Socio-ecological Junior Research Groups for Sustainable and Resilient Urban-Rural Regions
If you wish to conduct research within a junior research group on the topic of urban-rural regions, you may be eligible to receive a grant under certain conditions.
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Grant criteria
Funding objective
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports early-career scientific research groups within the framework of FONA3 for research on sustainable development and promotes interdisciplinary socio-ecological research in the context of urban-rural regions.
Eligible to apply
- Educational Institutions
Funding requirements
- Eligible applicants: universities, non-university research institutions, or comparable organizations
- At the time of disbursement, an institution must exist in Germany
- Own research concept and interdisciplinary composition
- Led by a doctoral degree holder (PhD not older than 4 years)
- Early-career researchers must demonstrate relevant prior work
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Documents required for application
- Project outline
- Formal funding application
Description
The Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports innovatively designed socio-ecological junior research groups within the framework of the FONA3 program, which address the challenges of sustainable and resilient urban-rural regions in an interdisciplinary manner. The funding program places a special emphasis on research & innovation as well as urban planning and urban renewal. Explicitly promoted is the collaboration between natural and engineering sciences as well as practice-oriented approaches to develop forward-looking solutions for urban-influenced living environments. Support is provided in the form of a grant over a project duration of 60 months, thereby creating a comprehensive framework for ambitious research projects.
Eligible for funding under this initiative are universities, non-university research institutions, and comparable organizations that demonstrably possess the required infrastructure. The program specifically targets junior research groups that have an independent research concept and an interdisciplinary composition. Group leaders must hold a doctorate – the PhD must not be older than four years at the time of the outline submission – and the junior researchers should be qualified through relevant preliminary work. Supervision by experienced mentors ensures that professional expertise is continuously integrated into the project. Furthermore, a written cooperation agreement between the participating institutions is required to clearly regulate inter-institutional collaboration.
This funding measure offers an attractive opportunity to advance socio-ecological research approaches for sustainable development in urban and peripheral regions. A full grant of up to 100 percent of eligible expenses is provided. The two-stage funding process begins with the submission of a project outline, which must be submitted by set deadlines – April 29, 2024, April 29, 2026, or April 29, 2028 – before a formal funding application is made. The use of the electronic application system easy-Online ensures a standardized and transparent procedure. This initiative thus creates a solid foundation to realize innovative research projects in urban-rural regions and thereby set important impulses for sustainable and resilient urban development.