The Rectorate supports proposals for DFG research networks right from the first stage of brainstorming and formation by offering the following services:

• Individual meetings for advice and information
• Organization of workshops and networking events to initiate collaborative initiatives (e.g. topic selection, strategic composition of the proposal consortium, identification of the appropriate funding format)

The contact person in the Rectorate is Dr. Gunter Friedrich.

The Office of Research Support Services provides advice during the concrete application phase.

Moreover, the Rectorate provides comprehensive financial support for submitting applications for DFG collaborative projects (SFB/TRR, GRK, FOR, Kolleg-FOR) as well as Horizon Europe EU collaborative projects (RIA/IA, EIC, Missions), ERC Synergy Grants, and MSCA Doctoral Networks, provided that funding through departmental or faculty resources is not possible.

For DFG collaborative projects, the support includes both the preparation of a project outline and the submission of a full proposal. During the outline phase, funds can be requested to financeup to one scientific staff position (50%) for up to six months. In the full proposal phase, a maximum funding for a scientific staff position can also be provided, upon request, for up to 12 months (100% for SFB/TRR, 50% for GRK/FOR/Kolleg-FOR). The prerequisites for funding DFG collaborative projects are the acceptance of the spokesperson role, significant participation of TU Dortmund in the collaboration, and a concrete concept in the outline phase.

For the mentioned EU applications, up to 50% of a scientific staff position can be financed for a maximum of six months. The requirements for this are that the project coordination lies with TU Dortmund, a convincing concept is presented, and the proposed budget has a substantially large scope.

All financial support is based on the current DFG personnel rates (postdoctoral researcher or comparable). The application forms are available on request from the Grants Services.

TU Dortmund University rewards successful acquisition of third-party funding with the research-based additional allocation (FobaZuz) and takes it into account when calculating the annual faculty budgets.

With the establishment of interdisciplinary research centers the Rectorate promotes cross-faculty alliances of TU Dortmund University researchers with an innovative joint research approach. They are created on the initiative of their members and are financially supported by the Rectorate. For initial advice or support in preparing an application, please contact Dr. Gunter Friedrich at the Rectorate.

Other Rectorate formats for networking and exchange on research topics include the annual Faculty Dialogues on Research, the Fireside Evenings with Scientists and TU Dortmund University in Conversation (German only).

If you would like to find out more about researchers and their research topics at TU Dortmund University or are looking for future cooperation partners for joint projects, you can use an expert search to get an overview of the diverse research landscape at TU Dortmund University.