U.S.-German Collaboration between NSF and DFG: Pre-Announcement
Connecting DFG’s International Research Training Groups (IRTG) and Individual Grants Programme with NSF’s Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) Programme
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) are pleased to announce their cooperation in funding international research and training programmes. To support German-U.S. research and training projects, NSF and DFG have agreed to align application and funding processes of DFG’s International Research Training Groups (IRTG) and Individual Grants programmes with NSF’s Partnerships for International Research and Education (PIRE) programme.
In the 2016 solicitation, the publication of which by NSF is expected in April 2016, German researchers may cooperate with new PIRE projects using one of two DFG funding programmes:
- International Research Training Groups (IRTGs):
The IRTG programme is dedicated to establishing a joint doctoral training programme between a German university and a university abroad. By combining an IRTG and a PIRE application, German and American institutions may join forces to create a bilateral U.S.-German doctoral training programme. - The Individual Grants programme allows individual researchers to participate as a partner in a PIRE proposal. This is particularly of interest for PIRE projects in which a researcher in Germany is only one of several foreign partners in a PIRE proposal.
The tentative timelines and submission windows for both these opportunities are different and described below. There may be slight adjustments depending on the timeframe of the NSF’s publication of the PIRE solicitation.
PIRE-IRTG Cooperation
For International Research Training Group proposals, the usual guidelines apply (see link below). In order to coordinate the review process with NSF, draft proposals should be submitted to DFG no later than June 2016. After a positive evaluation of the draft proposal, full proposals can be submitted until 1 April 2017. If the IRTG application is granted, funding will commence in January 2018 or later.
PIRE-Individual Grants Cooperations
German researchers who wish to partner with PIRE proposals as individual researchers should submit an Individual Grants Proposal concurrently with the U.S. PIRE full proposal submission to NSF or before 1 May 2017. Funding is expected to commence in December 2017. The usual DFG application guidelines, eligibility requirements and peer review procedures apply (see below).
For the U.S.-based PI’s, the regular submission deadlines for the PIRE programme apply as described in the NSF solicitation.
Further information:
The NSF PIRE programme is open to all areas of research currently funded by NSF. More details can be found here:
The upcoming PIRE solicitation is expected to be published on NSF’s website:
PIRE-IRTG Cooperations
Information on the IRTG programme, forms and proposal guidelines:
in English:
Contact person at the DFG for IRTG proposals:
- Dr. Sebastian Granderath
German Research Foundation
Programme Director, Research Careers
phone: +49 228 885-2881
sebastian.granderath(at)dfg.de
PIRE-Individual Grants cooperations
Information on Individual Grants, forms and proposal guidelines:
in English:
Contact person at the DFG for Individual Grants proposals:
- Bettina Schilling
German Research Foundation
Scientific Affairs
phone: +49 228 885-2715
E-Mail: bettina.schilling(at)dfg.de
