1000 Ideas Program (TAI)
Seed funding for bold, original basic research projects in Austria. Submission via elane. Duration 6–24 months, €50,000 to €175,000.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
Support for radically new, particularly original or risky research ideas with high transformative potential in the field of basic research, in order to enable projects that have not been fundable until now.
Eligible expenses
- Personnel expenses
- Equipment costs
- Material costs
- Travel expenses
- Other expenses
Non-eligible expenses
- Funding of doctoral positions
- Publication costs
Eligible to apply
- Educational Institutions
- Public Institutions
Funding requirements
- At least 50% employment contract at an Austrian research institution during the project duration
- Completed doctorate (PhD/MD) at the time of application
- Publication record of the last five years internationally visible and corresponding to the career progression
- Only one project leadership per person in the program
Documents required for application
- Project description
- Financing plan
- Curriculum vitae
- Cost justification
- Application form
- Scientific abstract
- Co-author form
Evaluation criteria
- Transformative potential of the research idea
- Suitability of the proposed research approach and risk assessment
Description
The FWF’s 1000-Ideas Program provides seed funding to educational institutions and public organizations based in Vienna for particularly daring and original basic research projects. Funding amounts ranging from €50,000 to €175,000 are granted for project durations between six and 24 months. The aim is to enable radically new research ideas with high transformative potential that operate outside established paradigms and would generally not be fundable through existing funding programs. Applications are submitted electronically via the elane portal; submissions are accepted on an ongoing basis. Eligible costs include personnel, equipment, materials, travel, and other project-specific expenses. Funding for doctoral positions and publication costs is excluded.
Eligible applicants are researchers with a completed doctorate (PhD/MD) who are employed at an Austrian research institution for at least 50% of the project duration and have international publications from the past five years. Each person may only lead one project within the program. Evaluation is based on the criteria “Transformative potential of the research idea” and “Suitability of the research approach and risk assessment.” Applications must include a project description (including literature appendix), a budget plan, CV, cost justification, application form, scientific abstract, and co-author form. Detailed information on submission deadlines, funding requirements, and target fields can be found on the FWF program pages.