FWF Specialized Research Groups (SFG)

FWF Specialized Research Groups

Supports research groups in Austria building transdisciplinary projects for long-term scientific impact.

The FWF Specialized Research Groups (SFG) programme funds large collaborative research consortia in all scientific disciplines at Austrian institutions, with the 2026 call open from 21 May to 15 September 2026. Consortia of three to twelve outstanding researchers may apply for awards ranging from €3 million to €9 million over an initial project term of 60 months, with the option of one follow-up cycle of up to 48 months. The programme is one of FWF's principal instruments for building sustained research capacity around emerging scientific questions, and it likely succeeds the earlier Spezialforschungsbereich (SFB) collaborative-grant tradition in the Austrian funding system.

All consortium members must hold positions at Austrian research institutions; for-profit and non-profit organisations are ineligible. A mandatory gender requirement applies: at least one third of the consortium members must represent the underrepresented gender. Review is two-stage — a pre-proposal submitted in spring is followed by a full proposal evaluation, with decisions expected by the end of 2026. Funds flow through host institutions under the PROFI mode. Applications are submitted via the elane portal. The Scientific Board makes the final funding decision following international expert review.

Given the €3–9 million range and 60-month horizon, the SFG is suited to established teams with a track record of collaboration who can articulate a coherent multi-PI research agenda rather than a loose collection of individual projects. Applicants should plan pre-proposal content well before the September 2026 deadline; the two-stage structure means that consortium composition and the overarching scientific narrative must be strong at the first-stage screen to advance to full evaluation.