supervision
6-12 months mobility period at partner university
complemetary funding needed
 allows to profit from cooperation & counteracts brain drain
DFG
Illustration taken from:

12. International Research Training Groups with CEEC
Particularly attractive because:
many existing long-term scientific cooperations
good structural preconditions in PhD-Training
based on principle of balance; no brain drain
 IRTGs have become the most visible model for scientific cooperation with CEEC
 partner organizations have introduced similar programmes / increased budget
 many initiatives: Russia: 15, Poland: 13, Hungary: 5, Čech Republic: 5
(to compare: France: 10, NL: 6, India: 3) hopefully soon Bulgaria?

13. Institutional Cooperation
Aim:
to build a transparent network of bilateral structures on an institutional level,
promoting a more intense collaboration of researchers
Implementation:
carry out joint thematic workshops
extend existing thematic and structural networks
develop joint procedures and instruments
evaluation
funding
staff exchange
European dimension:
prepare for European Research Council
increase attractiveness of European Research Area

14. Thank you for your Attention!
Dr. Alice Rajewsky
Programme Director
International Cooperation
Central and Eastern Europe; CIS
Tel.:
Further Information at