05 Focus Projects

Focus projects offer the opportunity to work on research projects together with doctoral candidates and thus increase the chances of success for later acquisition of third-party funding.  If the quality of the applications is good enough, priority will be given to projects that establish international collaborations for the first time and on projects led by scientists in an earlier career stage who can thus gain experience in the independent management of research projects. 

The University of Bremen combines the call for proposals for Central Research Funding (CRDF) with a content-related focus on far-reaching interdisciplinarity and the ability to overcome subject boundaries (research diversity). This stimulus is intended to stimulate new and innovative forms of collaboration. This can take place both within the areas currently designated as natural sciences and engineering or social sciences and humanities, or across these divisional boundaries. In this way, the university would like to bring its interdisciplinary strength to the fore.

WHO CAN APPLY? This funding line is aimed at new members of the University of Bremen: (Senior) Researchers and (Senior) Lecturers, junior research group leaders, lecturers and professors appointed for the first time can submit applications during their first three years at the University of Bremen. Temporary employees must be employed at the University of Bremen for at least the duration of the project applied for.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS? Innovative research project of high quality, suitable both for the integration of a new doctoral project and for the preparation of further third-party funding.

FUNDING CONDITIONS: A focus project includes a doctoral position for a period of three years as well as a research budget of up to € 3,000  per year. In financing the doctoral positions, the CRDF follows the DFG guidelines for the payment of doctoral candidates. The CRDF allocates either 75 % or 100 % positions. The PhD position includes a teaching load of 1,5 hours (75 %) up to 2 hours (100 %) per week (SWS), depending on the contract. Any previously approved focus project has to be fully completed before applying for a new one. Persons whose positions are funded by the CRDF funding line 04 “Independent Projects for Postdocs” are not eligible to apply. Applicants must have the permission to supervise doctorates. Please get in touch with the relevant Doctoral Committee in time, if neccessary.

PROCEDURE: Funding is available for two focus projects with one doctoral position each. The two focus projects will be distributed equally between the natural sciences and engineering on the one hand, and the social sciences and humanities on the other hand.

The University's Research Funding Committees (BFK Nawi and BFK Sowi) decide on the applications on basis of external reviews.

Criteria for the assessment of applications

The Research Funding Committees assess the applications based on the following criteria:

I. Quality of the project

• Originality of the project
• Special significance of the project (e.g., socio-political, regional, transfer-relevant)
• Conclusive justification of the research question/hypotheses
• Comprehensible selection of methods/procedures and feasibility
• Convincing reference to the state of research
• Expected gain in knowledge

II. Suitability of the applicant(s)

• Previous publications by the applicant(s) in the subject area of the application (quality, number, significance, taking into account peer review procedures and sole or first authorship, if relevant to the subject area)
• Viability of the preliminary work

III. Feasibility of the project and the doctoral project

• Detailed and feasible work and time schedule as well as appropriate financing plan
• Opportunities for the project to attract further third-party funding
• Suitability of the project as a basis for a doctoral project
• Interaction/delimitation of the focus/doctoral project