Applicants in the UK must meet AHRC eligibility requirements. Applicants in Germany must meet the eligibility requirements of DFG.
Funding will be distributed among the research partners according to:
- the researchers’ places of work
- the funding rules of each individual agency
Before applying for funding, check the eligibility of your organisation.
For full details, visit Eligibility as an individual.
Project teams
Each joint research project must consist of two national teams, one based in the UK and one based in Germany. Both teams must have a project lead. The inclusion of additional team members is optional.
The UK team must be led by a researcher who meets AHRC’s individual eligibility criteria, proposing research that falls within the remit of AHRC. They must be based at a research organisation eligible for AHRC funding.
The German team must be led by a researcher eligible for DFG funding. German researchers from non-university research institutions must comply with their duty to cooperate with a member of a German university (Kooperationspflicht) (PDF, 98.1KB). This duty to cooperate is not met if a researcher from a non-university research institution only cooperates with a UK partner.
Applications to this funding opportunity are not considered as first proposals under DFG’s regulations for first-time applicants. As such, applications submitted by a first-time applicant should not be labelled as a first-time proposal and will not be granted special consideration by reviewers.
PhD students cannot be funded through UK research team budgets for this funding opportunity in line with standard AHRC funding rules.
International applicants
As all applications to this opportunity will involve international applicants, we encourage prospective applicants to visit UK Research and Innovation’s (UKRI) trusted research and innovation for more information on effective and equitable international collaboration.
If you are undertaking research and innovation activities outside the UK and Germany, you must recognise and address the possible impact of contextual, societal and cultural differences on the ethical conduct of those activities.
You should evidence how partnerships are equitable, ethical, responsible and meaningful. You should also follow the key principles of equitable partnerships to address inherent power imbalances when working with partners in resource-poor settings.
AHRC’s provision to include (where relevant) international project co-leads will apply to the UK component of projects, allowing for the inclusion of eligible researchers not based in the UK or Germany. Researchers based in Germany cannot be included within the UK budget, as these individuals must be included within the German team under the DFG-supported component of the collaboration.
You can include more than one international project co-lead. However, the total costs for all international project co-lead involvement cannot exceed 30% of the overall 100% full economic cost of your application. A head of department letter of support is not required if the intended international project co-lead is on a fixed-term contract or is an honorary or visiting fellow.
Refer to the AHRC research funding guide for:
- further information on AHRC’s international project co-lead policy
- which costs are eligible within a UK budget
Researchers based in Germany can submit a joint proposal to fund German and international project costs with colleagues from a developing country.
Further information can be found on the DFG website.
Resubmission
Immediate resubmission of unsuccessful applications from one opportunity to the next is not permitted. As such, resubmission of unsuccessful applications from the sixth opportunity to the seventh opportunity is not permitted. However, applicants involved in unsuccessful applications under the sixth funding opportunity may submit, or be involved in, different or new proposals for this funding opportunity.
A reworked resubmission from all DFG and AHRC funding opportunities prior to the sixth round will be allowed to submit to this opportunity, where the proposal has been revised, for example with changes to:
- research questions
- methodology
- the project team
Changes should be summarised under the resubmission heading.
A resubmission is only allowed once within the AHRC-DFG programme.
Multiple submissions
If your application has been submitted to any other funding opportunity or funding stream of any other funding agency, this must be clearly stated.
You need to also check the respective national agency’s rules regarding submission of a project to more than one funder or scheme.
There is no limit to how many applications can be submitted to this funding opportunity from any one research organisation.
Individual researchers may be involved in multiple submissions to this funding opportunity as long as their overall time commitment is supported by their research organisation.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
We are committed to achieving equality of opportunity for all applicants. We encourage applications from a diverse range of researchers.
We support people to work in a way that suits their personal circumstances. This includes:
- career breaks
- support for people with caring responsibilities
- flexible working
- alternative working patterns
Find out more about equality, diversity and inclusion at UKRI.
Supporting early-career researchers and technicians
UKRI and DFG aim to enable a dynamic, diverse and inclusive system of research and innovation in the UK and Germany that is an integral part of society, giving everyone the opportunity to participate and to benefit.
We encourage early-career researchers and technicians to apply to this funding opportunity. We will specifically consider the suitability of support and management systems for these project team members as part of the assessment criteria.
UKRI is a signatory to the Concordat to Support the Career Development of Researchers, and AHRC has published its own guidance on training and developing early career researchers in the arts and humanities.
UKRI has also published a Technician Commitment Action Plan, which includes guidance on UKRI’s expectations towards research organisations in recognising and valuing the full diversity of technically skilled people and technical roles working in research teams at all career stages across our remit.
If you are integrating early-career researchers or technicians into your project team, refer to the Technician Commitment Action Plan for more information.
Under this funding opportunity, early-career researchers on the German side can apply for a temporary position for project lead (Eigene Stelle) (PDF, 132KB).
