The German Foundation for Peace Research (DSF) will continue to offer its “strategy conference” cooperation format. The Foundation’s Board approved the continuation of these strategy conferences following the positive experiences of recent years. The format aims to provide fresh impetus for peace and conflict research, strengthen academic networks, and initiate collaborations with related disciplines and research fields. Funding of up to 25,000 euros is available for organizing a strategy conference.

Strategy conferences bring together researchers from diverse academic backgrounds, creating opportunities to identify shared research questions, increase the visibility of research activities, and develop new collaborative partnerships. Experience to date shows that these events can make a significant contribution to:

• linking disciplines and research fields more closely with peace and conflict research,
• raising the profile of research relevant to peace and conflict,
• strengthening long-term academic exchange,
• breaking down barriers to collaboration,
• fostering interdisciplinary perspectives,
• initiating new research projects,
• engaging early-career scientists, and
• enhancing the international connectivity of research.

The DSF as a cooperation partner

Strategy conferences are developed and implemented jointly by academic institutions and the DSF, with the Foundation acting as a cooperation partner. Potential partners include research institutes, academic networks, or university chairs with relevant areas of specialization. Depending on the objectives, multiple partners may be involved.

There is no fixed event format; the design is tailored to the specific goals and research questions at hand. For instance, strategy conferences can serve to take stock of the current state of research in a specific field, explore new research areas for peace and conflict research, or identify intersections with related fields of study. At the same time, they aim to foster networking both within and across disciplines and to strengthen international connections.

The DSF places great importance on actively involving early-career scientists and enabling them to participate in these events.

Background

Between 2022 and 2025, the DSF supported a total of four strategy conferences covering various disciplines and research fields under its “Strategic Networking” funding module (read more about previous strategy conferences here). The initiative stemmed from recommendations made by the German Council of Science and Humanities (Wissenschaftsrat), which, in its evaluation of peace and conflict research, had highlighted the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration and the need to better integrate underrepresented disciplines.

As the DSF always participates as a cooperation partner in these strategy conferences, this initiative does not constitute a standard funding opportunity under the foundation’s general funding framework, but rather represents a distinct collaborative format of the foundation itself.

Interested in a strategy conference?

Researchers and academic institutions with an idea for a strategy conference are invited to contact the DSF office. The foundation provides guidance on the format’s objectives, potential partnership arrangements, and the requirements for implementation. Unlike other projects, strategy conferences cannot be applied for via the online funding portal.