Sources and structures of funding

How do academics, and finance their research at higher education institutions and non-university research institutions? In Germany, they can receive research funding from a variety of institutions, including state agencies, private foundations and industrial partners. Funding is organised on a federal basis. The federal government and federal states thus organise it independently – although they sometimes cooperate when doing so.
 

Who pays for the research?

Research funding is diversified – financial resources for research come for example from

• Federal government and federal states
• Public funding organisations like the German Academic Exchange Service () or the German Research Foundation ()
• EU funding programmes, such as
• Private foundations
• Companies

Research allowances and other sources


There are many sources in Germany that assist research institutions with implementing their research projects.

These include:

• , German Research Foundation): the DFG provides competitive funding that supports research in all scientific disciplines.
• the BMBF finances research in sectors including digitisation. healthcare and sustainability.
• Research allowances: companies can take advantage of tax relief relating to research and development projects.

The distribution of financial resources to higher education institutions, and similar is arranged by the

• DFG: it decides regarding the award of research funding based on scientific criteria and evaluations.
• Federal ministries: various ministries, in particular the BMBF, provide funds for specific Research Fellowship Programmes.
• European Union: the EU distributes funds for in the context of its research and innovation programmes.
• Foundations and funding organisations: can award funds for specific research projects, sometimes in the form of scholarships.