Germany BMBF FONA — Research for Sustainability (Forschung für Nachhaltigkeit)
Supports Germany BMBF FONA sustainability research across disruptive themes including production systems, water resources, and agroecology.
Germany BMBF FONA - Forschung fur Nachhaltigkeit sits under Germany's Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space as the country's sustainability research umbrella. The programme is framed around annual calls and themed announcements that cover sustainable production, the water-energy nexus, agroecology, and bioeconomy topics, which shows how broad the agenda is while still staying policy-led. It is aimed at strengthening German research capacity in applied sustainability fields and at keeping those themes visible inside a recurring federal funding line. The instrument is a grant route for German-based applicants, with organisations rather than individuals eligible and consortia required. Award sizes run from about EUR535,000 to EUR10.7 million, so the route is built for sizeable collaborative projects rather than narrow pilots. German registration and operations are part of the eligibility set, which keeps the channel anchored in the domestic research and innovation system. FONA is positioned as a strategic umbrella rather than a single niche call, and that matters for applicants who need to align a larger team around one of the published sustainability themes. The annual cadence gives consortia a repeat point of entry, while the thematic notices let groups decide whether they fit the current window before committing the effort. It is strongest for projects that can combine scientific depth with a credible route to industrial or societal use.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.