Application for funding

With its internal funding programme for research projects with citizen participation, HHU finances projects conducted by HHU researchers that actively involve citizens and/or representatives of organised civil society. The programme is open to all research disciplines and comprises two funding lines. Research questions should have inter- and transdisciplinary focuses. A total of 140,000 euros in funding is available this year.

The aim of the funding programme is to support researchers at HHU in expanding the involvement of citizens and representatives of organised civil society in their research projects. Without impacting scientific quality standards, the objective is to empower citizens to contribute to research results and findings through their skills, expertise and enthusiasm.

This involvement can range from the joint development of a project proposal (co-design, multi-stakeholder approach), to participation in the implementation of citizen science projects and transfer into practice. The participation formats selected should be scientifically appropriate and tailored to the specific research project to ensure that they generate genuine added value for research. The funding programme also aims to make scientific processes and the work of researchers more accessible to the public and thereby break down barriers between science and society.

For the fourth round of funding (2022)

Application period starts: November 10^th 2022

Application period ends: February 10^th 2023

• Financing of research projects taking a participatory approach and actively involving citizens and/or representatives of organised civil society.

• Eligibility criteria: HHU researchers who hold at least a PhD

• Funding covers: personnel, material, travel and publication costs

• Funding amount: max. 60,000 euros per project

• Funding period: max. 24 months

• Funding of the involvement of citizens and/or stakeholders from organised civil society in the application phase for an external third-party funded project to enable the joint development of research questions and co-design of project proposals.
• Eligibility criteria: HHU researchers at all career stages who hold at least a PhD
• Funding covers: personnel, material, travel and publication costs
• Funding amount: max. 15,000 euros per project
• Funding period: max. 12 months
• The aim is to increase the chances of success of applications to funding programmes that welcome or require the use of participatory methods in project planning and the application process (e.g. applications to funding programmes offered by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung – BMBF) or the EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation), but which do not provide dedicated funding for that.

You can find all further details on the two funding lines, the application documents to be submitted, the evaluation criteria, the review procedure and links to further information material in the corresponding Guideline (please note that this document is only available in German) and in the Guide for applicants.

The funding decision is made by a selection committee on the basis of the scientific quality of the application and the appropriateness of the participatory approaches.

Please submit your application as a PDF document by email to the Public Engagement Unit (). The selection process for projects will take place end of March 2023. You will be informed as soon as the decision has been made.

You can find an overview of all projects that have received funding under the programme to date on this page (please note that this page is only available in German).

The research funding programme is a measure offered by the Citizens’ University and serves to anchor the guiding principles of the Citizens’ University in research. Further information can be found here.

For futher information please contact the Public Engagement Unit.

0211 81-15053