Important notice
Applications are bundled by four fixed submission deadlines - with the exception of applications with a required budget of less than 30.000 €, which can be submitted at any time.
Open Call 2025
The Open Call offers various purposes for applications, which we have summarized in four categories:
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collaborative project seed fund (substantial support for larger projects)
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research project kick-off fund (e.g. exploratory projects or early career support)
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networking, outreach and transfer (events and activities)
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other research needs (special investments or purchases)
Please note that slightly different requirements and rules apply to each category. If you are not sure which category your idea fits into or you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the TRA manager.
Submission deadlines:
November 17, 2024 / February 16, 2025 / May 18, 2025 / August 17, 2025
The earliest possible start of funding is six weeks after submission. Applications for funding of up to 30.000 € are always accepted.
If you would like to use Confluence to jointly work on the application with your partners, please request access to a shared space by sending an e-mail. Alternatively, please download our application template below.
Conditions for the Open Call
To be eligible for funding applications, the main applicant must be member of TRA Modelling. All proposed projects and activities must be related to novel or planned inter-/transdisciplinary cooperation within mathematics, computer science, and its application areas, that are in line with the research profile of TRA Modelling
Applications aiming for a budget of less than 30.000 € will be accepted at any time. Applications with higher demand are invited for four specific deadlines:
- November 17, 2024
- February 16, 2025
- May 18, 2025
- August 17, 2025
Applicants for a “collaborative project seed fund“ are expected to involve partners form different institutions and should be able to demonstrate preliminary work on the topic. The aim of the project must be a specific third-party funding line for collaborative research. Realistically, the main applicant will hold a professorship.
Applications for a “research project kick-off fund” might involve partners, but also can be submitted by an individual TRA member, working independently in science (post docs, junior research group leaders and above). Exploratory approaches and project ideas in an early stage can be funded, including ideas to develop one's own career (e.g. through aiming at competitive third-party funding lines for early career researchers later). Early career researchers who are not yet member of the TRA Modelling need to apply for a membership in TRA Modelling before applying for the Open Call 2025.
All members of TRA Modelling holding at least a doctorate or PhD can apply for financial support in the categories “networking, outreach and transfer” or “other research needs”.
In the category “collaborative project seed fund“ a funding duration for up to 24 months is possible, but cannot exceed December 31, 2026. Example of funding could be research assistance (SHK/WHK/WHF), materials for experiments, project-specific hardware, costs for analyzing samples, etc. The upper limit would be a partial funding of a new position to recruit a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher (max. 75% E13 24 months; compliance with the prescribed contract period for doctoral students must be ensured by the applicants).
In the category “research project kick-off fund” funding could be similar to the above within the same funding duration, but the max. budget is lower (equivalent to a 75% E13 position for 12 months).
Example of funding in category “networking, outreach and transfer” could be costs for organizing scientific conferences, workshops and network events or other events that promote science communication or outreach/transfer on topics related to TRA Modelling. If financial support is requested exclusively for an event that is not directly embedded in a TRA activity, the grant is limited to 3.000 €.
The category “other research needs” applies to special investments or purchases that advance your trans-/interdisciplinary projects. A short explanation is expected, as to why these costs cannot be covered by others funds. General costs like publication or conference fees, travel cost, standard equipment like monitor, workstation, etc. can only be funded in exceptional cases.
Applications must be based on our application template. The template should be filled out completely to contain all necessary information without attachments.
The innovative and cross-disciplinary nature of the application is a major factor for funding and need to be convincingly outlined in the application.
For all TRA goals selected on the first page of the template, the project description must explain in more detail how these goals are to be achieved.
The requested funds must be allocated to a realistic budget plan and assigned to a specific spending period within 2025 and/or 2026. It is not possible to transfer the budget to another year once the application has been approved.
Following a streamlined review process, the Steering Committee of TRA Modelling will decide on acceptance. Decisions are depending on the project content and availability of funds. Successful applicants will be informed by the TRA Manager and funds will be made available for use according to the project budget plan in the short term.
Kontakt
Daniel Minge
Dechenstraße 3-11
53115