New Call for Proposals for the DFG Major Instrumentation Programme in 2023

Researchers at institutions of higher education in Germany are invited to submit suggestions for the thematic focus of the 2023 Major Instrumentation programme.

The Major Instrumentation Initiative programme is a strategic funding tool by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG – German Research Foundation) which is designed to support the acquisition of costly major instrumentation and equipment with outstanding or novel technology for use in research. Major Instrumentation Initiatives are aimed exclusively at institutions of higher education in Germany. Instrumentation funded through this scheme has to be made available for external research use.

Researchers at institutions of higher education in Germany may submit concepts for new Major Instrumentation Initiatives. Concepts should explain the necessity of an initiative for a certain type of technology. It also defines an approximate budget for a funded project and an appropriate funding duration, as well as an estimation of the type and number of institutions that might submit proposals within the initiative.

Once a year, the DFG’s Committee on Scientific Instrumentation and Information Technology evaluates the concepts received in a comparative process. At the recommendation of the responsible bodies, and based on concepts that have been evaluated positively, the DFG will set up the initiative and will invite proposals. Following a review process and assessment, the Joint Committee of the DFG allocates funding for the selected proposals.

There are no set funding amounts for Major Instrumentation Initiatives. Following the creation of a new initiative the DFG launches a call for applications which will set out the respective funding modules and funding levels. This will differ from call to call. No funding is offered for the development of the initial concept.

Concepts for new Major Instrumentation Initiatives to be implemented in 2023 must be submitted by 11 June 2022.

(This report was the subject of a RESEARCHconnect Newsflash.)