HAW-ForschungsAkzente — Stichtag
Funds German applied-science universities pursuing multi-year projects across multiple technology domains.
⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
HAW-ForschungsAkzente is a BMFTR programme that provides 100% non-repayable grant funding to German universities of applied sciences (Hochschulen für Angewandte Wissenschaften, HAWs) to deepen existing research areas or open new ones. The legal basis is a Federal-Länder agreement of 27 November 2023 under Article 91b of the Basic Law (Grundgesetz), published in BAnz AT 30.01.2024 B10, with the formal Bekanntmachung issued 22 August 2024. The programme framework runs through 31 December 2030. Eligible applicants are public or state-recognised HAWs in Germany; standalone research organisations and for-profit companies cannot apply. Newly appointed professors are explicitly encouraged to submit.
Projects run for up to 36 months, extendable by 12 months if doctoral students are formally integrated. Eligible costs are funded at 100% of eligible expenditure, plus a 20% Projektpauschale (overhead allowance) for non-economic research activities. Private HAWs face a co-funding requirement that escalates from 0% in 2024 to 10% in 2026, rising to 50% by 2030. Subcontracting research work (Forschungsaufträge) to third parties is capped at 10% of eligible costs. Single-institution applications are permitted; consortia of multiple HAWs around a shared research theme are also welcome. The annual concept-paper cutoff (Ausschlussfrist) for the 2026 round is 29 May 2026—late submissions cannot be considered for this round. The preceding cutoff of 30 May 2025 has passed.
Concept papers (Projektskizzen) are submitted electronically via the easy-Online portal to the relevant Projektträger. All application documents are in German. Successful concept-paper authors are invited to submit a full application. To be competitive, proposals should articulate a clear research focus that either deepens an established area of HAW expertise or opens a strategically new field, demonstrate relevance to practical application, and show a credible plan for 36-month execution within the budget. The programme imposes no sector restrictions—both theoretical and practice-oriented approaches across any discipline are in scope.
Themed-open — HAWs choose their own research focus to deepen or open new research areas. Both theoretical and practice-oriented approaches are eligible; basic and applied research both in scope.
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