To facilitate the support of collaborative work between US groups and their German counterparts, the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Physics Division (PHY) and the DFG’s Physics and Chemistry division have recently agreed on a joint lead-agency process for projects in the area of Physics. US researchers are invited to consult the NSF Dear Colleague Letter. This funding activity includes only the areas described in the NSF Division of Physics programmes.
The proposals will be assessed in competition with other proposals received in the same submission window by one of the agencies that will serve as the lead agency. There are no separate funds available for these efforts; proposals must compete with all other proposals within the programmes opened to the lead agency activity. From the viewpoint of the DFG, this is a special case of the DFG’s individual research grants programme (Sachbeihilfe), with a few additional provisions. The result of the review process will be shared between the agencies to make final decisions on this basis. Support will be granted for those proposals with both DFG and NSF recommendation for funding. Proposals selected for funding will be funded by the NSF on the US side and by the DFG on the German side. Researchers are to acknowledge both the NSF and the DFG in any reports or publications arising from the grant.
Proposals where the DFG is the lead agency can be submitted on a continuous basis. For proposals where the lead agency is the NSF, please refer to the NSF-Physics Division for specific timing of deadlines. Prior to the submission, applicants must discuss within their research team where they feel the largest proportion of research lies and agree on a proposed lead agency (either NSF or DFG).
The eligibility to submit a proposal follows the regulations for the NSF and DFG programmes for individual funding respectively. Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the proposal preparation requirements of the chosen lead agency via Research.gov (NSF) and elan (DFG).
