Research grants for interdisciplinary research projects that address combinatorial synergies in themes ranging from fundamental mathematical research to applications.

In 2023, the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG – German Research Foundation) established the Priority Programme ‘Combinatorial Synergies‘. (SPP 2458). It is designed to run for six years and comprises two funding periods of three years each. The present call invites proposals for the second three-year funding period.

During the first funding period, the Priority Programme has established itself as a new and internationally visible combinatorics network in Germany. In the second funding period, the individual projects in the Priority Programme concern combinatorial synergies in themes ranging from fundamental mathematical research to applications. The programme will continue to revolve around the following nine themes:

• Enumeration.
• Dynkin classification.
• Commutative algebra.
• Matroids.
• Convexity.
• Lattice points.
• Statistics.
• Non-linear optimisation.
• Mathematical physics.

The Priority Programme encourages the use of state-of-the-art computational methods, ranging from mathematical software and databases to statistical and machine-learning techniques, AI agents and formalisation, under the FAIR principles.

Eligible to apply are researchers who work in Germany, or at a German research institution abroad, and who have completed their academic training (usually with a doctorate). The participation of researchers based outside Germany is permitted if their project is of added value to the programme at large.

Funding is available for a period of three years and can be requested for a number of modules covering direct project costs, project-specific staff and instrumentation etc.