Research Grant (Standard) Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft of the Federal Republic of Germany (DFG)
Guidelines for Research Grant (Standard Route) relating to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the AHRC and DFG
This was the Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft of the Federal Republic of Germany (DFG) (www.dfg.de) second call under their bilateral agreement to facilitate collaborations between arts and humanities researchers in the UK and Germany.
AHRC and DFG agreed to a joint call for proposals for 2009/2010. AHRC and DFG welcome, encourage and support applications that cut across their national boundaries and involve collaborative teams of UK- and German-based researchers. This agreement covers specifically those arts and humanities fields which are common to both AHRC and DFG. The total combined budget for this call is £2M/2.6M Euros.
Those proposals approved for funding will be jointly supported by the AHRC and DFG. The UK element of the joint proposal will be funded by AHRC and the German element by DFG. AHRC and DFG shall fund the British and German components of successful applications respectively, in accordance with their existing financial and monitoring requirements.
This scheme is now closed.
We will aim to make outcomes known in June 2010 and the earliest start date for any project is the 1st October 2010.
Collaborative research proposals should be submitted only to DFG. DFG will take the lead role in processing applications. The group of scholars should prepare a single application which must be submitted to DFG by the German Principal Investigator on behalf of the research team.
Applications should be written in English or German, except for the case of support where applicants must write their case of support both in English and in German.
The call for proposal and guidance on how to apply has been published on the DFG website.
Eligibility for UK-based element of project
Investigator
The application must include only ONE investigator from a UK organisation which is eligible to apply to the AHRC. The UK investigator will need to be identified as "Co-Investigator" on the application form. This Investigator must meet the AHRC’s current eligibility criteria to be a Principal Investigator on a Research Grant proposal. Please consult the AHRC’s Funding Guide for further information on eligibility.
Research Assistants
Research Assistant employed by the UK organisation needs to meet the AHRC’s threshold of being of postdoctoral standing (either having a PhD or equivalent research experience).
Project studentships
Funding may be sought for one or two full-time (three years) PhD project studentships whose work will contribute to the project as a whole. PhD Project Students must be supervised by a Principal Investigator named on the proposal. The supervisor must be based at the HEI where the project student is registered.
The studentship must fall completely within the duration of the project. Funding cannot be sought to complete a PhD which has already started or will start prior to the start date of the Research Grant project.
Each studentship must provide added value to the project, but also allow the student sufficient independence to make their own original contribution to scholarship. The project should be a viable project without the contribution of the project student (i.e. it cannot be using the PhD student as a de facto research assistant), but the student(s) should benefit from working within the structure of the project as a whole. Project studentships may, on the advice of reviewers, be removed from a project before funding is confirmed.
In order to be eligible, the student must meet certain conditions relating to residency and academic qualifications. Please refer to the ‘AHRC Postgraduate Studentships: Guide to Student Eligibility’ for detailed information.
You should contact the AHRC if you are unsure about your eligibility.
Costing
The UK-based applicant must cost the UK component of the project in accordance with TRAC and using the AHRC financial guidelines to complete the Summary of Resources form (394kb). The Summary of Resources form must be attached to the application form along with a Letter of Support from the UK institution (ie. Research Office) confirming that the UK participant’s eligibility and the accuracy of the costing information relating to the UK institution.
How the application is assessed
Proposals will be reviewed by external expert referees, co-nominated by AHRC and DFG. The proposals will then be assessed by a joint panel, whose members will be nominated in equal numbers by AHRC and DFG. Peer reviewers will use the criteria and procedures applicable to the lead agency. Applicants should provide written consent to the joint-processing of the applications by AHRC and DFG at the end of the case for support.
The funding recommendations of the joint panel will be subject to final approval by the both AHRC and DFG.
For further information on this bilateral agreement, please contact the AHRC international@ahrc.ac.uk or Dr. Guido Lammers Guido.Lammers@dfg.de. Please contact AHRC for queries related to UK eligibility and DFG for queries related to German eligibility and for application process.