What is Germany’s Excellence Strategy, and how are clusters of excellence chosen?
The Excellence Strategy is a permanent programme of the German federal and state governments that gives extra money to the strongest research at universities. It has two parts: clusters of excellence, which fund large research areas, and universities of excellence, which fund whole institutions.
Why are Germany’s big research funders based in Bonn?
The German Research Foundation, the German Academic Exchange Service and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation all have their head offices in Bonn, not in Berlin. The short answer is timing: all three settled or were re-established there between 1949 and 1953, the years when Bonn became the seat of West Germany’s parliament and government.
How do Polish and German researchers apply for a joint project? NCN, DFG and Weave
A team in Poland and a team in Germany that want to work on one research project do not need two separate grants judged twice. Under the Weave lead agency procedure they write one joint proposal, one funding agency reviews it, and the National Science Centre (NCN) and the DFG each fund their own side.